[open/closed] i want disaster, i don't want to sleep

[friendsfordinner]

Who: Hickey & OPEN
When: early September
Where: Gloucester, around the ADI complex
Summary: Hickey comes into his own as the Hunt's bitch a newly Entity aligned.
Warnings: Threats of violence, stalking, just general creepy behavior, will edit as needed

closed to Eda, the inciting incident
ADI has been asked to keep an eye on Dogtown, beefing up patrols and recording paranormal activity while not entering inside. One of those people who's been asked to patrol is Hickey—which is a shame as Hickey is fundamentally lazy. He's leaning against a tree, not doing much work, ignoring the world around him (and unfortunately ignoring the shifty-looking teenager who's been eyeing him for the past few minutes, fully intent on stealing his wallet).

He only perks up when he hears someone else enter his area. He looks around before a wide grin spreads across his face. Eda. He likes her, even if he wishes she could be a little more upfront about the whole owl monster thing.

"Here for a visit?" he asks, shitty grin on his face. "Or did ADI drop you off here to play security guard as well?"

later on, open
This? This is fucking phenomenal. It's exactly what he wanted when he first heard of these Entities, exactly what he wanted from tuunbaq all the way back on the ice. He's more than just Cornelius Hickey. He's something better. Something new. And as far as he's concerned? He's more than happy to help the Hunt out as long as he gets what he wants.

He tests out his new gifts in all sorts of different ways. He follows people as they walk through busy areas, seeing just how long he can tail someone before they realize he's there—and the adrenaline rush he gets when they pick up the pace or double-back to try and lose him feels better than any drink he's had. He actually does his job helping to patrol the borders of Dogtown, slipping into the park more often than not. And when he's back at his apartment, back at the ADI complex itself? He'll just sit somewhere and stare at someone or something, taking in all the new details, scents, noises that he never knew before.

It is all intensely creepy.

Comments

[edalyn]

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean he needs more than a good scare." It's true where she's from, too--you might get off with a warning or you might get eaten or sent to the Conformatorium, but personally she isn't for anything permanent all the same.

[friendsfordinner]

There's a pause before Hickey rolls his eyes.

"You're a sap, Clawthorne. All talk."

He's slightly teasing her, though. Sure, he thinks that being a sap is a quick way to get yourself taken advantage of. But he still likes Eda, even if she's way too kind to kids who don't deserve it.

[edalyn]

"A sap maybe," Eda admits with a little shrug. "But also the most wanted criminal in the Boiling Isles." Well, she used to be at any rate. And she doesn't want to worry about what's going on there now.

"I'm only talk until you're a cop or you fuck with my kids." She says this very matter-of-factly. It doesn't matter terribly if he believes her, because he hasn't actually gotten on her bad side yet.

[friendsfordinner]

"Then it's a good thing I'm not either of those things," he points out, with a wry little grin. "Certainly not a cop, don't even know who the hell your kids are."

[edalyn]

"It sure is," Eda agrees brightly. There are other ways to have things go badly with her of course but those really are up there.

"Either way... we should probably get out of here." As much as Eda kind of wants to take the excuse of already being in the park to explore it a little more. It really is tempting, and that probably shows in the way she looks around thoughtfully.

[friendsfordinner]

"Probably," he agrees, looking around at the park. He closes his eyes for a moment, re-orienting himself, taking a moment to take advantage of his new state of being...and catches the scent of the outside world. The smell of exhaust, the sound of cars, all the unique sounds and scents of the city.

"This way," he says, gesturing towards where he assumes the exit is. Also assuming that Eda will follow him, Hickey starts to walk.

[edalyn]

"Someone's having fun with this..." she muses, although she doesn't sound terribly judgmental. While Eda really is worried about his new connection to an entity, she can't exactly judge him for using his talents at all.

"Say, which one do you think it is?" She asks as she follows. She can make a guess or two, but she's curious. Her own alignment with the Hunt wasn't terribly hard to figure out, but she's also guessing it happened when she got here. It wasn't like she had a chance to try and choose.

[friendsfordinner]

"What, which one do you think noticed me?" There's a pause as Hickey goes over all the Entities in his head before deciding.

"It's got to be Hunt, isn't it. It's the chase. And I've been chasing this ever since I learned these things exist."

[edalyn]

Eda looks thoughtful, but she nods. "That'd make sense, I guess." Going after that kid sure scared him, which fits the... self-starting effect that she's had work with her own powers.

She debates saying something like welcome to the club but she isn't sure that she actually wants to share that little fact. A couple of people know that she's aligned with the Hunt, but she doesn't particularly want it to be common knowledge.

After all, it might get harder to keep volunteering for appropriate missions. Or to get away with eating shrews and voles and chasing seagulls at the beach.

[friendsfordinner]

Hickey shrugs a little before admitting, "Honestly, I'd have taken whichever looked at me first. I'm not picky."

Others might take that admission as 'Hickey being desperate.' He's going to take that admission as 'him being practical about his choices.'

[edalyn]

"Seriously, why are you so eager to sign up for this? Powers ain't that great when we've got the ADI breathing down our necks... and if the whole helping usher in the apocalypse thing is to be believed."

She doesn't necessarily expect an answer, and she knows she's kind of a hypocrite for prying, but she's curious. The ADI doesn't seem like a terrible deal for your average human, if they have to be stuck here. Meanwhile the urge to feed and the risk of getting caught doing it aren't haven't exactly been a fun time.

[friendsfordinner]

Because he wants to be more than he currently is. Because the man that calls himself Cornelius Hickey is tired of being at the bottom, fighting and scraping for just the slightest bit of advancement. Because he knows he deserves more and this is simply the universe acknowledging that fact.

"There's no guarantee ADI would be around forever," Hickey points out, with a little shrug. "What's to stop someone from skipping town the moment things get a little too hot? Besides, look at all of us with connections to one of those things. If we all put our mind to the same cause, nothing could stop us."

[edalyn]

"Bringing about an apocalypse could stop us... like I say, if that's to be believed." She really is torn. A few years ago, there's probably no way she would have worked with these people. But now, now she knows you really do have to take big threats seriously.

But on the other hand, she has more reason to suspect that humans lie about whether people should use their powers. But some reason to believe these ones, because the compulsions from the entities do seem real.

"And it does seem like it's hard to stop feeding these things, once you start."

[friendsfordinner]

"Why would I want to stop?"

There's a pause before Hickey continues with,

"Of course, I know the actual answer. We don't want to cause the apocalypse, we don't want to cause trouble, so on and so forth. Still. It's hard to turn down power."

[edalyn]

"Yeah, it is... but that doesn't make it worth working for something."

Whether that means fear gods or potentially shady government organizations, as much as she likes power she doesn't like owing anyone for it. Or having them able to control it, or take it.

[friendsfordinner]

"Depends entirely on if you and the something you're working for share ideas," he shrugs. After all, if ADI or the Hunt are on the same page as he is? Then he doesn't mind working. Why not share the same goals?

"I'm flexible."

[edalyn]

"That's if you trust it saying you do." But Eda shrugs too. It's his life, unless he seems like he's getting dangerous enough to be a real problem.

"Me, I'm not a huge fan of authority. If something can give you power it can take it, too." Which is part of the reason she hates that these Entities can latch onto what people brought with them, not just offer new opportunities like in his case.

[friendsfordinner]

"I can deal with authority as long as I get what I want," Hickey smirks. "All you have to do is make the best of the situation when it appears."

As far as Hickey's concerned, he's perfectly willing to suck up if it benefits him in the end. What matters most is his own reward and his own wants.

[edalyn]

"Yeah... there's a reason I am still here." She's gotten pretty good at making the best of bad situations, but that doesn't mean she wants to rely on anyone--or anything--she doesn't have to.

[friendsfordinner]

"It'll be interesting to see when the moment people decide to cut free from ADI is," he muses. "After all. They can't keep us here forever."

[edalyn]

"I don't know about you, but my plan is going home." Another reason to work with the group that has resources, for now at least. She's less interested in sticking around and cutting free in this world than she is in getting out of it.

"But if other people try... I do wanna see how that goes for them."

[friendsfordinner]

"Same here," he nods. "Because my plan is staying in this world as long as possible."

[edalyn]

"At least one of us wants to be here... but I guess if I had to be from the human realm I'd take the modern version, too."

Eda has no idea if that's his main reason, but there's only so nosy she actually wants to be.

[friendsfordinner]

"You'd have to be a fool to go back to a world without electric lighting and fresh water coming straight from the tap," Hickey grins.

That isn't his main reason. But like hell he's telling Eda his main reason.

[edalyn]

"You'd also be a fool to pick that over a world with running water and magic," Eda counters with a grin.

Which isn't the main reason she wants to go back, but she's not telling him that either. It's a very productive conversation all around. But then, she does think she's right about the part she's saying.