Sector 16: Ready Player One

[Camleen]

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Sector 16: The Distracted Globe, Neonoir, Locus


The Distracted Globe. One of the hotspots of the OASIS, the Distracted Globe is a zero-gravity night club. It seems to be open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, and always has a crowd. Players come here to dance, socialize or just hang out and watch others dance and socialize.
Technology and Magic are allowed in this part of the Sector.

Neonoir

"There were hundreds of cyberpunk-themed worlds spread throughout the OASIS, but Neonoir was one of the largest and oldest. Seen from orbit, the planet was a shiny onyx marble covered in overlapping spider-webs of pulsating light. It was always night on Neonoir, the world over, and its surface was an uninterrupted grid of interconnected cities packed with impossibly large skyscrapers. Its skies were filled with a continuous stream of flying vehicles whirring through the vertical cityscapes, and the streets below teemed with leather-clad NPCs and mirror-shaded avatars, all sporting high-tech weaponry and subcutaneous implants as they spouted city- speak straight out of Neuromancer."
Technology only in this part of the Sector. No Magic.

Locus

Another of the 'themed' worlds residing within the OASIS, Locus is a planet completely comprised of a 'steampunk' culture. Fans of anachronistic technologies or retro-futuristic inventions have truly found a place of their dreams here. The legacies of Jules Vern, H.G. Wells, Stephen Hunt and Paul Roland (amongst so many others!) live and breath here on Locus.
Technology only in this part of the Sector. No Magic!

 

[Ms.Ezra]

Dante receives a message and a notification that his bounty has been deposited while Iria tries to politely send him off. When opened the message is a video of a man in a Tony Montana skin at a large desk, looking quite smug. "Hello Dante, No-Tell-Moe." He thumps his chest "Thank you for taking out that big metal roach. He wronged a dear friend of mine, and we both feel better knowing he's back at the bottom where scum like him should be. If he try to make trouble with us in his next play, I'll call you up again." He chuckles "So long as you don't bite it soon." The camera goes in for a close up as he has a drink of whiskey, "That's the kinda game we play, huh? Here one moment, a stack of coins and gear the next."

The message then ends.

 

[Camleen]

Iria is… a trusting heart. To say the least. In fact, the old circle of friends she once ran with dubbed her 'Shin'. A reference to one of her favorite anime series… the connotation of 'Shin' in this case meaning 'genuine'… 'truthful'…. 'trusting'. She loved being called that, she loved what it implied about her. She loved that her friends recognized that in her.

But that was a long time ago. And she was a different person then.

Her head tilts a little to one side as Dante starts to speak… awesome healer or super destructive summon goddess. It's odd he uses those phrases specifically. He's wrong, of course. Not in regards to the 'jobs', but of the talent level of each.

Her head tilts a little to see his gun, and she immediately thinks it's charming. Dante is in cyberpunk-ville, wearing some kind of not primitive armor… and has a pistol that looks like it came out of a spaghetti western. And as Dante continues, Iria just lets him talk. For some reason… it almost feels like he doesn't allow himself times like these. Or perhaps life and circumstances don't allow him times like these. When he can just… talk. No smart-aleck answer from the other side, no threats or job assignments. Just.. talk. And the more he speaks, the more and more Iria thinks her presumption of him is true. Is it just a lucky guess that she has kind of pegged him in this regard? Well.. maybe. Or maybe she recognizes this kind of thing. After all, before she met her partner she was the same way.

"Well" she says as she reaches to her hip, and she pulls out her own gun. "Mine isn't as neat as yours, but it does suit me." She holds her laser pistol up at her side, kind of posing with it. And then she changes stances and poses again with it. If someone knows Iria, then they know this kind of pistol is suitable for her.

She holsters her pistol, and that's when she gets a message notification. It's from Damagi… and she's half fearful as to what it will say. Is she upset that she just left? Does she think Iria just logged out because she just had to log out?

"You're not friendless, Mr. Dante. Maybe you just need to expand your horizons a little. Being a non-party person can seem fine. But look around ya.." she motions to the area they are standing in. "Your best friend could be waiting for you in a party, a party you don't know about yet, and a best friend you don't know about yet. But you'll never meet them if you don't put yourself out there. I kinda learned that, m'self." She says with a small nod, now opening the message from Damagi on her HUD. "One sec, dude. Message from the boss." She (even though there's zero need to since Dante can't see her HUD) leans her head to one side to look around her HUD to look towards him. "I'm the sidekick helper type of the group. We all have our place, ya know." She then looks back to the message, muttering so softly to herself as he reads. Because that's how she reads. And when she gets to the video sent by Dante (forwarded by Damagi to her), her eyes widen and she stiffens. Holy crap!

CREEPER!

She slooooooooooowly looks towards Dante, smiling awkwardly. Holy crap this is a heck of a coincidence… she hopes hopes hopes it's coincidence. No one knows she's here, no one except Damagi and 5P1D3R. And neither of them would send someone, right? There's no bounty on her… on Damagi maybe, but not her. She doesn't think. She should find that out.

Dante's video mentions 4Way… CRAP 4Way! She does her best to keep a poker face as she takes in the video, making sure Dante can't see her UI.


Sooner or later she'll remember that no one can see it but her.


Iria clears her throat, and she types a quick message back to Damagi.

'Already got him. See he beat ya boy 4Way? That's gotta count for something. This is Iria, by the way.'
The message ends, and she suddenly sends another.
'PS. Please don't punch W3ndy. That's not good for business. This is Iria, by the way.'

She closes her HUD and looks to Dante then, drawing in a deep breath that she doesn't need to draw in. "Magic areas isn't for ever'body. But I mean.." she once more motions around them, now walking slowly forward, walking with him at her side. "Some of the most basic tech here would be called magic, right? To someone from a limited civilization'n all, a glowing chopstick could be seen as the devil's work!"

Iria reaches out and takes the Nuka-cola Quantum, pulling it immediately closer to her face, staring at it with an astonished look. She turns the bottle in her hands slowly, the gentle glow reflecting dully against her dark skin. "Holy crap it's so pretty!" She giggles softly and turns the bottle again, looking at it from all different angles. "It's so glowy!" She doesn't open it, she just stares at it with an enamored gaze.She even turns in a little circle with it at one point, as if dancing with it.

"5P1D3R is a friend." She says simply. Which is true. He is a friend, but she doesn't go deeper than that. So essentially she carefully answers his question without answering his question. "I like people that conversate, Dante. I conversate all the time to random strangers. And then they become random annoyed strangers. And then I feel bad and buy them chocolates or something." She tears her eyes away from the glowing bottle of pretty, looking towards him out of the corner of her crystal blue eyes. "Why did you say I seemed like a healer or a summoning person? You don't seem the type that recognizes magic signatures or anything. Why'd ya say those 2 things specifically?"

 

[Zadok shadows]

Dante really didn't know when to stop talking, or what was often acceptable behavior with some social settings. The person behind Dante was diagnosed with aspergers syndrome, much like James Halladay. Dante was always able to analyze things that people seemed to overlook. So there was good and bad with being on the spectrum for his case. He had learned to curb this behavior somewhat, but there was times when he couldn't control it. This was one of those times. What is mistaken for him being a creep is really just him not knowing better.

Dante felt bad for taking so much time talking that when she had to take a message he was polite about it. "It's ok I understand I have one as well."

Dante was quick to watch the video from No-Tell-Moe. He took the end of the video as a threat so Dante knew he had to be on his guard soon. Though now wasn't the time to worry about it. He got paid and that is all that matters.

When Dante sees Iria smile at him he returns it with a genuine smile. Not picking up on the awkwardness that he created. Dante took in what Iria said about magic and tech. "Hmm... I suppose you are right. I never thought about it. Perhaps magic is just science in non scientific terms."

Dante chuckled at her response of the Nuka-cola Quantum. "Yeah I thought you would like it. It's r eall good. Heals quite a bit too, just don't drink to many of you glow like a Christmas tree. Radiation and all that... don't worry one is safe."

Dante decided to not delve too much deeper on Sp1D3R. He may have to pay a visit to him. "Well ok..."

When he was asked about why he thought that she was a healer. "Well I guess it's because you said you were more used to magic stuff and well... I pick up on some little things about people. It's a gift i kind of have. It creeps them out so I'm sorry if I've done that. The way you speak sounds somewhat timid and passive so that would make it odd for someone to use destructive magic. A lot of your appearance focused on bright colors, which could be equated to life. Meaning it could be healing or creating life."

Dante took a moment to look down at himself before looking to Iria. "I on the other hand just scream 'Space Cowboy.' I used be apart of a large clan... we were the NCR Veteran rangers. They ran the fallout planet. I was a combat medic and helped map out cities. It used to be about helping and welcoming people to the planet, but then it turned into exploiting players. I was a high ranking member at the time. I tried to fix it, but in doing so I got a lot of good people deleted and I was branded an outcast and exiled. I haven't seen my homestead in over a year.

So now I wander around on my own. I make my way as a bounty hunter. I guess that makes me a bad person. Deleting people for money. I don't do it indiscriminately though. Only those I feel deserve it. Perhaps that worse... a killer that thinks he has a moral code. I just recently filled a request to go with some people to an early access to that new Predator planet. Would you want to go with me if they accept me?"

 

[Camleen]

Iria watches Dante curiously as he explains himself.. as he explains why he thought she was a healer and summoner. And she finds she likes it. Well most of it. Timid and passive.. she's not sure how she feels about those descriptors of her personality. But she can't deny it… she's second fiddle, always. She's never really had the nerve to be more assertive. Damagi has made comment on this before, and Iria really is working on it. But.. it's not easy to change yourself so drastically.

She glances down at herself as he speaks of her colors… yeah something else she hadn't really noticed. Even her ship is bright metallic red, and leaves red sparkles in its wake. Looking back to him, she listens intently to his description of himself. Space Cowboy? Is that a Bebop reference? Space Cowboys in the anime are bounty hunters.. so it kind of makes sense. And she finds herself swell with pity when he speaks of his actions on his homestead. She looks down a little, a small frown on her lips. It almost sounds like he feels like he had little choice but to take up bounty hunting. In all reality, she doesn't think that could be the case. But that's kind of the impression she gets.

Dante is a combat medic… which isn't terribly different than her role in non-magic parties. If he does go with them, he can be the second 'front line healer'. Which could be of use. Spread the aggro around a little. But until she knows precisely his capabilities, she can't say for sure what she would recommend to Damagi his role be.

He then asks whether she would join him in the party.

Well that's ironic.

She shrugs a little and looks up to him, smiling gently. "For someone who says they're such a loner lone wolf, you do seem to be reaching out a lot. You approached me out of nowhere, gave me a pretty shiny" the Nuka-cola of course "and you responded to a party request. You're a really nice guy… it almost sounds like you haven't truly really been tryin to connect to others. But after what you went through… well I can super-see why not. It's been over a year since all that went down, right?" She smiles a little more, and gives him another little shrug "It sounds like you're ready to come out of that tough guy shell you've been tryin ta build around yourself." She pauses as she watches him, and then there's a soft beep from her gauntlet. "Hm?" She says softly, lifting her left arm to look at the tiny display on her gauntlet. "Oh mighty hunter's come through." With her other hand she taps a few commands into that screen, and then looks to Dante. She reaches out and grabs the front of his jacket, and she starts to lead him deeper into the market. "C'mon, let's go get this thing." After a moment or two she of course lets him go. She now leads him, speaking to him lightly over her shoulder. "Predator planet, huh? If it's a party… what would you wanna do? Combat medicining?"

 

[Zadok shadows]

Dante looked to Iria and grinned a little when she made the comment about him approaching people. "Well that's an easy one. I have done a lot of bad for a while so I figured I needed to do something good to balance it out. Besides the only contact I get is from the AI on my ship and sometimes I can run out of responses in her database."

Dante looked down at his hands as he let Iria assess him. He carried what had happened to him for so long. This place was a game, but for some people it was more real to them than reality. Dante included himself among those people. What he did in here helped pay for his physical needs. He looked back to Iria. "Thank you Iria... I think I needed to hear that. It's just hard to think of myself as a nice guy. I've deleted a lot of people. I tried to make sure they were bad, but some people who didn't deserve it got on the way... a reporter today is the latest to join that count."

Dante walked with Iria no questions asked. She must of found something she wanted. He thought about her answer for what he could do for the party. "Well I guess I would take up my role as being a combat medic. I am also a pretty good shot so if we didn't want the Predators to come in to close I could start damaging them at a distance. I could also provide cover fire to get people out of situations."

Dante would continue to walk with Iria deeper into the market place. They would pass by many people. When Iria and Dante passed three woman dressed in short cut and tight clothing standing on the street they would wave over at them as they passed and spoke in a seductive tone. "Hi Dante."

Dante put his head down a little and waved back as they walked by before looking at Iria. "What can I say? I get lonely... Anyways what are we looking for?"

 

[Camleen]

Balance… Iria was a big believer in a balance in the universe as a whole. And not just because it's a cool concept in Fullmetal Alchemist and Avatar. She feels if you're in balance with the world around you and yourself, things will be better for you as a whole. She and Damagi make a good pair in that regard… they truly balance one another out.

Her pace of walk slows a little as they come to what looks like it could have been an old temple, or fortress. It's a huge building, neon lights and what seems to be circuits cascading up along its walls. There are all kinds of people rambling in and out of the wide entrance (it looks like the front wall was just removed). She stops a moment and looks around, and then she looks down to her gauntlet as she speaks softly. "Guess you'll have ta see what else the party has. I'm not quite as good a techno-healsie as I am a magic-healsie, but I still do okay. I like to be a front line healer." She glances over her shoulder towards him. "Being right there in the action in these cases. Alls I need is my tricorder and someone to not let me get killed." She nods and then reaches back once more, grabbing the front of his jacket to lead him into the building itself.

But once they pass the front entrance, the place before them looks more like an old train station. It is… immense. It almost looks like it could go on forever. And the walls are lined with old advertisements or market stalls. She lets his jacket go and glances down to her gauntlet once more as it lets out a series of soft beeps. "Be patient, please." She says softly, lowers her arm and lets go of Dante's jacket as she looks deeper into the market, her eyes squinting a little.

She then hears his name from their right, and she blinks as she looks in that direction. She has a kind of surprised look on her features as she glances back to him, and then she immediately looks ahead of herself. He explains himself, and she just holds her hands up, not looking towards him. "Hey no judgements here, man." Although in her mind there's total silent judgement.

A small probe droid (painted white) suddenly zooms right up to them, hovering in front of Dante's face as it lets out a series of short blips and beeps. If you were to decipher the sound pattern, it would be of annoyance. "Oh" Iria starts softly, motioning to the droid. "Artemis, meet Dante." She then motions to the man "Dante, Artemis. He's one of my partners." The droids lets out a soft blip as it hovers a little closer, showing Dante the tiny claw like fingers at the end of its arms. It then hovers backwards, speaking in a series of blips and then a few clicks, and then another blip. Iria nods and motions in front of them, and Artemis now leads them towards a particular stall.

"He's a probe droid" she says softly as she follows the little hovering robot "so he can do scouting stuff, hack when need be, and I've equipped him to be my backup healer." She looks towards Dante, her hands now folded behind her back. "Not nearly as strong a healer as you or me, but still good for topping others off."
She starts to slow her pace as the droid hovers now near a particular stand, one with an assortment of scopes and small gadgets on display. "An attachment for Artemis, lil upgrade." And as they stop at the booth, the female merchant forces a smile for them. "Hello customers. I can help you with purchases, but if you want to talk then head down the street. Away from me." The NPC is made to be the sort of reluctant dealer. Like she has better things to do besides catering to losers in this den. Iria just smiles brightly to her "Hello! We're" She motions to herself, Dante and then Artemis "looking for a Factor 4, 1124 model. Filtered, please. And with a universal hookup." She nods, and the NPC just stares at her without interest. "Please." Iria says with the same wide smile, the same upbeat voice. The merchant sighs and turns, looking through some of the bins she has. Iria looks towards Dante as she speaks softly "It's a scanner adaptor, so Arty can see things that aren't there."

 

[Zadok shadows]

Dante would follow Iria deeper into the marketplace, getting lost among the vast population of Neonoir. He had to remember that he himself needed to buy some supplies too. He needed mods for his helmet, some thermal grenades and flares to blind the Predators thermal vision, some surgical items and cybernetics if serious injuries occurred, and guns... lots of guns. "Yeah I guess I will have to see. Just so you know that if we do partner up you will have someone that will watch your back no later what, just try to record my good side."

When Dante saw Iria's reaction he sighed a little. "Yeah... no judgement... sure."

Dante was caught off guard when he suddenly saw a droid come up to his face. So much so he pulled his revolver and aimed up under it. Dante looked to Iria and put away his gun once he knew the droid wasn't meaning any harm. "Well ok... if he probes me though we will have a serious issue. Though I see the use of having something like that along for a ride. The AI I have serves a similar purpose. Though they can't leave my ship as of yet. If I get the stuff I need here though I can remedy that."

Dante walked with Iria and Artemis to the stall that seemed to sell scopes and sensors. Dante himself was lazily looking at some of the gear they had when he saw something he thought he wouldn't see. He tried to hide his excitement. "Oh shit. That is a Bushido 2077 sensor. That can attach to headgear and give the wearer an assortment of visuals. It let you see in infrared, night vision, and let's you see electrical discharge. That means if it uses electricity you can sense it if it is in your visual range, even through walls. It also comes with a targeting dot that will follow a target up to five seconds after it goes invisible. Damn you can't many of these anymore. Their range isn't the best around and they sometimes need to get rebooted for 30 seconds, but it is worth it. Hey love when you get her sensor I will take that piece off your hands for you."

Dante looked to Iria and grinned a bit. "I need to stick with you while we are here. You're good luck to be around. I still need to get some supplies and it looks like I can get what I need from down here. Would you be willing to shop around with me. I need to pick up some stuff to make my AI portable, plus I need to upgrade my weaponry If I am gonna be hunting something like this. If not it's cool. Thanks for letting me bug you for a bit."

 

[Camleen]

Iria listens to Dante describe the… sensor.. thing… he is very excited about. She just smiles dumbly, having losing her way about 10 words in. She just nods when she thinks its appropriate, and a "wow" at one point. The merchant looks over her shoulder towards Dante as he calls her, and she narrows her eyes at him. "Call me 'love' again, duppy, and you'll be flyin this stall." Basically telling him to shut up or he's going to be leaving without the sensor he wants. Iria finds herself discretely grinning at that. She wasn't at all familiar with the jargin itself, but by the tone you can tell she didn't exactly appreciate the 'compliment' or whatever it was meant to be. It was, no doubt, meant to be a friendly term. Just the way Dante speaks, no doubt. But obviously this particular NPC isn't having any of it.

And so the merchant sets Iria's scanner module on the benchtop in front of them, and she plucks it up. Artemis excitedy glides up next to her, inspecting the small module. He tries to reach out to grab the module, but Iria pulls it out of his reach. "Nuh uh. We'll install it when we get home. Be patient, please." The droid's slim arms slump down, and it lets out a soft series of blips. A saaaaaaaad sounding sequence. "That isn't gonna help ya. When we get home, Artemis." She says in a faintly more stern tone. The droid lets out a soft whistle, and then hovers around Iria. It's appendages fold up under its body, and it then turns on its side in the air. Now looking like a nondescript white disc, it affixes itself to the back of her armor. It almost looks like its just another piece of her armor.

"I don't really get much of this tech stuff. I can hold my own as a mechanic for the ship, and for Artemis. But beyond that… it's just pretty flashing lights and relaxing musical beeps." She looks to Dante now as the merchant sets out the sensor he had asked of. Once he agrees, the credits price would automatically be withdrawn from his account and given to the NPC. Same with Iria. "That sensor thingy" she motions to his new sensor "sounds cool though. And if I followed all that… it's pretty much gonna do the same thing Artemis' new scan module'll do. I think I can find more interfaces… so everyone on the team can see what he sees…" She shrugs her slim shoulders, and motions to him to lead the way. "Let's go shoppin." She tries to hide her excitement at the prospect of more shopping.

"But the different visual range part, that'll be useful against Yautja. I mean I hope so. It's super possible they have a work around. Or maybe their cloak is advanced enough to not even be seen by our sensors. I mean they are super hunters and all.." It almost sounds like she's starting to concede defeat. That her idea won't make a difference when it comes down to it.

And then… she hasn't actually told Dante that she would agree to join his party. He's still in a probation period here… she needs to find out more about him before she vouches for him in the team. Even though he has no idea of all that.

"I've been told I'm good luck for some people. A group of gunters had me tag along with them once… they were looking for… I don't know what it was specifically. But apparently they got closer than they did before. Um.. speaking of…" she looks towards him out of the corner of her eyes as she walks casually with him, her hands folded behind her back, her feet kicking up a little with each step. "You're not a gunter, are ya? Ya seem to get around a bit.. you ever been one?"

And as she speaks, she discretely checks her private messages. No word from Damagi yet. Hopefully she didn't kill poor W3ndy. Which reminds her about 4Way… but it's not the right time for that line of thought yet…

 

[Zadok shadows]

Dante looked the NPC she was fiesty though he should not push it further. Last thing he needed was to not get his hands on the Bushido. Once he paid for it he looked to Iria. "Yeah I guess it does pretty much the same. A cybernetic eye could do the same too. It's just that if the droid fails then I would lose what it saw and if the eye were to fail it hinders my vision. Thus a piece of my armor is the best way to go. Less to trust and less to lose. Plus it does this..."

When Dante equipped the piece to his helmet he would cycle through the different visions. Thermal vision kept his visor eyes red, night vision was green, electrical vision was blue, and targeting was purple. "As for the Yautja I figure that this will work for a bit before they chance their parameters and adapt, but that short time I have the upper hand could be worth it."

Dante was looking around trying to find a decent weapon merchant that might sell something special. Perhaps a Judge gun or some cyberpunk cowboy weapons. He wanted to get a battle rifle if he found one with good stats. He was keeping his eyes peeled. His concentration broke when she asked if he was a Gunter. "I guess I look like I have been one huh. To be honest when I first found out about it I was excited. Halladay was my hero growing up. Nobody around him truly understood him. He saw the world in a different way. I kind of understand the feeling since I'm on the spectrum like he was. He is what inspired me to go into programming and design."

Dante took a moment to process what he just said. He hasn't ever told anyone this. Why is this person the case? Perhaps he has just talked to someone for a long time. This was different from the way Dante usually acted. He was often confident, posturing like everyone else in the oasis. Perhaps at this moment this is where Dante and Ezekiel overlap.

"He built the oasis and I am grateful for it. I find it hard to be me out there, but in here I can be someone else. I can be brave. I can be a coward. I can be a lover or I can be a fighter. I can be the hero, or I can be the villian. I can be more than what I am."

Dante had a look about him that made it seem like he truly meant every word he said. Like he felt in the real world he was limited, but in here he could be who he wanted to be.

"So when he passed and everyone was clambering to find it I was among them. I was still searching until a while ago. I didn't give up. I just realized that I didn't want to own the oasis. No I don't feel it's my destiny to do so. I think I am meant to stand on the shoulders of the giant and try to make the oasis better."

Dante looked to Iria and smiled. He had that bravado that was in his video to Damaji. It was the smile of someone who was perhaps wanting to believe in something so much that in their mind it was reality. "Right now that means exploring the oasis as a Wanderer, a Ronin, a rebel without a cause. Though I will say this, I have taken some time to delete any Sixers that have crossed my path."

 

[Camleen]

Iria finds herself grinning a little as Dante cycles through the different visual spectrums now available to him. She doesn't exactly like the look of his helmet, it's to bulky for her tastes. And it's not very pleasing to the eyes in general. But when the visor starts to shift colors, her eyes light up and she seems to get very excited. "Oh lookit how pretty!" She says with a giggle, clapping lightly at the little show.

And still she follows along with Dante, watching for any communications from Damagi. With a small smile drawn across her dark lips she watches him as he speaks of his admiration for Halladay. That smile doesn't get any less wide when he mentions being 'on the spectrum'. That's like an autism thing, right? It does, however, change her opinion of him slightly. But not in any way negative, not in the least. It isn't pity, either. But she does feel better about him, since he shared something like that with her. Maybe she's making to much of it.

Dante starts to go into how he sees the OASIS… and Iria just quietly listens as she walks at his side, keeping her eyes attentively on him. "You're like a lot of people I know. Gunter for a lil bit, then comin to their senses." She nods in approval. Clearly she doesn't like gunters. The question and reaction to his answer are evidence of that. While she, personally, has never had any bad run ins with them.. she knows enough stories about them. She knows one story in particular…

But when Dante mentions deleting Sixers, her smile fades a little. Hmph… that could be a point of contention. So there are indeed a few things they'll have to be cautious about. "But you don't delete Sixers anymore, riiiiiight?" She says, motioning to him. Hoping he gets the point that deleting Sixers isn't something she sees as being right. She keeps in mind to ask him about being on the spectrum later.. when they have more time. But for now… he seems like he might be a good addition to the team. She hopes she isn't making a mistake.

 

[Zadok shadows]

Dante looked to Iria for any form of a response to what he said. He could aspect anything from acceptance to pity. He wouldn't be surprised if she thought he was an absolute weirdo. He did have some conflicting feelings for how Iria felt about Gunters. Sure the community had become toxic as hell, but their purpose is pure in a sense. It is what Halladay wanted all along. He wanted someone to find the egg not some huge corporation.

Dante noticed how Iria kept her eyes on him. "Well not all Gunters are bad. I mean their community has become warped and a lot of them have forgotten what was important. I don't think any of those jerk ones will find the egg. I think it will be someone who is meant to run it. Someone like us... Someone who sees the beauty of this place and it's potential along with its dangers."

When she asked the question as to if he didn't kill Sixers anymore. He didn't really get why there was an issue. "You have been kind enough to let me walk with you Iria so I wont lie to you. Whenever I see one snooping around one of the known search areas I delete them. They are just corporate accounts of IOI employees. They are ruining the spirit of Halladays final request. I find that to be an insult to his memory and it would be an even greater one of IOI got control of the oasis."

Dante looked to Iria. "You think Gunters are bad, but you are talking to me. Why is that? I'm a bounty hunter... a deleter. I delete people's accounts to get by. There are a lot of people that would think that is worse. Why do you think deleting Sixers is a bad thing?"

Dante wanted to know this. He wasn't trying to start anything with Iria. He simply wanted to understand her position on the subject. Just as he hoped that she understood his.

 

[Camleen]

When Iria says there is no judgements from her, she means it. She doesn't think Dante is a bad person, despite his actions. She doesn't think anyone is 'bad', she just thinks that sometimes people do things that they shouldn't. She listens to him carefully, wanting to make sure she understands precisely what he thinks. As this could be important to their possible future collaborations.

And while she, personally, has never been wronged by a gunter (as far as she knows), she has heard tales. And one of those tales, for all of the good that came from it, hits her pretty close to home.

The smile upon her lips does not fluctuate as he speaks, her eyes stay on his as she walks with him. And when he asks why she thinks that about deleting Sixers…

"Well, we know a little something about Sixers. About how they work..."

Now her gaze drifts forward, but she keeps her pace the same with him. But then she starts to slow, seeing a merchant's stand with food. She grabs the sleeve of his jacket, and leads him over to that merchant stall. She lets him go as they get near, and she speaks as she looks over the little snacks offered. "Not all Gunters do bad things… but not all Gunters do good things. This is something we've learned on a personal basis." She leans down to get a better look at a small glowing blue orb, a piece of candy that looks like its made of light. "Not all IOI employees do bad things… but not all IOI employees do good things." She stands up straight, her hands folding once more behind her back as she looks to him with a gentle smile, her crystal blue eyes watching his. "I'm talking to you because I don't think you're a bad person. You showed empathy for me, without even knowing what the situation was. You offered to comfort me, without even knowing my name. So for me.. that makes you a good person. You didn't do all of those things because you were after something. I mean… I got nothin to take." She says with a small chuckle. She now turns on her heels to face him, smiling up to him. "It's our belief that there are some IOI 'employees'" she uses airquotes for that "Who are little more than endentu… ed… endtuu…" She blinks, not being able to pronounce the word "Who are little more than people working off their debt to IOI. They all look the same, right? Save for the numbers… that's all they are to IOI. Numbers. Who they really are.. .why they're doing what their doing.. who can say. But there has to be some of them just doing what they're told to try and work off a debt to IOI." Her head tilts a little to one side as she continues, her tone taking a more empathetic tone. "So when they're deleted… when they're stuff is zeroed out.. they have to start from the bottom again to pay off IOI. They're… contract… is extended, so they have to work hard to get back to where they were before. And when the company issued equipment is destroyed.. well same thing." She pauses, and she looks a little away from him. "So that's why we're not terribly cool with offin' Sixers. Sure some of 'em are scumbags…" another pause, and she looks back to him with a gentle smile. "But some of them are good people, trapped in the company's service." She takes a slow and deep breath, and she now motions him to lead once more. "This isn't a deal breaker, Dante. We would just… ask you to kinda think about that next time. And if you don't bring it up… well it might not be a big deal. The boss isn't cool with people that like doin that sort of thing."

 

[Zadok shadows]

Dante would listen to what Iria had to say about the Gunters and the Sixers. He had not thought much on those who might be indentured servants to the IOI corporation. He would keep his eyes on Iria. "I didn't put much thought into the indentured workers. I figure they just had those awful service jobs, but if some were sixers..."

Dante never wanted to hurt people he felt didn't deserve it. He can't believe he never thought of this. "I guess them just being numbers made it easier on us to do what we did... the search for Halladays egg is a war. Good people who never asked for where they're at are in the cross fire."

Dante looked to Iria with what may be his final word on the subject for now. "I guess despite their situation I still have to support the Gunters side. If the IOI gain control of the oaisis we lose what Halladay envisioned for this place. We lose our freedom to be us. I hope you are comfortable with this. Though I think it is time for me to leave the fight for a while. No more deleting Sixers, but if one of them come after me... I won't hold back."

Dante was about to search a weapons stall when he caught something Iria said. "Wait what do you mean the Boss... don't tell me. Your apart of that Yautja prime party?!"

Dante looked to Iria feeling a little betrayed. She couldn't mention that she knew about the party invite. "Did you know who I was when we started talking?"

 

[Camleen]

Iria's smile gets a little wider as Dante seems to start to see things in the same perspective she has been shown. "I can understand why you're worried about IOI getting its hands on the Egg. That's a real fear for me too. This place" she motions around them as she watches Dante "this place is all I have in my life. I don't want to lose it. But at the same time…" She lowers her gloved hands slowly "I don't want to keep a freedom by denying someone else's freedom. We get it's super complicated… but what's the point of winning a war if you lose the good part of who you are." She shakes her head a little as she turns from him, her eyes cast along the market stalls around them.

"And please don't misunderstand… we're not asking you to never harm a Sixer. That's not it. But we don't like people who hunt them just because they have some digits on their chest. But…" she looks to him out of the corner of her eyes as she quotes one of her favorite quotes "If someone tries to kill you… well you just kill them right back."

And when that lightbulb seems to go off in his head, Iria immediately holds her hands up in a 'slow down' motion, a little wry grin on her lips. "Okay whoah whoah… in my defense… you approached me." She nods and lowers her hands slowly as she continues. "It wasn't my intention ta come out here to look for ya. I really did come to this world to get a sensor module. But as I was getting out of the ship.. I got the message from Damagi about ya. And she asked me ta track ya down." She takes a small step towards him, her head tilted just slightly to one side as she continues. "In things like this.. in happy coincidences like this.. I prefer to see the real person." She pokes his chest very lightly as she stands close to him. "Not someone putting on bravado for a possible job. I mean the message you sent Damagi.. that was pretty bravado-ish, right?" Her hands now fold behind her back as she smiles gently up to him. "Don't be mad, please. Damagi has her way of screening possible partners" she cringes a little at that particular memory "And I have my way. Everything you've shared with me… all the kindness you've shown me… we would love to have you in the party. If you still want in."

 

[Zadok shadows]

Dante looked to Iria. Dante would speak in the tone of a weary noir detective like in the classic films. "Well that is usually how it is. You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villian... I'm not so sure which I am at this point. If we want to be free some of us will have to put are hands in the filth so others can stay clean. My hands are plenty dirty already."

Dante knew there were gonna be no heroes in what was to come. By the end of the search for the egg there was going to be a lot more suffering. Though for now it was no longer his fight. His next battle had a less morally complex enemy.

When Dante listened to Iria's entire explanation for her reason for not telling him sooner he would just stare at her with a stern look until she was finished. Once she was done he would stare at her in silence before erupting in a fit of laughter. "Oh my god that is insane. Of all the people I could of ran into after sending that message. That is hilarious."

Dante truly thought it was funny. Life had a way of messing with you. Dante would look back to Iria when she spoke about his bravado nature. "Well to be honest I think in a way it is the real me. Or at least part of the real me. It's the me that I want to be. I told you before that you can become anything here. Well that is who I want to become. The brave and suave wanderer who can get the job done and look cool doing it. The morally grey scoundrel who will be there for his friends when they need it. Even though he might be scared he can put on a brave smile and push forward. I think that is just as much part of me as what I've shown you today."

Dante closed a hub that he had open while they were walking around. "Well I actually got what I needed. Perks of being a part of a fraternity of mercenaries is that you almost never have to do your own shopping. It should be waiting on my ship. Sweet they even picked up my bike from the shop. We can head back there and wait for your boss there... and Iria would it be possible to keep what I shared just between us. I prefer to get to know people before I open up about stuff like that. I really shouldn't of done it with you so early, but you have that aura around you that is of someone that can be trusted."

Dante began walking in the direction of the shipyard. "Besides I have no idea that you could just be lying to me and you're really someone sent to kill me, or at the very least lure me into a trap."

That last part was spoken almost dismissively. Dante was fairly sure that Iria was safe, but in his line of work he has made a lot of enemies. It's not just former hits he has to worry about. Some of his employers may want him deleted. His mind was still on Moes message. It was a dangerous game Dante was playing. A part of him was worried that if they survived the trip how much of his work bleed over into these people's lives.

 

[Camleen]

Iria thinks for a moment as Dante speaks… as he takes that classical tone. And then as soon as he falls silent she pipes up. "Harvey Dent, The Dark Knight." She likes being able to identify quotes. It's kind of a showing off thing, an attempt to show people she's more than just a pretty face. Even though she doesn't even think she's that. "Some people will have ta do bad things.. but the longer I can go without having to, the better."

He stares rather sternly at her as she tries to explain, and she thinks she's in trouble here. In her mind, she was never really decieving him. Their conversation just had a sort of ulterior motive for her. And he never really asked if she was with anyone… he just started talking to her. Iria feels bad when she lies to people, so she tries to never do it. But bending the truth a little is sometimes necessary. And when he bursts out laughing, she actually flinches a little with surprise. Her eyes widen a bit, and she giggles softly to herself. She nods quickly, hopping up and down slightly as she grins widely to him. "Pretty wild, huh? I'm not actually sure I coulda found ya if you didn't trip over me. I'm not good at that kinda thing."

Iria does find herself a little let down, knowing he thinks himself the suave man on the video. She isn't one for… bravado. She is perhaps an opposite to Dante's personality. And Damagi's. Oh those two will get along fine, she thinks. And she does know Damagi is always discretely pushing Iria to be more like that.. more assertive, braver in her own thoughts. But that just doesn't seem to be in Iria.

Speaking of Damagi…

She walks with Dante, and opens up her messaging screen as she gets an alert. Out of habit she squints a little as she reads the mesage. Barbie? Oh goodness she hopes Damagi isn't really calling her that. Unless.. ya know.. unless she actually is a Barbie. Anything and everything is possible in the OASIS. She nods a little to the message, and sends a quick replay.

'Kay. We're on the way'

Very quick, it seems.
Her eyes and attention moves to Dante as she smiles at him, shaking her head. "No one will know anything of what we talked about, Dante. I promise. Right Artemis?" She looks over her shoulder, eliciting a soft series of beeps from the small circular droid mounted on her back. "See?" She says, looking back to him. "And thank you… for thinking I can be trusted. That makes me feel wonderful." She says with a little nod up to him, her smile not fading.

"Oh, Dante. Sweety. If ah vanted you dead you voulda nevoh seen me comin." She says in an exagerated accent.. old Russian it sounds. It's obvious she's just teasing. She would never actually do something like that.

"But here's the plan, manno." She reaches into one of the pouches on her hip and draws from it a thin black card. Just about the size of a normal playing card. She offers it to Dante. "We're gonna meet up at a old hangout of ours. It's on Archaide. I'll send ya the exact coordinates from my ship. Since I don't remember 'em." The card is her contact card. The card itself is all black, looking like a black polished square stone. The face of the card looks like the outline of a green tree, the tree glowing a gentle green. And when you turn the card over, a text grid appears above the card in hologram form.

Iria
Level 15 Summoner
[email protected]
(330) 255-8888
The OASIS
"Make a path that's safe, so those that follow will never stumble"​

She starts to walk away from him, and then turns to walk backwards as she smiles to him, her folded behind her back. "Just head for the coordinates, Damagi will prolly be there already. She'll know you're cool." She holds up 2 fingers in a 'peace' sign, and then turns to jog back to her own ship.

 

[Zadok shadows]

Dante was glad that Iria was willing to keep what they talked about a secret. He chuckled a little at the prospect that Iria could be a Russian spy. It was a ridiculous notion of course, but the reality is that sometimes you never really know who is behind the avatar.

When Dante was given the contact card he couldn't help himself. "So I guess I got your number now... I knew I was that good."

Dante gave Iria a grin. He of course knew it didn't mean what he was playfully insinuating. He figured that since she liked to tease people, she could handle some teasing herself. "Ok I will see you there. I'm not worried. After all I'm such a wonderful guy. By the way here is my card."

Iria was tossed a pair of sunglasses that look to be of similar design to the old failed project known as google glass. Upon putting the classes on the wearer will see a videogame styled model as though they were looking at an old character selection screen for a fighting game.

Player Name: Dante_Castellanos
Level: 18
Email: [email protected]
Phone Number: 812-876-5309
Website: mercwork.com/DanteCastellanos
"Good men don't need rules. That's why I have so many."

With that Dante and Iria parted ways. Dante would go back to his own ship, The Dirty Wastelander. Once he was onboard Dante would begin to take off once he had his new gear accounted for. It was a good thing he got his bounty in so he could finance this trip. Dante was beginning to pilot his ship when he heard the familiar voice of a woman he knew speak to him.

"Aww. Leaving Neonoir so soon. I thought you liked to celebrate after ruining someone's life."

Dante would focus on getting his ship airborne before he responded. "And I thought you didn't want to be muted."

"Come on you like me this way. Otherwise you would of reprogrammed me by now."

With that an avatar was digitally constructing itself next to Dante, but this avatar was somewhat transparent. The avatar was a beautiful human woman with blonde hair and dressed on a Vault tech vault suit. This was Kara, the AI that Dante had spent the last two years developing using the oasis AI program that he heavily modified. Dante wanted to create the perfect companion AI assistant that could accompany players on missions and not be two dimensional.

Dante scoffed a little. "Yeah I reprogram you and I lose all my research. We are stuck with each other."

Kara grinned. "Well baby if I had to be stuck with anyone I'm glad it's you. So what are you doing now?"

Dante was beginning to fly his ship out of the sector. "We are going Archaide to meet a group that has early access to Yautja prime."

Kara looked at Dante and scoffed. "You on a team. That's funny. You always brood about here as a loner. The only people I see on this ship other than you are delivery guys and the Floozies you bring back after a bounty, or have you finally stopped crying about your screw up."

Dante kept his eyes on route he was taking. "You're a real bitch at times."

Kara shrugged her shoulders before digitizing. "Can't help it sweetie. I was designed that way."

Dante would focus on getting his ship to Archaide and wait for the coordinates of Iria's meeting place.

--End Transmission--​