tails out : guns out

“Ooo, and they said you weren’t funny,” she teased though her visage hardly showed it. Phoebe stood, looking at Sidney a bit longer. “What other fun stuff you got in here?” The ghost enquired. 

“Welder, a few hydrolic drills and presses. A few car nick-knaks. Enough to keep my hands busy. Devil will find work for idle hands to do.” If only the reality of that statement wasn’t true. Sidney snickered to himself. “Is there something else I can help you with?”

“Always,” Sloane replied, nodding her head lightly with a smile and turned to the taps, “It’s been out for almost a weekend I’ve had customers asking about it since Halloween.” After their glasses were full, she placed them casually on the counter and got back to polishing.

He was practically licking his lips when Sloane admitting having the dark + thirst quenching elixir. Sid quickly inhaled his cigarette smoke. “’Tis is great beer.” He gave a big exhale and took another gulp. “So how are you been, love? What has this season brought to you?”

“Mr. Fors,” she replied politely through her teeth, still munching on a few pieces of trail mix when he had spoke. The hour was getting late as they all had sat there listening. She motioned her various goodbyes to those who were done practicing, some from the current show and some from others that were entranced by the fluttering of notes coming down the hall. “It’s as gorgeous as ever,” she commended, studying his face lightly as the merman grinned, “Yet you don’t seem satisfied.” 

Sidney grabbed his bottle of salt water. Being underground, he has forgotten how thirsty for the sea he as gotten. Sometime he has to ask his roommate/boss/friend to pop him above as he’s itched out of his scales. Christmas is his favorite time of the year, but this year, the first year without Fenyus, his only family. “Just feeling a bit restless, this season.” His fingered twitched for a cigarette. “The play, albite... is looking like a smash.”

shane stepped into the garage, blue eyes looking around him. he had tools of course he did, but sadly, the door they’re behind, so he needed another screwdriver to get to his own.”toys?” he asks, turning around to look at sidney, a raised eyebrow given to him.”what toys?” 

“Hydraulic press, welder, 3-D printer... just to name a few.” Sidney pulled out a a cigarette from his front pocket, pulled out his scuffed zippo from the same pocket and quickly lit the end. “I’m trying to weld together a baby grand piano.”

gold eyes darted up to sidney and the bag he placed down, from her perch on her stool where she paused her movements with metal in her hand of the arrowtip. she was curious that he’d place a bag down and tell her to help herself, when she knew well that around the black market and with the traders throughout lackluster, it was likely something was wanted in return. it could have been called a ‘habit’ for her to expect that, but then..habit it was. didn’t hurt to look and she peeked around inside the bag. “find any pennies?” she asks, copper a metal she liked working with, and with so many pennies always being brought into lackluster because they were so frequently abandoned to pavement up in the world, she was always searching for them. her hand closed around something and she pulled it out, asking “what’s this?” before she really even got the chance to examine it.

“Pennies are in a bag, in there some where.” Sidney folded his hands behind his head leaning into it. He looked over at Corey as she pulled out the item in question. “A five horse electric motor. Must have been for a lawnmower.” Sidney closed his eyes and looked forward again. “I thought you’d have some fun with it.”

@sidneyfcrs

she considered it a slow day, even with the bustle of people meandering through the indoor market of tables strewn with various tools, materials, and this time of year, gifts that many residents of lackluster flocked after for people in their lives. familiar scent reached corey while she was turning over arrowtips in her hand, studying the craftsmanship of the few she was looking to upgrade herself. her lime sucker in her cheek was rolled over her tongue and to the other side and she didn’t look up because she knew who was close by. “find anything kickass?” she asks sidney, grabbing a little flame torch from the ground beside her to let ir breathe fire on the metal she was heating and shaping.

“Just a few ‘nick-knacks’” The red-head confessed as he placed the drawstring bag slung over his shoulder onto the nearest surface. He was above for Osian only a few days this time. Albeit he was able to get a few things that he had a hunch would be a use of the Underground City he now called home. He was able to get a few piano strings for himself, a some car parts for the Auto Shop, more welding metal and a few whet stones he was going to trade with the Armory for a few items he could trade again in Pegasus. “Help yourself, love.” Sidney sank into an empty chair and kicked his feet up on the table where his bag was. He instinctively dug around in his pocket for a pack of smokes, but he remember that he was out. 

Phoebe didn’t get scared easily. In fact, being scared wasn’t usually part of her vocabulary as a ghost. However, Sidney made her…uncomfortable. She wasn’t sure what did it gaze? Lingering? Either way it wasn’t just that but…she was oddly entrapped by the ginger bloke. “Sure,” a brow lifted with a slight laugh. “And suppose I didn’t tell you?” The ghost asked leaning in, licking her lips, “I’m going to electrocute whatever atoms are in my being in hopes of giving me more power, like…a damn battery,” the ghost clenched her teeth. “Unless, you have a better idea.”

His eyebrow cocked as he listened. “Sounds like you have it covered.”Sidney jotted down a few more items for Phoebe on the clipboard. “I’d wear a tin hat,” he added. “It may help.”

“for my girl, yeah. she ain’t no bird man.” fucking english people and their weird fucking accents.”also for my door.” he adds, wanting to get off the topic of shiloh. he wasn’t one to talk about her, preferred keeping her safe from people, and honestly, shane pissed a lot of people off, that he didn’t want her to be a target or anything. not that she would be down here, but you never know, do you?” been busy lately?” he’d assumed he would be, what with the quake and all of that, people coming in here needing a few things.

Sidney stepped aside as him and Shane came to the miscellaneous parts shelves. “Er-- yeah.” He ran his hand through his hair and leaned on the the shop wall, his arms crossed over his chest. “A few repairs from have the ‘quake keeps my hands busy. I also like some of the toys they got here.”

iris’ hue narrows on the man in front of her. she wasn’t a ma’am. she was no way in fucking hell old enough to be called ma’am. some people might think it was polite to call someone that, but she thought it was even more polite to ask for their fucking name and using that, instead of anything other than that.”names iris.” she informs him, jaw clenching, before she was hearing about the stupid oil. she didn’t really give a shit. right now, she kind of just wanted to take the parts he had, and move on. fucking calling her ma’am. who did he think he was?”i’m looking for any parts really. so if you could kindly hand them over, that would be great.” she tells him, eyes looking outside the garage making sure her best friend wasn’t around. it was going to be a surprise for her. and maybe she could get nyx to help her build it up.

“Well, what will you need, Iris? I can have you look over the list here.” He has a smile spread across his face as he looked up at the brunette women. “But, I just got in a few new parts in. At least tell me the brand of bike you have, Iris.”

Lifting his gaze to look back at the other Roman only then noticed the name-tag on the jumper. “Most of it is cosmetic I believe, but also I’m pretty sure someone stole the spark plug out of it. I wasn’t able to start it up this morning at all.” Stepping away from the bike and over to the other, he held out his hand to shake. “The names Roman by the way, I take it yours is Sidney? Unless you’ve borrowed someone’s suit for the day.” 

“Yes, I am Sidney.” His voice was toneless in his reply, and eyes flickered back down to his notepad from Roman’s bike. “I got a few of these parts here in my shop. The rest will have to come from the Black Market.” Sidney flipped the notebook close and stuffed it back into the pocket. “What sector are you in?”

*italics denote swedish havman dialect

3 February 1915

Sidney + Fen stopped at the mouth of the Seine that feed into the English Channel. Above them steamed pass war ships and small fishing boats. The cousins were treading only 20 feet below the water’s surface; enough depth where they did not get caught up in fishing nets but the sun still broke on the surface and shone down on the iridescent fins on the havman.

“Fucking Ran’s tits.” Sidney swore, staring up at the boats above. His melodic voice made it sound prettier than the words itself.

“Are you sure you want to do this, brother?” Fen sung back, little bubbles popped on their way up to the surface. His eyes traveled to Sidney, whose face was wrought with disgust. Fen had noticed that since the attack in the North Sea, taking out an entire Selkie colony, Sid had been on a mission to take the Siren Malice’s mission a step farther than anyone else. As a general, he had the ability to do so. But Fen knew that where his cousin wanted go, they’re may be no way back.  

“Never been sure of anything in my life.” Sidney jolted ahead, leaving a small wake behind. Fen followed in silence. He made sure to keep his mind blank, so Sid would no hear him.

The cousins swam up the Seine inland towards Paris. Sid swam fast; Fen was always a fathom behind.

He waited for Fen to catch up before speaking in his mind. “There seems to be a clearing around this bend.” Fen nodded, still keeping his mind blank. They swam a few more fathoms before breaking surface. The first breath of air burned like swallowing white hot coals. But seconds after their gills settled into their neck, their human lungs welcomed the oxygen rich air.

Sidney + Fen quickly swamp to shore and lifted himself out of the water. As their legs pulled away from their fins, they were able to walk upright, naked. The Parisian countryside was still even being 15 miles from the war front. All except the dirt lane was blanked in a soft snow. A pang of home sickness washed over Sidney, but he swallowed it down. His task was set before him.

The naked mermen procured a pair of trousers and thick knitted sweaters. Merfolk were accustomed to colder climates. The winter wind would not affect them like mortals. As they made their way into town, they bartered for a coach to taxi them to the Demonic Estate.

The Merdude Moodboard {01/??} : as Spike

Tapping her finger absently on the clipboard, now would be a good time to pretend she couldn’t hold a pen. Well, she could, but it was more like summoning it to do its own work. She watched as the other slipped away. “Hey got any other cool shit back there?” She called out before appearing beside him with ease. “Oo, what does that do? Or that?” The ghost pointed to a few items. Her gaze turning to the male, “Can I get some jumper cables too? Working on a theory…”

“Most definitely.” Sidney scribbled that to the list of items she asked for. “I always will oblige curiosity. “May I ask, what it is for?” He leaned towards her over the tall counter top that was a staple in all auto shops. 

Brow furrowed just a bit as he picked a few rocks from the leather grip of his handle bars, Roman looked back to the other. “Yeah, I was hoping you could take a look at old Lucille here. She got knocked around pretty badly during that quake.” Stepping around the bike, trying to see if there was any other damage done to it that he could possibly get fixed. 

“Yes,I may be able to help you.” He pulled a crushed a dirty not pad from his front jumper pocket below where his name in a stained red and white patch read Sidney. “Is it just cosmetic damage? It may take a week for get it fixed. I will have to procure some parts if I do not have them in my shop.”

“i’m looking for a yamaha r6.” she says, before she’s raising an eyebrow at him.”you don’t clean the shop floor?” she asks him, shaking her head.”it doesn’t matter, just tell me if you have parts or something, and when the floor isn’t slick you can hand them over to me.” or better yet, he can go searching for them, come out with them and hand them to her. wasn’t hard in her opinion.

“We do ma’an. But oil takes a special cleaner that can only be done when the shop is closed. However, I believe we have some of those parts in.” The red head looked down behind the elevated counter top for the parts inventory.; Most of what he got was from trading and the Black Market (mainly for engine mods and some cosmetic parts). But he did some work on a Yamaha a few days ago. It was completely smashed by the earth quake, though a few of the transition parts was salvageable. “I got a few spark plugs and some other transmission parts that are for a Yamaha. What are you looking for exactly?”

shane moves cautiously into the shop floor. though he had no problems with sidney, shane wasn’t about to let his guard down.”thanks, appreciate this. kind of lost my own screwdriver need it for this birdcage, i’m makin’ my girl.” he says, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Ah.” Sidney said with a dreaminess in his voice. “A present, for your bird.”He laughed at his own pun. The merman learned his English swimming around the docks of British Kingdom and the from the sailors on the ships that he would “crash into jagged rocks.” You know merdude stuff.