( open ) arrival

[tailorspy]

Who: Garak and YOU!
What: Arrival and exploring the city
When: First few days after his arrival
Where: Some random abandoned buildings and shops, the hotel
Warnings: None expected


I ▹ INFORMATION

[ One thing Garak has learned can be more valuable than virtually anything is information. The bright orb waiting for him upon arrival was useful, but incredibly lacking in many aspects, and Garak finds himself needing more to know what he's dealing with.

Yes, he realizes that a dying species likely had other things to worry about than just how much information they left readily available for others to come, but that doesn't mean some isn't laying around somewhere. He takes to exploring each and every building, pushing through the overgrown plants to step inside, climbing up stairs where he can manage, poking his head into different rooms as he passes them.

He'll approach any computer screen he finds, and he'll promptly open the nearest control panel to try and see what the circuitry looks like, and if there's any chance to get power running through it again. When that fails, he heads back outside and walks towards the outskirts of the city, trying to find whatever path the power might have once followed, hoping to find some sort of energy central.

The same goes for the plumbing system. At least plenty of people seem invested in getting power back up again, but Garak has a feeling they will all be in dire need of a decent bath sooner or later, and things will get rather unbearable if they don't get the plumbing working again.

If he finds anyone else exploring anywhere he happens to go, he'll smile at them, tilting his head all too politely. ] Greetings. May I ask what you're looking for? Perhaps it's the same as I, and we can help each other.

II ▹ CULTURE

[ Garak has found himself a place to sleep in at the rundown hotel. It's far from perfect, and he fully plans on finding something better eventually, but for the moment it has a door, a mostly intact window, and a whole ceiling. The bathroom has a tub that could be filled with water for a bath if need be, and having pushed the bed frame aside, Garak has gathered a few old blankets and sheets to serve as a small bed by a darker, warmer corner of the room.

He's not sleeping currently, however. Door open, he's sitting on those blankets, legs crossed, hunched over what looks like some kind of electronic device in his hands. He runs his fingers over the screen with a frown on his face, tapping and clicking like he's looking for something...

And then music just starts playing. Garak groans, eyes practically rolling back on his head. ] Oh, useless.

((ooc: Garak is new and can be found pretty much all over town, wherever you'd like to run into him I'm game! Feel free to write your own adventure, or friend/ping me @ extreminator if you'd like to plan something out!))

Comments

[tailorspy]

[ Garak turns slowly, not surprised by the new visitor. His hearing might not be as acute as a human's, but on the hotel he's gotten used to having people around practically at all times.

It's a little like being on the station, really, although there he had a proper door in his room. The Defiant felt quite a lot more crowded most times. ]

I didn't expect to hear it, either. Our hosts have... a strange sense of humor, I suspect.

[ He smiles and greets the man with a tilt of his head, lowering the volume so they can speak. ]

Not unless you've heard of Cardassians before. That's the name of my species, and I am Garak.

[complicatedliar]

An old-fashioned taste in alien music, at least. [ He wrinkles his nose. ] Humans already think so much of themselves.

[ That's a new one. But there are many universal backwaters he hasn't yet been to. ]

Not familiar, I'm afraid. [ He points his hand back at himself. ] Asgardian. Loki.

[tailorspy]

[ Garak's eyebrows raise minutely. ] How refreshing it is to hear that. I'm not sure if it will surprise you to hear there are far worse species out there.

[ Garak would make a list but then he might have to include his own species, and that's just rude. ]

Nor am I familiar with yours. A pleasure, Loki.

[complicatedliar]

[Ah, the grand constellation of galactic bastards...] Well yes, but one doesn't hang about those sorts, given the choice.

[Unless it's for a chance to do a bit of stabbing.

Anyway. He bows.] Likewise. Were you some sort of technician before your unfortunate abduction?

[tailorspy]

Quite true, unfortunately we don't always get that choice.

[ The station for one had a little of everything when it came to people. One learns to live with all sorts, and in true they all can be very useful in their own way. ]

Oh no, I'm only a tailor. Luckily I lived on a station that was in a rather decrepit state at one point, so I've learned to fix a few things. Nothing extraordinary, but it's not as though our options are abundant here.

[complicatedliar]

[An appropriately exasperated laugh.] How true that is. And I do it professionally, even. I was Asgards chief diplomat for several centuries.

[Never hurts to know someone who's good with his hands.] I think you'll find yourself with a lot of friends here. I don't think many of us can turn a seam worth a damn.

[tailorspy]

Then you must indeed be extraordinarily patient, indeed. I'm afraid diplomacy is not my forte.

[ Not that he'll get into where his strengths lie. If asked he'd probably speak highly of his incredible skills with cutting molds. ]

Well, should you ever find yourself in need of a tailor to mend your clothes, do feel free to seek me out. I'll have to find an adequate replacement for needle and thread first, however.

[complicatedliar]

The secret is that if you live long enough, what seems like a short time to you seems infinitely patient to those with shorter lifespans.

[Actually, the secret is stabbing the people who really annoy you.]

I appreciate the offer. This place promises to be rougher on my clothes than I might like. I've been looking for metal suitable for crafting into useful items. Managing a needle ought to be easier than most, for the small amount it would take. Though in a pinch, bone will also do, yes?

[tailorspy]

Why, of course. Merely a matter of perspective, is it not? My species often lives past a century, but not much more than that.

[ Garak can understand that sentiment all too well. Granted, he'd rather shoot them or disintegrate them. Stabbing would just get blood everywhere and he'd hate to ruin any of his outfits. ]

I thought the same, myself. The trick is to get it to be thin and sharp enough to not ruin the fabric. And of course, finding some new fabric to make more clothes, as we will all no doubt need it in time. That isn't abound here either, unfortunately.

[complicatedliar]

You're in good company with that sort of lifespan. [Humans and similar, really.] If it's any consolation, it gets quite tedious at times. You think you'll never run out of books to read, but it's possible.

And of course, thin enough requires a tool to shape it anyway, which we also lack. And cloth... I shall leave that to people with that sort of skill. If we have one. [He considers.] I understand the theory of weaving, but it sounds... boring.

[tailorspy]

I am not sure all humans would be inclined to agree with you, but then Cardassians as a whole have never been very good at making friends.

[ Not Garak, of course. Garak knows just how to captivate people. He also knows just how to annoy them, how to make them feel uncertain, and how to keep them at arm's length. It's a talent that's been honed since he was a very young child, really. ]

I'm afraid I've never woven fabric, and I've never had the need to learn. I suppose I can ask, though. One never knows the unique talents of all the individuals here.

[complicatedliar]

Oh dear. Do you come from a... cranky species? [Says the jotun.] You seem friendly enough. Or ought I be counting my fingers when I leave?

It's something to pursue sooner rather than later. Weaving by hand isn't the fastest thing, I gather, and none of us knowing at all what to do. I suppose leathers are another alternative, but those aren't particularly pleasant to make either.

[tailorspy]

I don't know if that's the word I'd use. Abrasive, perhaps, and very reserved. It really depends on which Cardassian you speak to. Some are absolutely impossible to put up with.

[ Gul Dukat comes to mind and Garak heaves out a sigh that comes so very close to a groan. Oh, how he detests that man. ]

But I have no need for your fingers, so you don't have to worry at the moment. Perhaps you can worry if and when I should lose any of mine.

[ A wide, teasing smile. Of course he'll have no need for Loki's fingers, even then. ]

No, and I've had no practice whatsoever. Weaving I should be able to manage, I believe. If I get more hands to help me, then all the quicker it will be to achieve.

[complicatedliar]

It takes all sorts to make a universe. Though my people are generally the opposite. Expansive, social, loud, getting drunk and punching things for the fun of it. [A beat.] That's why I normally get sent around. I can speak at a normal volume.

[Pfffff.] Oh, and mine are such clever fingers. [Loki, no.] Though I should think you're hardly at risk of losing any unless you go poking about where you oughtn't much.

I'll add materials suitable for constructing some sort of loom to my list of things I'm looking for.

[tailorspy]

[ Garak laughs, genuinely amused. ] An important trait to have for a diplomat.

[ Unless he's trying to reason with Klingons, in which case the ability to yell would probably come in handy. ]

Then I am sure my fingers will be safe, as I am hardly the sort to do that.

[ Hardly. ]

I'll try to help. Surely we'll be able to make a simpler version of a loom that will suffice.

[complicatedliar]

[Loki offers him an amused little bow.]

A wise way to aim for a safe life. [He grins.] If a boring one.

Then it shall be a project for the two of us.

[tailorspy]

Perhaps so, but at least I've retained all my fingers thus far.

[ He wiggles them at Loki with a broad smile. ]

Brilliant. I can only hope that you are a man of taste, so we will be able to create truly beautiful fabrics together.