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WHO: Duke Crocker; Seifer; Nick; OTA
WHAT: New roommate, new city, new friends
WHERE: The dorms, Isolated Pawn, and Rick's
WHEN: Dec. 8ish? onward

The Dorms – for Seifer
New dimension, new city, new reality, same old Duke. Sure, he only had himself to blame after jumping into another dimension to save his friend, and he really should know better than to assume anything by this point. Even a screaming neon acid trip of a city staffed by Terminators. Trouble like this – if it was a Trouble – needed research. He needed to regroup, rest, figure out where he stood.

Which sounded a lot harder with a roommate.

Sharing his space has never been his favorite thing to do, and it usually never lasted long. Even living with his wife had gotten frustrating, although hopefully his roommate wouldn't be an Evi type and overly interested in what he was doing. Hopefully he'd be able to make some space for himself, set up comfortably, make a home his castle complete with convenient hiding places.

That's why his disappointment shows on his face when he opens the door. It's tiny, there's not even a closet, and hiding would be almost impossible without scuttling under one of the desks or beds. “Once again I'm thankful I didn't go to college,” he quips, stepping in. “Hi. Duke Crocker. You should know, I sleep in the raw.”

Isolated Pawn – OTA
Duke was pretty sure he'd seen the Dualis employment assignment model in a sci-fi show, which was unsettling but not surprising at all. He half-hoped for something futuristic and glamorous like an internship with Star Fleet, or at least not delivery boy, and is only half-disappointed by his assignment. Pawnbroker? Okay, at least maybe he'd get to work with some sci-fi stuff.

It turns out Isolated Pawn has a significant amount of stuff, both sci-fi and less so. It also has an aging owner who is grateful for the help and encourages him to familiarize himself with everything. His first few days of work find him mostly puttering around the shop taking in the stock, puzzling over power tools for people with tentacle appendages and full-spectrum light artwork, but after that he's behind the counter, a confident man.

“Everything's for sale,” he greets the customer with. “Except Gertie. She stays here.” He gestures to a taxidermied marlin on a stand, a pirate hat on her head at a jaunty angle. “What can I help you with?”

Rick's – for Nick
All the best bars are dives, the girl had said. Professionally speaking he disagrees – the Grey Gull isn't a dive so much as it was an event space, and while his own bar will always be his favorite he immediately likes the atmosphere at Rick's. Dim lights, old pictures hanging on the walls, cigarette smoke in the air, a stage at the back of the room (empty tonight), all wrapped around a lively but small crowd getting comfortably toasted after their work shifts; Rick's felt like the kind of cornerstone old watering hole where an ancient bartender would pour you a domestic beer without asking and explain it was your granddad's usual.

Except the woman behind the counter is too young to pull that off. Too fun, too. He checks his phone – yeah, just a few minutes early – and settles at the bar, waiting for her to come over to him. “Hey,” he smiles when she gets to him. “I'll take two of whatever you like best.”

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It's coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere. Definitely the right analogy.

Years ago it might've, and Duke can still sometimes be brought low by the right stare-down. But Seifer wasn't a friend's wife, and at this point in his life a hardened glare from a badass is just Tuesday. For him, survival usually depended on pressing past those glares.

Thank God for the crocodog easing the tension and it acting far more dog than croc. Duke notices the change in Seifer's expression and grins, reaching down to offer scritches. "Yeah, you're a friendly little guy, aren't you?" Unspoken power struggle tipped in his favor, he strokes Eos' snout like he's seen biologists do to crocodiles on the Discovery Channel.

"So," he continues, banking on the idea that Seifer won't kick him if he's petting the crocodog, "you got a name or do you want to keep the stonewalling up?"

Funny, one would think those glares warning enough that pressing is a good way to get yourself killed. Granted, Seifer was mostly posturing. He was perfectly capable of backing up that posturing, but he preferred to keep his murder sprees to necessity or orders. And right now there wasn't anyone who could give him orders.

Actually that was kind of nice, in retrospect.

Eos responded with barely restrained delight, positively shivering in joy at the nose scratches while making the oddest croaking/gurgling sound. Probably something positive with how much his back-end wiggling just couldn't be contained.

Again Seifer considered him for much longer than was strictly necessary. "Almasy," A beat, remaining just as curt and cautious before: "Seifer Almasy." There you got your name, now go away strange naked-sleeping-man.

One would think, but Duke's always been contrary, as Seifer's already noticed. He was also betting on the posturing being for show, a display like a cat raising its hackles or a bear standing on its hind legs. If it hadn't been, well, Duke was unfortunately prepared for that.

He was going to have to find a good place to hide his gun.

At least the dogthing likes him, according to that body language. The croaking/gurgling sound surprises him but he doesn't let his confident front slip for a second. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet a ray of sunshine like you." This he says to Seifer with a bright smile as he continues to give Eos scritches. "And who's this little guy?"

Seifer certainly could do damage, and take a hell of a lot more than Duke might expect. That being said, assaulting someone for being annoying would be a tad much. He's just trying to get the guy to bugger off and let him read his shitty book.

Try a nondescript case, it's what Seifer does.

The comment just earns a darkened scowl. Hey, he's not the one who introduced himself with no manners. "Eos," A beat. "And before you get any funny ideas you feed him cheese you're cleanin' up the mess."

It would be, and Duke knows it. Which is why he hasn't needled Seifer for reading something like that. Whoever was better in a fight, the news headline Mᴀɴ Sʜᴏᴛ Oᴠᴇʀ Rᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ Nᴏᴠᴇʟ would be the stupidest first day imaginable.

Duke's more the "create a few readily available hidey-holes and split your weapons between them" type. Less likelihood of cops finding them in a search, and they're at the ready when you need them.

"No, no cheese. He's a fish fillet guy, aren't you, boy?" With a snout like that, the croaky little creature had to be a fishing species. "What is he, by the way?"

Oh it'll be even worse, Seifer can go full Slenderman and he does it just to be creepy as hell whenever he feels like it. Mods are a great thing, probably incredibly unwise, but totally cool when you get the right ones. Not lame loser ones like Squall. Two men arrested over romance novel altercation would also be a humiliating headline, however.

True, not a bad way to do it, unfortunately the swordsmen type get really attached to their weapons and aren't likely to leave them laying about where anyone could stumble across them. Besides it took him months to build the damned thing, he's not stuffing it in a sewer!

Hey would you look at that, there's a faint arch of an eyebrow in which one might get the impression that he was very slightly impressed. Only slightly. It'll take more than that to get through that surly wall, but treating his dog well is a good start. "That's right, he eats fish. Preferably not the baked shit that makes him sick too," Eos just wasn't built for processed food. "Dunno, we called 'em crocdogs. Ain't anyone there to give 'em a better name so it stuck." And thus, the crocdog he shall remain.

As weird as that would be, it would make Duke feel strangely at home to know his roommate has Slenderman abilities. Ask his opinion on getting those abilities and he might criticize, but if he sees them? Yeah, both weirdly familiar and impressive as hell.

A swordsman can be forgiven for keeping their weapon close by but Duke's from the year 2010 and relies on guns or knives, not swords. And he has never kept a cache of weaponry in a sewer, thank you very much. ~~He's not from Derry.~~

Duke watches way too many animal documentaries. To his chagrin he also adores Eos, the weird little crocdog was just too adorable. "You like raw fish, buddy? We can get you fish." He rubs approximately where a regular dog's ears would be. "That's their real name? I was just guessing earlier."

Good news then he's liable to find out sooner rather than later, as Seifer uses those creepy tendrils regularly as an extra reach or hand. It's handy having an extra four hands. Everyone complains about needing more, Seifer got them. Sure it'll probably bite him in the ass later but for now it's been useful.

Guns aren't that powerful compared to other weapon types on his world, it goes by strange rules and is crawling with dragons. Dragons aren't that impressed by bullets. Hey, don't knock the efficacy of sewers if you haven't tried them!

As if in an attempt to answer the question Eos lets out a series of strange almost whining... croaks? Maybe he's trying to talk, but it sounds horrible. "That's the name we gave 'em. Dunno about 'real', wasn't like whoever was runnin' the place was comin' forward with any real information."

Sucks being stuck in multiple weirdo science experiments in a row.

Edited 2019-12-25 06:07 (UTC)

At least he's practical. Thank you, Seifer, for making Duke comfortable in the least comfortable way possible. Just like home!

Duke is neither a Nosferatu nor a Loser, so he's got little experience with sewer-crawling. He's also not a hobbit and has never had to worry about dragons (yet, but who knows?). Guns tend to work well on the people who threaten him and his friends, and he hasn't yet scaled up for other threats.

Horrible as Eos' vocalizations are, Duke is absolutely in love with the weird little guy. "I know, buddy. Fish! You get fish! Who's a good boy?" He experiments with under-the-chin scritches. "Where were you before this?"

The pleasure will be all his, especially if he gets an entertaining reaction. Guy's still got a bully streak in there, after all.

Excuse him, sometimes you sewer crawl for orders. It's that, or monster nests, though truthfully Seifer usually picks the monster nests. Those are a lot more fun, granted there's not much difference between the two on his world. Anywhere humans aren't constantly becomes a prime target to be full of monsters. One day Seifer might just teach him the joys of using something that does significantly more damage than a boring old gun.

Eos adores under the chin scratches. He adores any attention. Please give him all the attention! Seifer just watches on, faintly amused, though still mostly keeping his attention on Duke. Still sizing him up. "Another one of these weird science experiments where they kidnap you from your home an' shove you someplace new. Expect you to figure out how to survive I guess." They did fine, much more peaceful than this place.

Please, bring it. Duke's been a bully himself a few times and could do with that being turned back on him.

Sometimes you sewer-crawl for that but in Duke's experience, you didn't. Monster nests also don't enter into things. Monsters in Duke's opinion would be quite different from Seifer's.

Eos is the best boy. Duke unabashedly adores him and has devolved into just offering scritches. "Who's a good boy? You are! Yes, you are!" He looks up at Seifer and, to his credit, does straighten up and only keep one hand rubbing the crocdog's head. "You went through that?"

Oh, it'll come. Once Seifer's done feeling him out, it'll come. He just has to probe for some weaknesses first.

They would probably agree on Duke's definition of monsters as well, honestly. Humans were arguably worse in the long run, monsters just wanted to eat you. At least they were straightforward about it. Far preferable to the alternatives.

Eos really is the best boy, long mouth full of teeth notwithstanding he is far too adorable not to love. Eos, likewise, is completely enamored with getting all this attention. One might think he was attention deprived, but anyone who knows pets knows this is merely a ruse for more affection. At the question Seifer shrugged. "Eh, wasn't so bad." It was certainly better than where he came from.

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