trade my soul for a wish

[from_scratch]

This is a successor to "call me maybe", which is getting crowded.

Cam is dipping a grilled cheese sandwich into a bowl of tomato soup when he feels the summons. He goes ahead and grabs it. Doesn't even drop the sandwich.


with Mark (kappa)

with Adanya (Aestrix)

with Sable (kappa)

with Ari (andaisq)

with Metella (kappa)

with Miles (kappa)

with Isabella (Eva)

with Steel (Rockeye)

with Daphne (Maggie)

with Edie (Maggie)

Comments

[sturdycoldsteel]

The city is substantially quieter and less busy at night. Someone somewhere is making enough light to make main parks and roads bright enough to navigate, but most buildings are completely dark.

In addition to the strongly interconnected paths above ground, there is a network of tunnels connecting cavern-like basements. These only go down a few floors at most. Police patrol the streets, but there is a more run-down 'bad part of town' that gets fewer and more cursory patrols.

A few restaurants and stores are still open. Most of the bars and nightclubs are, too. There are only a dozen in total, it's not really a huge city after all. It'll take only a little searching to find a quiet and relatively isolated nook to read, indoors or out, if he wants to do that.

[from_scratch]

He peeps at a restaurant to see if they have a style of disposable cup he can copy so as not to stand out while drinking lots of coffee. He can always go with the more direct caffeination route if necessary, but he does like coffee.

[sturdycoldsteel]

The only disposable cups anyone uses are made of a breadlike substance that doesn't seem to absorb liquids.

[from_scratch]

What a peculiar substance. But it'll probably hold coffee, right? He makes a breadcup and fills it up and sips as he hunts down a nook.

Yay, a nook.

His computer can go inside a book cover. The glow is pretty faint around the edges and can just look like he's shaping a reading light or something.

[sturdycoldsteel]

A few people passing by give his wings interested or curious looks, but nobody bothers him. After a couple of hours it starts raining.

[from_scratch]

His computer is waterproof but this will make reading a "book" suspicious. He emerges from his nook to see if anyone here has an umbrella so he can just have an umbrella.

[sturdycoldsteel]

Nobody visible from here has umbrellas. Mostly they are keeping to spots that happen to be semi-enclosed so that no rain blows on them.

[from_scratch]

Dang. And he hasn't spotted any plastic either, which means no transparent poncho to tuck his "book" under. He makes a bag, with a strap that goes down between his wings comfortably and looks like innocent canvas on the outside. Stashes computer, its discreet case, and fake book cover. Finishes current cup of coffee, nibbles rim of breadcup. Goes back to wandering the streets, not much minding being rained on.

[sturdycoldsteel]

The rim of the breadcup tastes like salty crackers.

Even more shops and restaurants are dark by now, and the lighting on some of the side streets is shutting off. Slightly chanty-sounding songs spill out of the bars. It turns out that one of the nightclubs does triple business as a brothel and a casino (they give him a job offer).

A few police patrols seem to pay extra attention to him. It's probably just the wings. Someone offers him a 'silver circle' to repair their magic stove. "If ya know how, of course. I just don't want to wait for the utility company to get to me."

[from_scratch]

Cam declines both offers of employment. While he is a very pretty demon he does not think the line of work is for him in any quantity. For the stove: "I don't really specialize in kitchen equipment, sorry."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"It was worth asking. Thanks anyway."



At some point, it stops raining. It's past midnight by then.

[from_scratch]

Cam finds a place to sit, sits on it, and resumes surreptitious reading. When nobody's looking he dries out his hair and clothes with puffs of hot dry air.

[sturdycoldsteel]

He can keep surreptitiously reading until morning.

[from_scratch]

Cool.

When the sun's up he goes to Steel's office.

[sturdycoldsteel]

There is a different receptionist this morning. "Hello sir, what business do you have with the Civil Service today?"

[from_scratch]

"I have some business with Steel."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"I'm sorry, sir, but she hasn't come in yet this morning. You can wait in the lobby if you like, or I can take a message for her."

[from_scratch]

"I'll wait."

He waits. He reads. He brushes up on his electrician stuff.

[sturdycoldsteel]

Steel comes in about an hour later. "You're already here, good. Let's go into my office and discuss that surveying plan."

[from_scratch]

"Sure." In goes Cam, tail aswish.

[sturdycoldsteel]

"I should probably introduce you to Grind before making any major changes. She's the big boss of civil services. Were you going to fly over the canyon and check for inhabitants?"

[from_scratch]

"Inhabitants, structures, suspicious geological features that might not benefit from being underwater, yes."

[sturdycoldsteel]

"Alright. What do you-"

"STEEL!" Someone shouts through the door, "I need you to tell me all about the stranger you've been showing around so I know exactly who or what to go after if he breaks something!"

"Ah. Perfect time to introduce you to my boss." She opens the door to reveal someone who might be completely non-descript compared to the rest of the population if not for the tattoo of a circular saw-blade on one cheek.

"He's right here, actually. Cam, meet Grind, the Opri Overall Civil Service Administrator. Grind, this is Cam. I'll let him choose how much to tell you. His trust is worth more than you pay me."

"Really? Well, at least you're honest about it. Cam. How do you like my city?"

[from_scratch]

Cam blinks at the... tone of this interaction. "Uh, hi. I was really impressed with the farm I saw," he says. He also liked the vertical layout and the bread cups but maybe those are everywhere in the world.

[sturdycoldsteel]

"She's always like that," Steel says, "Doesn't see the point of being polite. That's half of why I like her."

"Exactly so. You like the farms, huh? How about Steel's water pumps? The new lighting system that lets only half a dozen people light up the whole city's public spaces? What about our nice, wide roads and elevated parks. I'll have you know that Nel has a terrible messy layout."