redjacketthief | 12th Turn [Voice/Action]

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12th Turn [Voice/Action]

Hey, guys.

[His voice sounded weary but oddly content and calm. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he was starting to understand something.]

I was thinking about something, actually. A couple of somethings. It's getting to be winter and, by my count, there's going to be a few holidays coming up for many of us. I know not all of us celebrates them the same way...but, at the same time, many of us can't celebrate them as we used to. We don't have the same traditions around here, or the same people.

...What I thought I would do was try to arrange a fun get-together in a few weeks for people who just want to relax and have some fun. There won't be any rules or ties to tradition, but there will be people. Tis the season to be with people you like, right?

Right.

[At this point he pauses to throw on a filter, just to tease someone:]

Filtered from Fujiko: 98%

My other thought was to throw a surprise party for my girl. Mine Fujiko, for those who know her. It doesn't need to be anything big or fancy, but I want it to be special. She's been here for a long time.

I'm still trying to figure out how we're doing the food and finding our venue, but I'd love to hear any ideas that you guys have. Cake should be involved here. Seriously. Otherwise, I'm completely open to any idea.

Thanks ahead guys.

Action

[While the sun is still out, Lupin decided to head out into the town to check for some better winter gear in the various shops. He's not picky. Later on he can be found enjoying a hot drink at the bakery before he returns back to his apartment in Community House 1. He is keeping an eye out for both Grell and Gambit during this time.

He needed to rework plans with them.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

She is.

[He glanced up at Spock with eyes that still gleamed with the remembered mischief, adrenaline, and breathlessly daring challenges that he undertook as a means of defining his life. There was none of that available for him in Luceti--it was part of why he was willing to take that insane job in June, even though he knew the risks. It was why he leaped onto the mission in April, why he tried again in September, and why he wanted to do more missions in the future.

As much as he tried to adapt, he knew that he couldn't. He missed the thrill, the danger, and the catharsis that came with each success.

He missed living his dream.]

My partners and I are all like that, in our own ways. This place...

I'm surprised that Fujiko and I haven't gone mad yet.

Indeed...

But the mind is a powerful thing Sa-kai...

[All of a sudden the blackness is replaced with the bustling streets of Paris at night. ... Lupin is standing in the middle of a crosswalk intersection, and there are people everywhere.

Spock though, is nowhere to be seen... but his voice, with a hint of playfulness, echoes around him..]
Can you locate me?

Hide and seek, huh?

[His smile was slow and lazy, but his eyes were keen with a wild hunger. This was just a dream, he had to remind himself even as the Arc de Triomphe stood tall in the center of the Place Charles de Gaulle and glowed against the darkened sky. He could see the lights and hear the bustle down the Champs-Élysées. There was a sharp chill to the air, and the lingering sense that winter was almost upon them, but that never stopped activity on la plus belle avenue du monde.]

I'm game. You know I'm game.

[He pulled his scarf tighter around his neck and pocketed his gloved hands with a the nonchalant grace of a feline--or a thief. A glimmer of his restless energy bled through as he walked down the street at a languid pace with one of his favored Gitanes held in his lips. His sharp eyes looked past the cars and the streetlights as he tried to feel for the tangible, familiar presence that Spock had somehow become.]

(ooc: click here for ambient music.)

[Amusement once again fills Lupin's senses...]

Indeed... think of this as a training exercise... follow the link.]

[From where Spock stands, he observes the city with mild curiosity and fascination. Paris was truly aesthetically pleasing.
With concentration, Spock focuses on Lupin's progress once more. With a half-smile, Spock decides to take some enjoyment out of this... he sends out projections of himself throughout the city to distract his brother.]

[As Lupin rounds a corner, he should see the back of a familiar figure... blue uniform and black hair... walking quickly away from him.]

Training exercise...

[He did need that, badly, but he was glad enough to be at one of the few places that he could rightfully call home. Paris was his first city, and would always be one of the gems that he took pride in sharing. It was just a dream, he reminded himself once more, but the Gitane tasted so good...

Lupin caught sight of Spock in his moment of distraction, and he arched an eyebrow when he saw where the Vulcan was going.]

You're going there? Really? Just because the Rue and I share a name doesn't make it a good destination. At least stay along the strip!

[He was a very visually oriented man as it was; of course he would be distracted by what he saw. That distinctive blue shirt stood out among the long jackets and woolen hats of the populace. It was easy to track.

Without a thought, he briskly picked up his pace.]

[As Lupin draws near to the projection of Spock... it disappears.]

You must pay attention to the link sa-kai... If I concentrate, I am able to find you at any given time. I believe you can do the same.

Right. Concentration.

[He sighed when the projection went out, even though he knew why Spock had chosen this venue. Everything about it, from the lights to the sounds of people, was exactly the sort of thing that Lupin craved. More than his cigarettes and the chaos of his antics, he missed the sheer zen of being a part of the crowd.

Lupin reluctantly closed his eyes to block out the crush and his impulse to cut loose and have a night on the town. He knew that it would have been a shallow reflection of the truth--

This was all in his head.

That thought alone chilled him.

But he didn't want to give up the lights. The Champs-Elysees was beautiful at night.

Instead he took a deep breath and searched for a compromise. That golden thread from the desert...there had to be an analogue in his own 'mindscape.']

[Spock could feel the moment of sadness and doubt... but he knew that on some level, they both needed this.

Spock concentrated once more, knowing that Lupin was finally trying to single their connection out. It was a fascinating experience... to observe a psy-null being effectively learn to navigate the mind-scape, and Arsene was doing well.
He could feel a tug on their link..]

Do you feel that? That is effectively you sa-kai. Your mind is most dynamic to have generated this.

[A golden thread should be appearing around Lupin's waist... leading him off into the crowded streets.]

What can I say? I like to keep busy. This has been my only way for a long while.

[Even without the Penalty factored in, Luceti gave him nothing to work with. Though he had a few projects in the works, none of them were guaranteed to have any success. The only one that was possible...

Was the one he stood in at that very moment.

But Spock, he knew, had become far more than a 'project.' He had somehow become the counterbalance that Lupin desperately needed. These games provided an outlet. They served their purpose.

He did feel it--a presence on the other side. Once more he took the familiar golden thread in his hand and set off into the crowded street.]

[Amusement filled the air as Spock realized that Lupin was finally following the link to his location.

Just in case, he created a few more projections to distract him... but the golden thread will not lead to those.]

[Spock took this moment to reflect... he was giving into sentiment. Illogical. However, he did wish he could do more for his brother. Spock, no matter where he was, will always adapt to the inevitable and do what needs to be done in a logical manner... Not that he has been doing a very good job of this so far. Spock wonders what would have happened had he not touched Lupin's hand that day...
He may have never healed.]

[The aid worked both ways, although Lupin was still reluctant to admit that openly. He hadn't been beaten, like he said to Robin. No one in the village had truly been beaten yet--but he felt like he finally understood how this little bubble drove people to their breaking point, and felt like he had veered close there.

Without Spock around, Lupin had no idea about what kind of crazy mess he would have found for himself.

This was messy enough, though the effects were far less chaotic than anything on his own. It was why he continued on his journey down the rue, and why he was willing to see where this entire affair would go.

There were a few missteps on his trek--the 'projections' were indeed distracting, but he recovered after the illusions faded and continued onward.]

I've gotta ask. How far are you going to make me walk? All the way to Berlin?

[The air seems to vibrate with an affectionate chuckle...]

Negative sa-kai... I am not far now. You are improving. This level of concentration should enable you to find me in the physical world.

[Spock lets Lupin walk for awhile longer...]

Look up...

[Lupin lifted his gaze in the cold night and looked up at the towering lights.]

La Tour Eiffel...

[Lupin drew his coat around him--the cold air had stilled above the rush of cars and the clouded backdrop that the Tower glowed against made him wonder if it was to early for snow. He couldn't tell. The gitane continued to smolder between his fingers as he gathered his focus. His breath was mist and smoke.

Once more that thread came into view, and Lupin noted for the first time that it had kept a straight path down the street even when he wandered off into a restaurant or a shop. His own amusement echoed what he felt from Spock.]

You wanted to go sight seeing? I do appreciate the practice--it could help if you ever get stuck in the snow--but there are easier ways. I have a few programs in the Dome made up just for this purpose.

[Spock was reluctant to inform Lupin that the closer they got in their relationship, the more they would feel from one another. But he would worry about that at a later date.]

Indeed... it is a rather aesthetically pleasing city. The culture is rather vibrant.
Though it is rather cold here for my comfort.

[And almost as if on queue... snow started to gently fall from the sky.]

Northern latitudes with weather from both the continent and the Atlantic, though the Mediterranean Sea acts as a buffer along the coastlines. ...This is the complete opposite of a desert.

[But the snow brought a smile to his face as he trekked onward.]

You okay up there, or am I going to have to teach you about dressing for the winter?

[Spock shivers a little....]

Your...suggestion may have some merit.

We'll do that soon then. I have a feeling that the weather will bet bad.

[He couldn't say when, exactly, but his training with Kipinn and his own experiences with shifts in barometric pressure were enough of a clue that some kind of front was coming. His skills weren't honed enough that he could tell the type, but he could project that it would only bring more of the wintry cold.

Lupin slowed to a stop at the base of the Eiffel Tower and admired the view from below. No matter the angle, she was a sight to behold.

The thread directed him upward, through the staircase and into the steel framework. He huffed at this realization in amusement.]

If we were really in Paris, I'd make you take me out for drinks after this. What kind of training are you really after here?

[If Lupin is paying attention, he would feel a slight hesitation at that question....

There were of course several reasons why he was doing this. One reason being that Lupin was greatly distressed during his time without mobility... having him 'run-around' as it were would give him some liberation.
But that could have been accomplished outside of the mind...
Spock could not hide the fact that he wanted to make Lupin happy. This was an illogical feeling, but he could not deny it.]

I.. I had surmised that surrounding you in a familiar territory would instill a sense of elation and freedom. [Spock hoped that sounded legitimate.]

[He did, but he allowed it to slip by without commentary. Spock deserved his dignity, especially as he was still recovering from that Shift he faced. After losing every shred of his training and control, Spock deserved at least that much.

Lupin trekked up the long series of stairs, and took joy in just that simple act. Stairs were a part of the reason why he made the choices that he did in July, and a part of why he chose Community House 1 as his current living space. The simple sound of his feet rapping on the metal as he climbed upward and the basic sense of where he stood in relation to the ground, the passage, and the sky were exhilarating. That, combined with the city, made him feel alive again.]

You were right. The Dome doesn't even compare to this.

“Most people believe the mind to be a mirror, more or less accurately reflecting the world outside them, not realizing on the contrary that the mind is itself the principal element of creation.” A rather intriguing quote from one Rabindranath Tagore... The mind is indeed incredibly powerful.

[Spock knew on some level that Lupin was humouring him... and he appreciated it.
He watched the snow fall from the sky, realizing that he had never actually seen the substance in real life.]

[If the patterns were consistent with last year, Spock would have the opportunity to see snow very soon.]

That makes sense.

[The cold grew more prevalent in his awareness as he ascended the stairs and left the bustle of the rue underneath him. Every step drew him closer, he knew. The thread was only there as a guide.]

That man you mentioned. What kind of person was he?

A philosopher and a practitioner of Buddhism from India who died sometime in the 1940's. A rather fascinating individual who speaks on the creativity of the mind and the concept of transcendence.

[Spock could hear Lupin's footfalls on the steps now... and he shivers at the cold. Though he was enjoying the falling snow.]

The mind is indeed creative... especially your own Sa-kai....

I know.

[The tone was sly, cocky, and egoistic--he was back in his game, and he was going to play it. Stroking his ego would help no one.]

I wouldn't know anything about 'transcendence,' honestly. But anyone can transcend the barriers and expectations of their culture and world.

[He lived beyond the rules. A few more steps and Lupin reached the top.

The snow was mesmerizing against the city lights.]

[Spock kept his gaze out to the city, knowing that Lupin was approaching behind him.
He quirks an eyebrow at Arsene's response and decides to speak out loud..]

Indeed... though it is good to see you well Arsene.

[Lupin smirked when he approached and blew another cloud of smoke up into the sky.]

It's good to be back, Spock. God have I missed this. Pity that I'll never really be able to show you my Paris. You might like it.

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