revivalproject | Dangerously havin' the time of our lives

WHO: Kaz and you?
WHERE: Billy's hero city
WHAT: Catch all for May
WHEN: May
WARNINGS: Usual blanket warning that Kaz is a dick - more so now that he's annoyed

Penthouse suite

Alright, this was ridiculous. It started with Kaz 'waking up' when he had most certainly not gone to sleep to begin with. Then, instead of his cabin on the Bloodsport, he was in a sprawling canopied bed. At least he was still dressed in his usual suit and gloves and finding his cane had filled him with a relief he did not care to quantify. He only had it for a moment before a big bruiser of a man had stepped into the suite.

"Car's ready, boss."

Kaz didn't usually know what a car even was, but now he did. And he somehow knew it was a car meant to take him to a meeting with the other mafia Dons. If that wasn't strange enough on its own there was a definite urge not to think about it and just get in the car. Let this new life take hold. Kaz didn't like that urge and his initial impulse was to be contrary toward it.

"I changed my mind. I'll walk instead."

Brushing past the bruiser he left the penthouse. After he did and was in the elevator the urge lost its hold. In its place were memories of another city, and another life. Temba, it was called. And something like this had already happened but his memories hadn't been tampered with. At the entrance to the building, there was a park just across the street. Kaz limped over to it. He walked the path for a few moments and quickly noticed a somewhat familiar face. At least he had seen them around Temba. He ambled over, letting his cane click in his trademark staccato step to announce him thus not sneaking up on anyone.

"Excuse me, but don't I know you?"

Cliche' goes here

Despite remembering his time in Temba, Kaz still had to act the part of a mafia Don in order to have access to the resources that he wanted to use. So tonight he's down by the docks in order to oversee a shipment of guns being loaded. Handguns mostly but a few rifles, too. The shipment was divided up into pallets with two having already been put into the ship's hold and there were two more to go.

Kaz watched with apparently detached interest, only his cane and hands visible from beneath a coat laid over his shoulders and he was surrounded on every side by at least six armed bruisers. They made for a conspicuous group.

Hero to zero

Saving a cripple from what had turned into a fight between a robot cat and another robot, this one a lion, must be worth double points or something. But as soon as possible Kaz breaks out of his saviors hold, even if it's just a firm clasp of his upper arm.

"Don't touch me."

His calm voice still has the abraded burn of rocksalt but his tone is icy cold enough to freeze the blood.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Whoa! Sorry! Does that mean the bodyguard thing doesn't cover assault by animals, even of the um...metallic variety?"

Equally metal fingers relinquish their grip rather easily, hands being raised in a placating sort of gesture as the Exo gives the young man his space. "Unless you were really just making friends with them, in which case I'm sorry I interrupted, and would happily deposit you back over there if you'd like to resume."

It took a moment for what Cayde had actually said to sink in, but when it did Kaz frowned for a moment then pinched the bridge of his nose.

"No, it does."

He was having trouble remembering Temba and his memories were mixed up with things he was 'supposed' to remember. He could remember speaking with Cayde, and he could remember making a deal. He couldn't remember where or why. He couldn't recall a name to go with that metal face, either. He was still pinching the bridge of his nose with his eyes shut.

"Remind me again of your name?"

The Exo's expression sobered a little at that, the plates around his optics narrowing along with his glowing optics themselves as he studied Kaz.

"Name's Cayde. You helped break me out of jail back on Coruscant?" he prompted. "Stuck on Temba? This- I don't know where this is but it's all weird and wrong."

"...Right."

Kaz still had gaps in his memory but certain things he would simply have to remind himself on. He still had the frown when he looked back at Cayde anyway.

"I can't tell if people have simply been repurposed or new ones made out of whole cloth. And it wasn't like there was normalcy to begin with but It's gotten exponentially weirder."

"Seems like a bit of both. Someone else told me it might be magic. Which makes as much sense as anything at this point, really," Cayde said, but he'd relaxed slightly.

"Most of the others I've run into from Temba are all caught up in this place. Different lives, sometimes different names."

"Remembering another life happened to me at first, too. It's still there, even now. It makes me think this isn't the usual screwing with us since we kept our memories in Temba. If not that, though, then what?"

Cayde cringed a little. "Yeah, I had some lingering memories the moment I woke up, but they didn't really stick. Kinda like when you wake up from a dream?" He shook his head. "Anyway, I don't like it. But I think you're right. I just don't know where to start, other than to go sounding people out to see who all remembers."

Kaz grimaced at the thought of trying to individually see who remembered what.

"The best I can come up with on short notice is controlling some sort of incident that brings out a lot of them at once. See who looks familiar in the crowd and start finding where they've grouped together."

It wasn't much, and Kaz knew it, but human nature would mean it was very likely that people would seek out the familiar. Cayde recognizing a friend would make it easier to see the cracks in the persona this weird city was papering over.

"What kind of incident are we talking about, here?" Cayde mused, stroking his chin.

"That's not a bad idea but this place still has other people in it and that's a lot to filter through. Also, if said incident causes a panic then that just makes things messy."

"True. It would have to walk a fine line between big enough to attract attention but not so big to start a panic. There must be more people than just us two who remember Temba, too. Or at least know something is wrong with this world."

Kaz gripped the head of his cane again as he thought.

"We'll both have to do something separately. Each should try to get the attention of one of those groups or try to find others that remember Temba. Both if possible."

"So far there's at least three, but that's counting me and you." Not the best of odds but it was something. Kaz was right. There had to be others.

Cayde continued to stroke his chin thoughtfully as he tried to cook up some possibilities. He nodded. "Okay, let's do that. I doubt we'll be able to choose so we'll just have to figure we're aiming to draw in familiar faces and work from there. Should be pre-tty easy to find out who recognizes you. -unless you're supposed to be someone popular around here, in which case that might complicate things."

Kaz snorted at that.

"You'd be better with popularity, people that I know already don't like me much."

Not that it mattered to Kaz. He had little to no interest in making friends

"Plus even if they are popular, there aren't a lot of people made of metal. If you can, try to appeal more to their humanity. Remind them of meeting you in Temba since doing things that are superhuman is more common around here.

"Who, you? Thought you'd be the life of the party," Cayde grinned.

He gave a shrug and a nod to concede the other point made. "Although I've tried dropping names and things with someone and nothing seemed to click, and another one started looking at me like I was the crazy one. So yeah, use that route with caution."

Dangerously havin' the time of our lives

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