oo1: actual intro!

[cursedtolive]

[action - around town in the afternoon]
[There's a small little boy walking around town. A flat cap pulled down over his eyes, and a brown jacket even in the middle of July. His outfit choice looks a couple decades out of date, too, although the clothes are definitely from the right era. Fashion statement?

Seemingly lost in his thoughts, Czeslaw Meyer-Stanfield is not paying much attention to where he is going. He passes by houses, by shops, by people. He might accidentally bump into people, at which point he will blink the surprise away and smile sheepishly, with a natural-sounding]

Oh...! Oh, I'm sorry [mister, or miss]. I guess I wasn't watching where I was going. I didn't mean to run into you. Good afternoon!

[action - 459 Stone Street]
[Nope. Nope. Nope nope nope. He can't handle this family arrangement. His "mother" won't let him hole up in his room, though, so he's sitting in a chair in the corner of the front room watching the door so he'll never be surprised by his "father"'s homecoming.]

Comments

[action]

[justdumbluck]

[He raises an eyebrow, not entirely convinced.]

Are ya sure? Ya don't look alright.

[action]

[cursedtolive]

Yeah... I'm feeling just fine. [Big fat lie because he's looking away and starting to shake a little like a leaf because of bad memories, but. Just fine, bro. He's just wiping dust out of his eyes, you see.]

So... So how long've you been here?

[action]

[justdumbluck]

Huh? A long time. A year, maybe.

[The question doesn't distract him for long; he's even more worried now that the kid's shaking.]

Tell me honestly, are you sure you're alright? Are you sick or somethin'?

[action]

[cursedtolive]

I'm fine. I really am... [He shakes his head.] I'm sorry. I don't really wanna think about it.

[He reaches out and tugs on Firo's sleeve.] Do you live by yourself?

[action]

[justdumbluck]

...Okay.

[He doesn't want to risk pressing too hard.

He blinks, slightly surprised by the gesture.]

No, there's one other normal person. Her name's Celes. The two "kids" are drones.

[action]

[cursedtolive]

Celes? So's she like your wife here?

[It's a bit shaky still but he smiles.]

What's she like? Is she anything like Miss Ennis?

[action]

[justdumbluck]

No, that's just what the town-

[Wait, Ennis? Why is he bringing her up? Firo can't help but recall the last time he and Claire spoke about her, and he blushes slightly.]

E-Ennis? W-why are you askin' about her?

[action]

[cursedtolive]

Well, it's because she's the first lady I think of when I think about you.

I mean, I could ask about Miria, but... [Miria can't be compared to other girls.]

[action]

[justdumbluck]

[He really wants to ask Czes what he means by that but doesn't want to open himself up for more embarrassment. Instead he decides to focus on the mention of Miria, chuckling a bit.]

I haven't seen Miria since she and Isaac left for wherever it was they wanted to go.

A-anyway, to answer your question, she's not. She's not a bad person, though, maybe I'll introduce you two sometime.

[action]

[cursedtolive]

Miss Ennis once told me they were in California digging for gold. I met them while we were all heading for New York.

["Not bad" Firo says. Czes wonders just how much falls under the descriptor of "not bad" from a mafiosocammorista's point of view.]

I'd like to meet her. Do you two get along?

[action]

[justdumbluck]

They sure get around, don't they?

[He wants to ask why they're coming back, but that might fall under the category of things Czes can't tell him.]

Then you should come over and visit us sometime!

We get along fine. She tried to help me get rid a' the drone kids yesterday.

[action]

[cursedtolive]

[It does. Because he doesn't want you telling them digging for gold in 1930 is pointless and make them ride a train that isn't the Flying Pussyfoot. No deets for Firo there.]

Sure! Will you introduc--

[...? ???

?!]

Did you just say you tried to get rid of the drones?

[action]

[justdumbluck]

Yeah.

[Oh. That wording's a bit troublesome, isn't it?

He puts his hands up and waves them defensively.]

Not like that! I just wanted to make 'em leave the house for a bit!

[action]

[cursedtolive]

Oh... r-right.

[He stares at Firo questioningly for a few seconds anyway.]

Did it work?

[action]

[justdumbluck]

I'm serious. No violence involved.

[Creepy or not, the drones are just kids.

He frowns.]

...No, not really. Anyway, they'd probably find their way back eventually, even if I did get 'em to leave.

[action]

[cursedtolive]

They probably know their way around. They're strange and this city is strange, too, but for the people who've always lived here it's home.

[... Er, that sounded extremely cheesy. How embarrassing.]


I mean-- I learned my way around Little Italy and Chinatown pretty quickly, too. I don't get lost on my way to Alveare if I'm watching where I'm going.

[action]

[justdumbluck]

[He smiles to hear Czes talking about home. He's going to try and let the drone subject slip in favor of a nicer topic.]

Yeah? That's good to hear. You hang around there a lot?

[That has to be a harmless question, right?]

[action]

[cursedtolive]

Yeah. The honey juice you sell there is pretty good!

Isaac, Miria, and Maiza are usually there, too. It's actually the only place where I know people in the city...

[action]

[justdumbluck]

I bet Sena'd love to hear you say that.

[Czes seems friendly enough that it'd be easy for him to make friends, but Firo doesn't ask him to elaborate on that last sentence. There's plenty of possible reasons for it-- though the ones Firo's thinking of are more innocuous than Czes' actual reason.]

Isaac and Miria are so lively you probably don't need to know anybody else. How was everybody when you left?

[action]

[cursedtolive]

They're all real lively people.

[You still haven't made any progress with Miss Ennis, Firo, but he's not gonna tease you about that just yet.]

Well... everything was all right for the Martillo Family when I left. Isaac and Miria were doing their usual thing, and you're working at that casino like always.

[action]

[justdumbluck]

That's true.

[How generous. Brat.

It's reassuring to hear that the Family's doing well, even if it makes him feel a sudden stab of homesickness. He puts on a smile and tries to shrug it off.]

Good to hear that.

So, um... How was Ennis doin'?

[He tries to sound casual, but the question's been waiting to burst out of him since Czes first mentioned her. Nobody can tease him for just wanting to know how his housemate is, right?]

[action]

[cursedtolive]

Miss Ennis? [He smiles. He knew that was going to come up sooner or later.]

She's doing fine! We eat lunch together sometimes, and she's really nice to me.

[action]

[justdumbluck]

She is really nice, isn't she?

[Wait, he probably should't have said that out loud.]

U-um, I mean... That's good that you two get along.

[action]

[cursedtolive]

Yeah. I think she's having fun. She plays with the dominos, too.

[action]

[justdumbluck]

The dominoes?

[Isn't that a kid's game? But if Ennis likes it...]