The Menagerie

uh

Huh.

Conan watched as Biz worked, helping whenever they needed it. he's used to people looking away from him even knowing his troubles with hearing- so it doesn't bother him that much. He had moved to help them with the projector but then backed off with wide eyes when they managed to do it on their own, it's a little scary how strong the Rockerboy really is.. they'll easier be able to pick him up- he doesn't know what to do with that thought. while his own chrome made him stronger, he is likely not as strong as them because he didn't undergo full body conversion like they did. He decides to let them do it, since apparently they didn't need their help- following close behind as they walked.

He nodded at their question, a bit grateful that they asked instead of just doing it. Conan blinks at the sight of biz's avatar, after the hack was done loading. huh, he wasn't expecting that- well..he didn't know what he was expecting, but their words made him smile. He Listens as they speak, he has heard of the fire starters before- though hasn't run into them yet, since he hasn't really spent a lot of time in Pacifica. Jumping off a crane onto a moving Av? Fistfighting? A firebomb in a Napalm factory? He has done some Gonk shit himself but their team is on a whole 'nother level of it.

It was not easy to scare the witch and even then, her defense mechanism almost always would roll back to humor and sarcasm. And that man, or whatever exactly he was, didnt scare her at all so far besides the first time she laid eyes on him unexpectedly. His face of confusion was clear, hearing how many years he was isolated made things fall a little more into perspective, he was obviously lost in a strange new place but that was not what stuck in Minni's mind, t'was the sence 'When I had them hide me.' Who were them? Why hide him? A lot of questions came to mind for a few moments until his mouth were to open again.

—Asa.

She repeated for herself, a way to try and remember it easily, he seemed really fond of that hat of his, even though at that point it was barely holding its form.

— A priest? Like in church priest? Celibate priest? That kinda priest? God and all that?

Asked in disbelief, that was the thing that most got to Minerva, not the hunter part or the marking, but the idea of him being a priest priest.

—Wait, can a vampire be a priest?

He shrugged a little, shaking his head as he came to the next statement. "Ah, well you see I'm a bit of an edge case. Seein' as Priests specifically exist to hunt and exterminate vampires; they cant really become them, no." He grinned, showing off his fangs once more. "Didn't start out like this, you know. Used to be human; well as human as a Priest ever is. Became this after a hunting accident. Lost the faith, gained a strength I wasn't meant to have."

A month ago he was dicking around while on a series of some..very odd jobs. At the time he was confused as hell, now it's just hilarious to think about- soon as he was done, he ran straight to Kerry to tell him about the weirdest day he had. "Damn, that's recent." He hummed, odd to think about how they just got their new body while he was off doing his own thing.

At the sight of the rockerboy's reassuring smile, Conan relaxed and smiled back at them. He gets what they mean, he's an artist himself- usually he just makes vent art instead of talking about it, it's easier. But that isn't the only thing he does, he had design the cover art of his input's most recent album. Kerry asked him after he told him that he designed the art on the back of his jacket himself, after he had seen it. "I hear you, usually I just draw instead of saying.. It's easier that way." Conan told them, then nodded at their next words.

They tried to be conscious of looking at Conan when they talked, but there were a few moments they slipped; it was a habit to talk while they worked after all, so used to needing to be on coms while diving. Quickly though, the equipment was all put away; bizz easily hefting the large floor projector as though it was a hollow prop. They'd of course let Conan help if he wished, but it wasn't necessary. Waving a farewell to the owner - they worked out a payment system which avoided handoffs at shows - Bizz motioned for Conan to follow them out.

A decent ways down the street in the direction that brought them closer to the waterfront near downtown, their eyes would glow. "I'd rather talk on holo; if you're cool with me bein in your head for a little while. At least till I find the coordinates I'm meant to be meeting my ride at." When they were sure he was alright with it, Conan would see the warning that someone was trying to breach him; and eventually a screen with the netspace Bizz was seeing inside his head showing up where a holocall would. Bizz's avatar - a thin preteen looking child with messy red hair and big green datascreen goggles - waved at him and began to speak in his mind.

"There, that's better. Interesting place you got here." They grinned, sitting cross legged. "Right, so. Guess it works out best if I just go in order. Something like 4 months or so ago I got called in to be a part of a team sent to klep a set of files from the Firestarters in Pacifica." Conan would have heard about the gang, moving into territory that was lost by the voodoo boys and possibly having ties to Militech. "Job paid really well and I didn't have anything better to do; just pulled myself out of a really really long dive session and promised myself I'd try to be a person for a little while. So, I go. Even get a piece of tech from Netwatch to help find the shit were meant to be running off with." Pixel eyes rolled dramatically on the goggles as they sighed. "Job goes sideways, Fais jumps off a fucking crane into a moving AV and fistfights the occupants cause they were shooting at me and Gil - fun fact neither of us can shoot for shit apparently, but Fais can. he just didn't for whatever reason - and the other half of the team decided to make a fire bomb in a napalm factory; but we got the files and got paid."

They shrugged, shaking their head. "And we just kinda kept doing it. Goldshot would invite us to the Afterlife, buy us drinks, and give us wicked dangerous jobs that paid amazingly. Says he's getting us into war profiteering. Lost a few crew members over the months. Happens. I don't pay much attention, at this point I've started performing and I got friends now so whatever, right?" They shook their head. "Ended up on the run from Netwatch; found shit I wasn't supposed to behind the Blackwall on a side gig. Yeah, I never said I was smart. Either way, after hiding out in Alaska with Fais' family for a while; we come back and end up in a warehouse with Goldshot and his people. Except they aren't a fixer and his team. They're FIA. This was last month."

She joked in a low voice, just as a thought made into words for her own hearing, intrusive toughts if you will. The witch was a shape shifter of somesorts, not because she'd literally change her body from time to time, but because she would enjoy testing out new hair colors and styles of clothes, at the moment her obsession was green as could be seen in parts of her hair and makeup, accompanied by shorter and more open skin clothes thanks to the hot summer weather in the last month or so.

Listening to her explanation he cocked his head a bit, obviously confused. The location was the first mystery to solve; he was meant to be in an unstable cavern off of a gold mine in Arizona. That puzzle was quickly solved when he remembered how humans seem so fond of finding shit they obviously aren't meant to be looking for and then just putting it in their homes without any thought as to why the thing was hidden. The year though, no amount of doing the math would make that less shocking. "170 years...It was 1854 when I had them hide me."

The idea of witches was not a new one for him; but he'd never believed in them. He'd seen real monsters, what use did he have for God's fictional boogeymen? Again, though; she had compelled him to move his desiccated corpse into a chair. He decided it was best just to accept her words as truth for now. "Can call me Asa, 's the name that's stuck the best anyway. Wish I could say it was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Minnie. Shouldn't be meetin' anyone, but I guess God's not done punishin' me yet."