Running Like Clockwork (Open)

[Lovino Vargas]

((Warning this is a beast of a post. No post of mine will probably ever be as long as this one, which is probably best for everyone's sanity. Enjoy.))

It was a typical day in this part of Granor. There was the usual hustle and bustle of cars and motorbikes and people walking on sidewalks, all trying to get to where they needed to go. Occasionally, one of the new automatons the Draconians were putting to work rolled by, attracting stares wherever it went. Lovino watched it carefully from where he sat at a table outside a cafe as it swept up some rubbish before continuing on its way. His eyes were narrowed as he tsk'ed. He'd never liked this new technology; he couldn't understand how a machine could work on its own without human guidance and thus was inherently skeptical of it.

The newspaper he was reading was folded up and stuffed in his bag as he finished his coffee and stood up. He pulled out a few bills from his wallet and tossed them down on the table before putting his bag on, the strap across his shoulders, and walking down the street. It was his day off and he was in a lackadaisical mood, but his neighbors were getting their house renovated and they were so goddamn loud he couldn't even enjoy his afternoon siesta so he'd left to wander the streets.

There wasn't that much to do in this area of the city as it was mostly houses, but there were stores and parks and other odds and ends to be found if he or she cared to look. The side roads where cars couldn't get into turned into mazes of apartments and small shops with furniture and foreign goods. Lovino turned a corner down into one of those small streets, one he hadn't gone down before.

As he walked down the quiet way he was surprised to hear the sound of music. He couldn't tell where it was coming from, but something compelled him forwards to discover the source so kept walking, keeping an open ear. Down the street he went until he stopped in front of a store he'd never seen before. Looking in a window he realized it was a music shop, but that wasn't that unusual. What was bizarre was the piano playing in the corner by itself. It looked like it was being played by a ghost, but he could see some weird gears coming out of the top, spinning slowly as the music continued.

While he didn't like those automatons, Lovino did have a fondness for this kind of machinery. He couldn't resist the temptation, going over to the door and entering the shop, a bell ringing the sound of his arrival. Once he was inside that was when he felt something was off. The Italian looked around him and realized that he was utterly alone in the store, save for the phantom piano. Unnerved, he took a step back and blindly grasped behind him for the door.

He looked frantically around the room as his hand searched for the doorknob until after a few seconds that felt like hours he finally found it and turned the knob, slamming open the door and running outside just in time as the piano, and the rest of the store exploded, throwing him forward and crashing him into the wall of the house across the narrow lane with a loud thud.

Groaning, Lovino flipped himself over, pushed himself into a sitting position, and then clutched his head in his hands to try and stop the world from spinning. Mutedly he could hear the sounds of doors opening as people rushed outside to see what had happened, a voice talking at him, and the whirring sound of wheels rolling down the alleyway, but it was a world away to him in that moment.

As his vision slowly cleared and a throbbing headache quickly took its place, Lovino swore as he began to realize what had just happened. What it meant, his brain was having a harder time wrapping around, as he looked up into a slightly blurred face of a concerned stranger asking him if he was alright.

He grumbled out, "I'm fine, just... just give me a damn second." Finally his brain caught up and he realized that he had nearly just died in an explosion that may or may not have been intended specifically for him. He didn't know why someone would be trying to kill him specifically, especially since the information he held was worth a lot more than his life, but he didn't want to stick around to give anyone the chance for a second attempt.

Slowly he stood up, but stumbled when he tried to take a step forward, only to be caught by the concerned stranger. His vision was a little clearer now so he looked into the face of the person holding him up to thank them only pause at what he saw.

[Antonio Fernández Carriedo]

Frankly, a man could say absolutely everything about Antonio: that he was loud, oblivious, arrogant, and even stupid, but they could never say the pirate was not a busy man! A new shipment was dated to arrive at the end of the week, from one of the neighboring countries, and the word-of-mouth at the port was that the ship came full, and certainly full of good stuff. See, Antonio was not one to let such a great opportunity of money pass by — said goods could be easily carried in his own airship, no worries there, and the price they could be sold for at the Isles… It was too good!

Yet, it quickly lead to a problem. See, Antonio had his fair share of informants, as any good captain should, but even their information was limited regarding this one — apparently, the airship was from the Government itself, and the Draconians were taking special care that the contents would be delivered properly. An opportunity like no other, the pirate knew he couldn't miss it for the world. So, he did what any man would in his place: find someone who could inform him of the airship instead, because even being Draconian at birth himself, Antonio was, right now, very far from a nobleman's little world.

His informants led him, after some pressure and the weight of a nice, golden coin in each of their hands, to a lower Draconian, a working bureaucrat named Lovino Vargas. Apparently, according to the boys, the man had all the information regarding the cargo that the pirate could possibly want, the only problem would be getting it out from him. Well, Antonio mused to himself, it couldn't be that bad of a man. He was also informed, after another couple of gold coins were handed out, that the bureaucrat could be easily found in the Northern Residential district. Perfect.

Antonio had dressed himself up for the occasion then, as he would be playing Nobleman yet again, leaving his usual red coat with the spaulders at home and opting for a maroon one with sewn details instead, with a nice set of shirt, pants and boots. Well, that should make him look presentable enough. He finished with the nice touch of a walking cane, a small contraction at its handle that allowed him to pull a thin fencing sword from the wood — now, a pirate could never leave home unarmed, could he?

He was having quite the trouble, however, finding said bureaucrat in the district, walking the streets mindlessly. That is, until he heard a loud BOOM and shouting at the end of the street. The brunet swayed in his walk, surprised at the sudden explosion and not quite listening to whatever people were shouting around, just jogging to where the smoke came from. He still hadn't completely wrapped his head around what had happened when he noticed a hurt man crouched at a corner, covering his face somewhat.

"Are you hurt?" He called, eyes scanning the view around before he crouched down to help. Now, Antonio could be a very slow man sometimes, but an explosion like this… No, Ruthians were everywhere, that wouldn't be related to the upcoming airship. "Are you hurt, answer me!" The pirate was pushed quickly away, and a grumbled answer followed. This wasn't even nice! But, at least the shorter man was fine...

When the man stumbled forward again, Antonio quickly grabbed him in his arms, a concerned frown still all over his face. This would slow down his search so much, but he couldn't leave a hurt man like that, and no one was doing anything! "It was quite the explosion, don't move too much..." He started first, speaking slowly and with a smile. "But you're alright now! What is your name, sir?"

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_{((This is so big, I'm sorry, next replies with be certainly shorter! I just had to put all that information there and couldn't postpone it... Still, there you go.))}

[Lovino Vargas]

((Don't worry about it! I apologize for this response taking an Ice Age to do. My muses just weren't behaving for a while there. We've set up the scene now. It's all good.))

When he looked up Lovino saw a clearly Noble man, dark haired and with a friendly smile. His vision was still a bit blurred, but as he blinked his vision came in to focus and then he was positive. He sagged his shoulders a little in relief that at the very least there was little chance this man was a Ruthian, but still felt tense. This area wasn't safe for him and he had to get out of there as soon as possible. Though it would help if his head wasn't killing him so much, he thought to himself with a scowl.

Belatedly he realized the other man was asking him something. His name? Lovino snorted. Just like a Noble, always needing to know who he is speaking to so he knows where he is in the social ladder. Typical. But the Italian has also been raised right so he was obliged to respond as politeness dictated. Or well, with as much politeness as he could really muster considering how much his head hurt. His teeth gritted as he responded. "Lovino Vargas. Thanks for the help, though I didn't need it. I can handle myself from here."

With that he pushed himself back up to a position where he was supporting himself, pressing his hand against the wall to help support himself. Determinedly he ignored the other man and started walking slowly away back down the alley, glad at the very least the dizziness wasn't too bad though he was being very careful. Lovino was determined to get as far away from this godforsaken place as possible, as soon as possible. Pleasantries be damned.

[Antonio Fernández Carriedo]

Lovino was his name… Bingo, just the man he wanted had fallen right on his arms, quite literally. Antonio smiled a bit more once he heard the other's name, finding it hard to contain himself now that he knew better. Well, this Lovino would probably just find him stupid, but the pirate was quite used to name-calling. Guess that's what happens when you take a job way too close to the ports, but what to do?

He tried to hold down the other man by the arms, under a cheap mental excuse of keeping the other close, at reach, but it all failed. Soon, Lovino managed to push himself away from Antonio's arm, so much trouble for nothing! The nobleman sighed heavily, staring at the other's back for a second of so before he chased after him — alright, perhaps 'chase' was too fast of a word to say so, but he ran, still. He couldn't let a hurt man walk away, especially when the said man was just who he needed to meet up with.

"Wait! No, you can't just walk, you're hurt…" The other quickly added, catching the other by the shoulders, walking close because first: he couldn't lose sight of this bureaucrat, and two: he had forgotten the notion of personal space. "Lovino, right? Well, you need to rest! There may be Ruthians around and that just won't work well… Here, let's walk slowly at least, hmm?" He offered, finally, raising both eyebrows at the smaller man.

Lovino, as Antonio had noticed, had the body of an aristocrat — not many muscles, and he was shorter too, with roundish cheeks despite the rest. He guessed this guy was the type to keep a permanent frown, or maybe it was just the bad moment they had found themselves at. Still, Antonio found the other to be good-looking, and that would certainly help during the negotiation, which he had to get to, eventually. He would, soon enough, but first Lovino had to at least trust him a bit.

"Do you have anywhere else to go, or should we find a Doctor?" Antonio hadn't spotted any heavy injuries on the other, but it was always better to ask — he was far from a doctor himself.

[Lovino Vargas]

Lovino cursed under his breath as the stranger caught him by his shoulders, his head still spinning. He was still too dazed to have enough energy to get free a second time and quickly realized he was probably going to have to deal with this stupid nobleman and his inability to keep his nose in his own business for at least a small while longer. If he leaned slightly against the other man, using him to help support his own weight, well, he was just a bit tired, that was all.

The man's words seemed far off to him, though he tried his best to listen. He caught the bit about there being Ruthians around and scoffed under his breath, "Yeah, no shit". Still, he easily slowed down his pace, glad about that if only because it made keeping his balance somewhat easier. If his head wasn't spinning he would have taken a moment to get a better look at the man who was 'helping' him out, but all he could do was stare at a stray automaton that had been caught in the blast and was now strewn on its side. Whether it was broken or not he couldn't tell, but for an odd moment he felt sympathy for that soulless machine.

But he had bigger fish to fry, like getting away from this godforsaken place and this persistent man. He tried to devise a plan, but all he could think of by the time they reached the main street was to just be rude enough that he'd go away on his own. Yet, somehow he knew that wouldn't throw this guy off. He wasn't impatient like some nobles are.

When the Noble asked him where they should go, he thought for a moment, weighing his options. Lovino loathed going to the doctor, though a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like his brother said that he absolutely should, but at the same time he didn't want to go home because then this nosy bastard would know where he lived. The Italian paused, struggling to figure out what he wanted to do.

Finally he decided to just fuck caution. All he wanted right then was to get to the peace and quiet of his home. His mind finally made up Lovino directed them to the right. "I don't live too far from here - we can go there," he paused, adding on, "Don't think I'm thanking you for any help I didn't want, nosy bastard."

With that said, he was content simply to walk in silence for the next 20 minutes, but then he belatedly realized something. "What's your name? I thought you Nobles were all about the stupid formalities." He didn't bring up that technically his family was a minor Noble family, because he certainly didn't feel like a Noble and sure as hell didn't want to be known as one. Normally, in "polite company" he'd hold his tongue like he was trained to do until he got out of earshot, but with his head hurting as much as it did he really did not give any fucks.