On the Beaten Track [END] (739 views)

[Kell]

Amidst the hustle and bustle of the Central City, a sleek black car rolled up, smoothly gliding to a halt. A door swung open, a short stocky yellow wocky sliding out off the seat and leaning back in.

"Just head to the lodge for now, Cor," Kell said, insistently. "Before you doze off an' crash my baby."

The ogrin's nose wrinkled, but Kell could tell his brother wasn't in the mood to put up a fight. "roosterroach Towers, lucky me," groused Corbin and Kell had to reach in and pat him on the shoulder, lopsided grin pulling at his lips.

"Dude, it's no AstroVilla, but it's all we can grab. Go rest up. I'll find a job, try and scrounge up some dough." Corbin opened his mouth and Kell quickly paved his hand to silence him. "Nuh-uh. Go, Corbin. Don't make me chase you."

The ogrin huffed, but Kell could see the faint smile on his face. "Fine. But don't wear yourself out." Kell grinned and patted the car, stepping back to watch it pull away and disappear around a bend, quickly rummaging through his pockets for the old Neo Central Map. It had been a hell of a long time since they'd been up this way, the Haunted Woods tending to be more- well, haunted.

Still, a break would do them both some good, especially once they had a bit of cash to feed themselves.

Kell peered intently at the map, glancing up at his surroundings and pausing. "...Where the heck am I?"

[Jazilyn]

"I'm telling you there's nothing here!" The draik pressed her cellphone furiously to her ear, her wings wanting to flare out in anger, but alas remained trapped in the fabric prison of her long, black trench coat.

She wore a long coat and gloves even though it wasn't a cold day out; her coat was even left open, and the ebony vest and skirt she wore beneath left her abdomen exposed. With her tail curled up her back and completely hidden by her long coat, she was quite a sight to see marching down the concrete sidewalks of Neopia Central.

"Whatever," she hissed, clicking the red 'end call' button with one of her gloved fingers and cramming the phone back into one of her deep pockets. All would have been well and good had she been paying attention to where she was walking, but in her distraction she found herself precious centimeters away from running headlong into a wocky that stood little more than half her height. Fortunately she was able to stop herself in time, and took a large step back.

Her teeth gritted and she was just about to scream something about how he shouldn't be standing in the middle of the sidewalk, when she caught herself, and cooler heads prevailed. She wasn't really angry at him; she was just stewing in the aftermath of her unpleasant phone conversation. "Probably need to invest in some kind of siren for when I walk that fast," she remarked with a forced smile. Sadly enough, that was her way of trying to apologize; as the words 'I'm sorry' didn't often exist in her vocabulary.

She peered down at him with a single crimson eye, her long, gray hair having been combed down to cover the entire left half of her face. Why did he look familiar? Had they met before, or was she imagining it? She probably was just imagining it; what were the odds of running into someone she knew in a big city like this.

[Kell]

Kell couldn't make heads or tails of the stupid map, though that was probably his own fault considering the things was about six years old and lived in his pocket since he'd got it. With an irritated huff, he scrunched it up and shoved it in in the pocket of his well-worn leather jacket, deciding to play it by ear. He was a champion of charm after all, why not flaunt it?

He'd barely lifted his head up before a really, really tall draik almost ploughed into him, stopping a scant few centimetres from the tip of his nose, startled green eyes staring up and up- man, he hated tall people.

"How about a bell? Or a foghorn. Or here's a novel idea- watch where you're going." His tail, a long puff of tan fur that was the length of himself and then some, flicked in irritation. It was probably unfair to be snappish, but Corbin was the people pleaser- Kell didn't take kindly to almost being stepped on.

He stepped back to look at her more clearly, and without snapping his neck trying to look up, head roostering to the side in curiosity. She was an unusual looking neopian, if he was honest, near dressed in black from head to toe, a swathe of silvery hair draped over her face. "Y'know, I ain't a local, but I'm willin' to bet money you ain't round from here either."

[Jazilyn]

"Well, I would watch where I was going, but you'd have to grow another two feet before I saw you," she smirked derisively. Man she loved sarcastic people. She was positive now that she'd never met him before, but he still looked familiar; she just wished she knew why. It wasn't like her to forget a face.

"I'm Darigan," she replied curtly, as if it wasn't obvious. Her tail wanted to lash in irritation, but she fortunately caught herself before it slipped out from under her coat. But, her wings -a defining trait of all Darigans- were covered, so she supposed she'd give him that. "But if you're looking for something in particular, I might be able to tell you where to go." This wasn't the first time she'd been to Neopia Central; even if it was a drastic change from the Citadel, she had a vague idea of where everything was. Well... most everything, anyway.

[Kell]

Kell's smirk promptly slid off his face, replaced immediately with a scowl, tail lashing furiously. Oh, he could tease and snark with the best of them but the height thing? Might've been funny if it wasn't the same crap he'd heard all his life. Kell gritted his teeth, sharp incisors peeking past his lips. "Funny. Don't give up the day job, though."

He rolled his eyes at the brusque reply, folding his arms across his chest. "Sue me for not bein' able to tell, I'm more of a Haunted Woods guy." His scowl did soften at her offer to help, scratching the back of his head.

"Well, that'd be great. If I had a place in mind." He grinned sheepishly. "I'm looking for a job. Short-term. Me and my brother have a gig we don't get paid for so... what can I say. We're cheap labour."

[Jazilyn]

The draik seemed rather satisfied with herself when it appeared she'd struck a nerve. She wasn't going to egg him on needlessly, though, so she decided to let the matter drop. "Well, I suppose you could try the unemployment agency, but you'd be lucky if you got a job in construction, or working as a night janitor, or- Oh wait a minute!" Just then a lightbulb went on in her mind, and everything the wocky had told her about being from the Haunted Woods and doing a job he didn't get paid for sunk in. "I remember who you are," she said with a snap of her gloved fingers, which made little noise. "You were at that event in the Haunted Woods not long ago, right? You helped the Governor secure that monster that attacked the festival. Cor- ... Cor-" She had noticeable difficulty remembering his name. "Cory, right?"

She only remembered because she had been in the Haunted Woods at the time; she hadn't helped at all with tracking or capturing the monster. It surprised her to see him here, though; and surprised her even more to hear he didn't get paid for tracking that thing down. Why do it if he wasn't getting paid for it?

[Kell]

I remember who you are. Uh oh. Those kinds of words rarely bode well in their line of business. Being remembered? Didn't really help with the who lying bluntly to the authorities faces. But she had him, and he was stuck watching her search for his name- aw hell, here it goes-

"Cory?!" he spluttered, tail frizzing up behind him. "Yeesh, save a bunch of people from a man-eating monster and they can't even get the name right," he grumbled under his breath, turning a bright green eye on her.

"I'm Kell," he corrected, sharpish. "And yeah, we snagged that thing. Brought it down like a ton of bricks and we didn't even have to break out the big guns." He puffed out his chest, obviously proud. "We're good at what we do." He deflated slightly. "But what we do doesn't pay so, mind directing me to the unemployment whatsit? My brother's waiting for me at the "five star accommodation" of roosterroach Towers." And while he'd love nothing more to curl up and pass out for a few hours, avoiding those grimy beds was still pretty high on his list.

"Wait, I never got your name, Darigan. Care to share?"

[Jazilyn]

The draik's crimson eye went wide and she took half a step back, surprised by his outburst. "Uhm, right, Kell..." She stuffed her hands in her pockets and mumbled, "Cory must be that other one..." She wouldn't know; getting their names right hadn't been her top priority at the time.

His obvious pride amused her, though. If she remembered correctly, they had used a bunch of flowers to subdue that thing. She wondered what exactly the 'big guns' would have been; enlisting trees to do their bidding? The notion amused her, but she said nothing.

"I'm heading in that direction anyway, I'll take you there," she replied with a slight roll of her shoulder. "But if you didn't get paid for tracking that thing down, why even bother?" It just didn't make any sense to her.

She turned rather sharply and started off in the opposite direction, her pace slower than what it would have normally been. "People call me Trapster, guess you can do the same; Trap, if you prefer."

[Kell]

Without warning, the draik was off and moving again, Kell yelping and resorting to a slightly embarrassing jog to catch up again, long tail waving carelessly behind him.

"Why bother? 'Cause it helps people. That's what we do." He shrugged. It had never really been questioned before. His dad had led him into it, Corbin following behind, taught him all the way to catch the big bads of the night, taught them never to expect thanks or payment.

"It's no big deal, I guess," he mumbled, rolling his shoulders. "At least we get to travel. Though honestly? I'm kinda sick of the Brain Tree. That guy-" He shook his head, mouth curved up in a smirk.

"But, it's nice to meet ya, Trap. And it's especially nice of y'all to show me where I'm going. If Cor knew I was tryn'a get around with a flea bitten, raggedy old map, he'd never let me live it down." Kell flashed her a toothy grin. "Much appreciated."

[Jazilyn]

"No big deal..." she repeated, roostering a brow, "Just seems like a lot of work for no reward; not to mention the risk involved." It wasn't really any of her business and she was already regretting asking, but it was difficult for her to imagine anyone wanting to help anyone else without getting something out of it. Never mind the fact that she was helping him and getting nothing out of it; that little detail was blinded from her reality.

"I've never had any dealings with the Brain Tree, honestly," she replied, "But how much trouble could he be? Isn't he kind of... rooted to the ground?" She wished she'd spent more time in the Haunted Woods the last time she was there; what little she knew of the place she liked, but she'd only heard of the Brain Tree, she'd never actually seen it.

"Don't mention it," she pulled her hand from her pocket and waved it dismissively before her. "You're actually not that far off; just a few blocks." She still didn't envy him, though. "So how long do you think you'll be staying here in Neopia Central?"

[Kell]

Kell snorted. "What's life without a few risks? I dunno, to me, it's better than being cooped up in some office doing the same thing over and over." His voice drifted from its roostery tone to something softer. "We've saved a ton of people, most of the time it goes unnoticed but- we know there's people still out there 'cause of us. It's- it's good, y'know? A good feelin'." Plus they never really did stick around long enough for thanks. That eating contest gig? Soon as the monster was boxed up, they'd scarpered fast as they could.

"Brain Tree- Don't ask him for stuff. Don't ask him 'did you see this' or 'do you know about that' 'cause all he'll do is whine until you bring him some dumb ol' obscure info and then, it turns out he knows nothing!" Kell waved his hands in frustration. "I think him and the Esophagor plot just to drive me insane." He dropped his hands, shrugging his shoulders. He wasn't sure why he was bothering, rambling on to her about nonsense. She probably didn't give a care about half the crud pouring out of his mouth.

"Not long, if it all goes to plan. Or maybe a lot longer. Can never been sure, Corbin took a nasty knock to the ribs on our last hunt- I nearly lost my tail in a talking door-" He grabbed the fluffy appendage. "- have you ever seen a Wocky without a tail? We look weird, half-finished. But, uh, we'll see." He did a little half jog to catch up with the longer stride. "What about you?"

[Jazilyn]

The Darigan shrugged, "Yeah I guess," she replied, even though she couldn't really relate. She'd grown far too cynical to contemplate getting a 'good feeling' from selflessly risking her life for someone. She'd risked her life plenty of times, but it was always for her own gain- usually for money. But, she was the type to keep her cynicism to herself, especially in front of strangers she'd just met off the street.

"They probably do," she smirked, even though she still didn't understand what exactly he was talking about. Maybe he needed to ask the Brain Tree where monsters were located? But, how would the Tree know; wasn't it... rooted to the ground? She was probably thinking too much into it; actually, she was positive she was.

Her eyes narrowed, jaw clamping tightly at the mention of almost losing his tail. Her own tail coiled tightly under her coat and she stuffed her fist back into her pocket. "What about me? I have a tail," she replied tersely, realizing too late that probably wasn't what he meant. "I mean..."

Her hand came out of her pocket and she pinched the bridge of her nose, shutting her eye tight for a moment. The tail under her coat relaxed slightly, though still not enough to come out of hiding. "I mean, yeah; I'm only visiting NC, not sure for how long yet, though. I thought I was going to have some work here, but now I'm not sure it's gunna happen." She wasn't really disappointed, though.

Turning around the corner, the draik attempted to slow her pace, noticing Kell having difficulties keeping up. It wasn't easy for her; she had long legs and she wasn't used to having anyone walk beside her.

[Kell]

Kell roostered his head, surprised by the snappish response, tail twitching. Was that a sore subject or something? He made a mental note to avoid tail talk in future, which was almost a pity. His was really pretty awesome. When it wasn't getting him into trouble with the bigger monsters. The amount of times he'd been yanked by by the the fluffy appendage was ridiculous.

"I'm...sorry? You don't sound too bothered by not having a job out here, though." Which must be nice. Him and Corbin had to scramble for whatever they could get their hands on, especially whenever a job didn't yield any treasure for them to sell on. "I know I'm lookin' forward to whatever I can grab- I just gotta get my hands on something that's not gross food." A queasy look crossed his features. "You don't wanna know how many glaring eye wraps I've had to choke down."

Kell tried to keep up as they turned the corner, noticing, suddenly, it was that much easier. But now the draik, Trap, had a stiffness to her walk, long legs cramped into a stuttering rhythm. She was slowing down for him. A flush burned under his fur.

"You don't have to do that. Slow down, I mean."

[Jazilyn]

"Well, I'm not, honestly. My work also provides plenty of opportunities to travel, but Neopia Central isn't exactly my favorite place to visit. It's alright, I suppose; but it's big, and loud.... and kinda smells." She wasn't too worried about finding another job; she had enough money to last until she did. At least she got paid for what she was good at. "But I'll give it a few more days before I pack up and move on."

Her nose crinkled at the mention of eye wraps, "Yeah, I could barely tolerate watching those contestants; I couldn't imagine actually having to eat that crap." Of course, this was coming from someone who ate nothing but salads and fish, and drank nothing but water and green tea. "But at least dining in Neopia Central's pretty good. Most of the well-known restaurants are burger joints, but if you look hard enough you can get foods from just about anywhere in the world. The bazaar's about four blocks in that direction..." She pointed a gloved finger in a catty-corner direction from where they were walking. "...and there's several good eateries, as well as a general store, in case you need to know where to eat later." She wasn't certain how much he actually knew about Neopia Central, or even if he'd ever been here before. But, in case he hadn't, that seemed like useful information.

She smirked when he told her she didn't have to slow down, and she did speed up a little, but not quite as fast as she'd been walking before. "Anyway, the unemployment agency's right up here." She pointed toward a rather small building with no external sign indicating what it was. "They'll probably have you take an aptitude test, see what you're good at and all that fun stuff, but it's honestly the best place to start looking."

[Kell]

Kell snorted loudly. She certainly wasn't a fan of Neopia Central then. "It's not so bad. I mean, there are worse places, right?" But she had piqued his curiosity now. "If ya don't mind me pryin', what is you do for a living? Must be something good if its flexible and well paid," he said, voice a little wistful. Man, if him and Corbin could swing their job as legit, they'd be sitting pretty, not scrounging for NPs at the end of a job.

He took mental note of the information Trap fed him, ears twitching. "Thanks, really, thanks. No more gross food for us. Though-" A mischievious grin crossed his features, the sharp points of his incisors peeking past his lips. "Maybe I'll let Cor think it's another day of calamari tongue warps!" Kell glanced up at the draik, grinning. "Don't rat me out."

When Trap's pace picked up again, Kell almost cursed himself for being so damn stubborn. But it was embarrassing, having people slow their pace, pretending like it was how they usually went along, when really they were just letting the stumpy Wocky keep up. At least she didn't say anything else. "I never would'a found this place," he mused, turning a grateful grin on the draik. Kell stuck out a paw, fingers wiggling. "You saved my butt, thanks, T."