#cyberengle 01

[vinedhcart]

@cyberengle

Yumine's gasp is soft. She's never seen anything like it before. A person with a bird head! "Please forgive me, but YOU are absolutely beautiful!"

[occiderecorvus]

@cyberengle

"It doesn't feel like I've had this place very long." Yet she's seen people come and go from Lionheart. "I remember when I first thought of Lionheart. I had it in mind to protect people. Keep them safe from disasters that'd find their way onto the island."

[inheritai]

In all fairness, Mizuki hadn't quite notices the hoot pun in the words that were exchanged. She was too busy chiding Aiba, who...well, she definitely could've done it intentionally. She could fluctuate between completely serious and unable to do anything but joke at a moment's notice.

"Pretty much! Kinda top-secret tech back where I come from...but since we're not there, she's what's called an AI-Ball. I just call her Aiba, though."

"PEWTER called me Aiba, so everyone else has too. I bet HE wouldn't talk so callously about replacing me..."

Engle nods to acknowledge the girl's gratitude. "Just doing my duty." She avoids the "hoot" pun.

"What is it, exactly? A living prosthetic?" She gestures at the eyeball in the girl's hand, having not seen anything like it before.

[uwps001]

@cyberengle

"Tch." Constantine is losing patience with these little CLAW games. "How does anyone win anything with these." If this was a shooter, he'd win all the prizes here and give them to his sister and Hiyori.

Anyway, he'll try again, aiming for a small trinket.

[sinnerno8]

@cyberengle

〜 "So you're not Distorted then? You're just an owl?"

"I, erm... Not to be rude."

[wolfofthewisps]

Fortunately, there are those who're used to being on the backlines of conflict- those who could watch the surroundings of the frontline fighters to ensure they were amply protected. Mere moments before the potent magic ray is ready to pop off...a licorice bolt whizzes right past Engle's head, aimed just right to dart through the more aggressive Peeps and stick the charging foe in the face. A critical hit!

Should the owl spot her standing perhaps a bit further than the crossbows were intended to operate- yet clearly suffering none for efficiency- Whisper will give a quick thumbs up before leveling another shot. She doesn't know this fighter, but if they're on the same side, she can afford to play Guardian Angel again for a time...

"Coward. Hiding behind this sweet?" Engle's taking this way too seriously. "I'll destroy it and take you down." She clenches the candy corn axe in her hands.

A flock of chicken-sized Peeps fly at her, and Engle bats them away with her axe. But she can't fend off a wave this size on her own, and one in the back is charging up a candifying laser...

[vinedhcart]

"Oh! That's great news!" Yumine is starting to pick up on the tension in the air. In turn, for whatever reason she's nervous but regardless she doesn't feel her life is in danger.

"Not anything like a henchman, silly!" She says laughing. "That would make it seem as if Hawks was running some evil organization." It clicks of course when she says that. Engle must be worried about potential danger?

"He and a couple of our other partners at work tend to banter with each other. It's never a boring moment at the agency. ENGLE! you should visit sometime. I'm sure

The words "Hawks" and "Agency" together make the feathers on the back of her neck stand up. Nothing about the agency sounds villainous, exactly, but she can't shake this feeling about the name.

"I already have a job," she says, dismissing the idea outright. (Granted, the Cyber Owls aren't established here, but Yumine doesn't need to know.)

"A sidekick... not a henchman?" She hums. "How does he keep it... interesting?"

She's starting to think this is someone closer to Huxley than the Kommander, but Engle doesn't seem too sure.

[vinedhcart]

"A myth?" That is something interesting to be heard. To think her kind were just stories people heard of. "There is a man named Hawks! He is a lovely man. I'm sure you'll meet him soon enough." he's certainly the kind of character that one could not miss.

"Engle, have you been here long? Oh, would you by chance...Would you like to be friends?"

"Harpy? I thought they were only a myth... Fascinating."

She looks her over again. If her wings and talons are fake, they're very convincing. Engle will just have to have faith.

"My name is Engle. Who are these other... winged humanoids you've seen?" she asks.

Engle feels like the odd one out, being avian but not having the wings to show for it.

[inheritai]

A startled yelp pipes up from the fleeing AI-Ball, her tiny hands and feet flailing about before she stumbles to a halt. This gives Mizuki just the opportunity she needs to lean down and scoop her up into a palm.

"Ohhh! I can't believe this! You had another person you've been in cahoots with this whole time! Does the betrayal never end, Mizuki?!"

"Hard to be in cahoots with someone you've never met before," the girl counters with a sardonic edge. She turns her glance up to the anthropomorphic owl with a smile. "Thanks for that- she can be needlessly difficult sometimes. I dunno why it's so fun for her..."

This is the first time she's seen anyone running after their... It looks like a gelatinous hamster? But Engle is nothing if not adaptable, and luckily, the eyeball is heading her way.

"I'll get it."

She stomps a combat boot right in front of Aiba, aiming to stop her in her tracks. This sapient prosthetic, or whatever it was, is clearly the mouse to the teenager's cat.

[vinedhcart]

"Yes! in reverse! I have many names, but most back home called me a Harpy!" She's so happy to see another bird being. "There are more like us. Well, perhaps more like humanoids with wings like me, but seeing more of us is always delightful. My name is Yumine."

Engle has gotten a lot of strange looks from people — more here than back home, she thinks — but this is the one of the few she's gotten where someone looks at her with something like awe.

"Um... Thank you." She scratches some feathers from her face, unused to the compliment.

"You're like me... but in reverse." Not many humans have wings and talons. Wasn't there a name for humans like this?

[vinedhcart]

"It is called Hawks Agency and he protects people and investigates when needed. Our job is to help those in need as well as investigate any problems. I'm considered a sidekick.

Engle, are you perhaps interested in a job but wasn't sure? You will absolutely enjoy working with Hawks! He keeps the workplace very interesting."

Doesn't seem that Yumine has noticed anything shift. She chalks it up to maybe Engle is reserved. The world can be a place where friendship was hard to come by! Either way, she's more than happy to talk about her boss!

"Hawks is a lovely guy. Very understanding and sweet. He's dedicated to his work. He's truly got a heart of gold!"

She's absolutely clueless!

[vinedhcart]

Doesn't seem that Yumine has noticed anything shift. She chalks it up to maybe Engle is reserved. The world can be a place where friendship was hard to come by! Either way, she's more than happy to talk about her boss!

"Hawks is a lovely guy. Very understanding and sweet. He's dedicated to his work. He's truly got a heart of gold!"

She's absolutely clueless!

"A myth?" That is something interesting to be heard. To think her kind were just stories people heard of. "There is a man named Hawks! He is a lovely man. I'm sure you'll meet him soon enough." he's certainly the kind of character that one could not miss.

"Engle, have you been here long? Oh, would you by chance...Would you like to be friends?"

[uwps001]

Constantine chuckles a short quiet one and nods. "Yeah, I was going to try but...my sis talked me out of it." He's glad she did though. "Heard that the headaches you get from going too far is painful," he says with a shrug. "I'd rather not deal with that."

Placing the cute thing in his pocket, he clears his throat, "I'll tell you what my sister has: danger from our world isn't here. We might as well enjoy being here while we can." He pauses, "it's easier for people who has their loved ones here. You should make friends, develop all kinds of relationship."

Only they decide when you get out. That seems to confirm what her roommate said. Engle's not sure how attached she should get with people who could disappear overnight.

"Hm." Engle plays with some feathers on her chin. "Well, as long as you know what you're doing."

"I'd like to leave, but escape attempts have been... fruitless, as of late," she says.

She looks at the orange knitted toy in his hands. That might've come across as a joke, though it wasn't her intention.

[uwps001]

"I don't think some. Any of us can be sent back without a warning." He'd hate to leave Hiyori behind without having something prepared and he'd hate to be left behind without having a proper goodbye if it came to it, but...

"I wasn't planning on forming a relationship of any kind, but it just happened."

"Hm." Engle sounds interested for half a second. "That's nice." Then the feeling is dismissed just as quickly.

"Do people stay here long enough to form relationships?" she asks, still looking for a way to get out of the city.

[uwps001]

The small thing is defintiely high contrast to Constantine's pale pink hair and silver blue eyes. The knitted orange being held in his hand is nearly comedic.

"It's for my partner. I plan on giving this to them when valentines day hits."

"Of course."

The citizen is grateful, and Engle is glad she didn't break through the glass. While he could've taken all the prizes he wanted, both of them would've been banned from the arcade.

She looks at the trinket in his hand. It's small, knit, and very orange.

"Who is it for?" she asks, curious about the prize she helped him earn.

[uwps001]

He watches. Even though his eyes wander to also see if anyone is watching, he likes relatively amused. "Hm," he gives her a nod in appreciation of course. His form of thanks as he tries one more time to win that damned prize. Sure enough, the claw grabs hold of the item and drops it down the chute!

"Hell yeah."

Like a kid at a candy store, he has the biggest smile on his face. Though it's short lived when he looks to the stranger and thanks her.

"Thanks a lot for this and for not getting us in trouble. The last thing I needed was to get an earful by whoever."

Better not get in trouble.

On second thought, maybe she shouldn't smash through the glass. But she thinks a good shake should be enough to get the trinket through the hole.

After checking to see if the coast is clear, she puts her arms on the sides of the machine and gives it a shake. She can't get it to go through the prize chute, but after some jostling, the orange prize he was eyeing is now sitting at the top of the pile.

"Okay. Try it now."

Engle stands back to let him use the machine. If this isn't enough to win him the prize, then she might have to use some drastic measures.