'DC meets a fellow Parkor runner on one of the rooftop, a masked Square by the name of Oz...'
Setting: On the Rooftops of the Research District
Timeline: Late January X114
Followed by --
Tags: #research-district #crossfaction #steven #dc #art #blood #oz #mild-gore #ug #square #fm
TW: Blood and injury ???
Setting: On the Rooftops of the Research District
Timeline: Late January X114
Followed by --
Tags: #research-district #crossfaction #steven #dc #art #blood #oz #mild-gore #ug #square #fm
TW: Blood and injury ???
DC’s shoes hit the roof and she bounded immediately into a roll, punching upward to grab the lip of the offset eight story of the building. Her fingers wrapped successfully around it and pulled up as her soles connected with the wall, preventing her from getting a mouthful of slowly corroding steel as she hauled ass up to her new perch.
This trip to the RD was risky, having abandoned Dascha at home with a note to let the other Furies know when she’d be back. Vaguely, anyway. They’d know to look for her if she wasn’t home by morning, at least. If something went wrong, they could find her eventually, probably, somehow.
But it wasn’t just being an FM grunt in Dito territory that put her at risk. Parkour across these buildings was changeable and treacherous on the best of days, with wind-carried ocean spray causing damage to even their metal fittings, and plenty not having seen the restorative touch of Gianni or any more mundane caretakers in decades. Getting good footing was, occasionally, a gamble. Especially if you didn’t have the best depth perception. Luckily, her Vibe could compensate if she made a mistake.
And it was cold. She’d thrown on gloves with grips and nearly lost one to a metal pipe with sticky frost, and barely avoided a concussion from a slip on nearly invisible ice.
Groove, though, it felt nice to be out.
And it looked like she wasn’t the only one. From her perch, she saw another figure, covered head to toe in dark gray making their way across the skyline. Making good progress, too.
Well, it was always fun to run around with a new buddy. And, from here, she didn’t see any green or orange to complicate things. And if it turned out that was the case, well.
A little rooftop carnage could still be very fun.
“Hey!” She yelled, cupping hands over her mouth. It was hard to tell if the person turned to her, but she gave a big wave, then propelled herself right off the eighth story for the nearest building between them, running and rolling to catch up.
----
Sticking to an above-ground level usually worked out better for Oz than not, seeing that most Ditos liked their wheels and it took effort to get up on the higher levels and to stay up them, but it also meant Oz was usually less likely to be attempted jumped by a large group of criminals as there weren't many shadows to hide in all the way up here.
He didn’t mind the joy of trying to outpace a band of RBee’s hot on his tail, but sometimes he just wanted to make his way back to his District or to Bonnie’s without unwanted hands and Vibe grabbing and slicing at him till he got to a safe zone.
It was also very good practice to use the basic charge of Vibe and twist it into something unnoticeable, barely there while he was stuck as Oz. Climbing was something he’d gained during his time away on the other island, and he was more used to a natural jungle than the concrete one he found himself back again in, but there was something exhilarating about clearing gaps and trusting in your balance that fighting didn’t usually hit unless it became arial.
He was about to take a running leap over from one rooftop to the other when he heard someone call out to …him?
Oz peered around to find the location of the voice, landing on the woman bounding over to him- Oz paused for a moment, wondering what the woman could want from him before he raised a hand in a small way.
“Wuddup~”
---
Good, they hadn't spooked (and maybe fallen and died) or shifted into a defensive stance, but gave a little wave. DC might just have an impromptu running buddy for the evening.
Separating them was a wide street, the kind most people couldn't cross without looking for some kind of additional platform, a bridge or overpass or, in the case of the RD, a fallen building face. DC simply kept going, and where her spring into a dive might have gotten her part of the way, the snap of displaced air Traveled her the rest as she finished the move in a teleport.
It killed all her momentum but oriented her upright, so she went from free fall to man-standing-emoji right on the stranger's rooftop, into an easy stroll.
"You out free-running?" DC asked, as if she may have not given several heart attacks. "Nice mask."
While DC wasn't particularly advertising her status as Purple head-on, she did have a pretty memorable face. There were little hints here and there, also, in the stitching down her pants and outlines of her gloves. If she turned around, though, it was clear--even her athletic jacket had a big purple crown on it, like a target.
---
Oz’s gaze took in all the little parts of DC as she neared, though his goggled face gave no hint that his eyes were moving at all apart from the slight whirring of lenses like they were trying to focus.
“Thanks….Er, naw dude. Just making my way home. It's just-” He motioned down the gap between buildings to the ground several stories below with a dismissive wave.
“Safer up here sometimes, you know. No getting jumped in the dark by some gnarly guys.” He chirped brightly despite logging every part of this Stepper. He’d seen her in a few feeds before when he caught up with the highlights, eyes honing in on any flash of Faction colour that it could and stood a little straighter.
“Well, have a good one. Hahaha.” For the love of Doechii, why did he have to run into some FM fight freak when he just wanted to get home… Could she bother him when he was Steven? He’d much prefer that since he could actually fight back-
With a nod, he backed up a bit and took off sprinting, planting his foot on the edge of the building and getting some impressive air without his Vibe before he landed in a forward roll, followed through and continued running.
He didn’t want to look back, didn't want to give her a reason to think he was interested in her at all so he just concentrated on keeping his pace steady, hoping to put some distance between the two.
---
"Smart," DC said, leaning over to look down into the gap, then leaning back when her internal balance gave a nauseous warning. She'd been good, she'd taken her meds, but if she wasn't moving forward she could get dizzy like that.
"Hmm? Good one?" DC watched him go (nice ass, actually), head tilted unconsciously to adjust her field of view. He was just going to go?
Unfortunately for Oz, the best way to get DC to lose interest was not to start running. He'd have been better served awkwardly and boringly standing around, trying to make small talk, than turning his back on her and heading across the rooftops. That made him a far more interesting moving target.
DC didn't have anything better to do, so she let him get a good head start, watching the way his body moved, where he landed--
And then she took off after him.
---
Oz didn’t need to turn around to see DC was chasing him, his Vibe-sensitive ears could hear the slap of her running shoes echoing towards his direction. He knew turning his back on a beast was always a mistake, but he guessed goon-level FM were now on that list too.
He sighed under his breath as his eyes scanned up ahead, looking over the next couple of paths he could take and decided on the clearest for now, another jump across from one rooftop to another, though this gap was a little larger than the last.
If he had to, he would surreptitiously use his Vibe to clear a gap even this FM couldn't by normal means but he thought he’d give her one benefit of the doubt that she wasn't being a creep and following him before he’d start treating this like he would with any Bandito after his Square self.
The jump was clean, there was that ever presence of a rush as the daunting drop opened beneath him but then his feet made contact with the ground once more and he was still running, calculating what he should do next if the FM was still following him.
---
The chase was on!
It didn't seem like anything too strenuous or out of the ordinary, yet. There was no guarantee the Square had a Vibe that worked into parkour at all. Which would, probably, mean a pretty safe, routine route.
That's what they had so far, at least. DC entertained herself by adding in flourishes, kicking off of old aircons and stairwells, keeping the Vibe humming under her skin with a few somersaults.
Watching him take the clean jump was nice; it was (probably?) a bit farther than the last. DC's depth perception worked better at a distance, but she had the cavalier attitude of a person with two functioning eyes thanks to her ability to catch herself if she misjudged.
"Nice jump!" she called, right before diving into a block to increase her speed and momentum, then taking the edge of the roof to join him in a clean jump.
---
Oz let out a little hiss of air as he heard DC call out behind him… Maybe she was like an FM dog, just thinking he was some kind of ‘friend’ or ‘person to recruit’ and by following him, that would endear him. Or perhaps the FM woman was bored and chasing people who didn't want to be followed got her rocks off.
Either way, Oz just wanted to not have this basically stranger following him… He huffed a laugh. This is how Benson somewhat felt when they first met, except he was sure the Bonnie Boy was fearful rather than mildly irritated and bemused.
Mechanical lens whirl, looking for the next jump when he spied the building to his right. It was lower by 2 stories, and would probably hurt to land on for even an experienced runner a bit if you didn't find a way to slow down your fall, but Oz wasn’t helpless.
When he reached the small building that housed the stairs down into the building, he took a sharp right and used it as cover as he threaded a few mechanical steps into his run, just the tiniest bit of Vibe pooling in his feet before he launched himself off the rooftop, across the gap and landed on the roof below in a forward roll. His Vibe slurped up kinetic waves as he connected with the ground, followed through, back into a standing position rippled through his Vibe almost silently and he massaged his knees and rotated his shoulder like it had hurt.
The lack of response didn't deter her. If anything, his stoic refusal to reply spurred her on. She didn't want to be ignored, after all.
The stairwell did its job, hiding Oz's use of Vibe, but as DC rounded the corner, she balked at the drop he'd taken the risk on. It looked two stories down, and even with a good roll or crumpling properly to the side it was going to hurt. The fuck had he done?
Or maybe it wasn't as low a drop as she thought? Her depth perception was better at a distance, but it would never be perfect again.
Ah well. She had ways to compensate for failure. She kipped up to the top of the stairway, using the added height to give her a dive start to her run-and-leap across the divide.
Oh, yeah, that was down as far as she thought. The impact was going to fuck up her shoulder or hip if she didn't adjust.
The air gave a loud snap around her as she vanished from her dive and Travelled to the rooftop near Oz, all momentum killed but landing perfectly upright and safe.
"Shit, you're gonna get hurt if you keep doing that." She sounded less admonishing and more impressed, a laugh on her words as she shook it off.
----
Oz held back a swear, because Oz barely swore, as DC seemingly teleported to the side of him a few feet away, lenses wide and owlish as his brain began to ran as put the woman’s face to the Vibe. This was one of Volt’s, one of Avalon’s rivals - FM - dog owner- there was a jumble of other little facts and tidbits that rolled in the back of his head like loose change around the main fact that this FM was dangerous to UG he knew.
“I do my stretches every day, brah~” He rolled his feet till he was standing on his ankles before going back to his feet, shaking each one of them out.
“Er, is there a reason you’re following me?” He asked in his casual surfer drawl as he scratched his cheek and hunched his shoulders, trying to make himself look smaller.
“I don't think we’ve met… It's a little weird?” He posed it as a question, his voice trailing off at the end like he wasn't confident with his assertion, like he wasn't sure… Steven was sure this woman was a weirdo, but Oz wasn’t so sure.
---
"For fun," DC said, like that was a normal and acceptable reason to stalk a stranger across the rooftops. "Don't get to do this kind of running much.
"But. If it makes you feel better," she leaned in with a sharp grin, putting her hand out. "I'm DC."
---
There is a slight widening of lens shutters at DC's words before his eyes darted to the FM's hands.... This was a perfect moment to pull a leaf out of Benson's book (though this wasn't one of his pranks) and fist bumped the open palm gently to make the greeting as awkward as possible.
"Oz." He chirped brightly as he shot DC a peace sign. "Well..." he shuffled from foot to foot before jerking a thumb behind him. "You arent gonna follow me forever, right? I got to go home..."
---
She snort as the fist hit her palm, but let it go. Nobody taught Squares how to act; not really their fault. And she was feeling good, blood pumping from that missed jump. No hard feelings.
"Not forever. There's only so much island." DC could see the hint. She was just not taking it. In fact, she was starting to feel the urge to bite him just to keep him running. "No need to stop after every jump."
---
Oz mouth pressed into a grim line behind his mask at DC declaration that she was going to follow him whether he wanted her to or not, not giving any clear sign if she would stop…
The Steven in him wanted to rise to the challenge. But Oz… would try not to first at least. Show the belly so to speak. She’d hadn’t tried to touch him or hurt him yet so maybe he could ‘cower’ his way out of … whatever this was.
“Well, I'm flattered but I might just rest here for…forever…”
---
"If you need a break, that's fine." DC fidgeted, foot tapping, trying to give grace and lip service to the situation, aware that Hide would not like her antagonizing a random Square for no reason after all the outreach Purple was doing in the district.
And yet.
She didn't mean any harm! She just wanted to have some competition and sport with it all. And this guy was being a wet blanket.
"I'm not trying to hurt you or trip you up or anything, goggles. Clearly. Can't we just have some fun?"
---
The faux-Square weighed up his options. He felt like pushing the FM some more, really show how easily Oz could give up when someone isn't being aggressive or weird towards him.
“Dudette… DC, it's more like I'm a lover, not a fighter. The only competition I really dig is when Mother Nature throws down the gauntlet and conjures up a gnarly set.” He said as he motioned, standing on a board, surfing to help drive home the point.
---
Surfing was interesting, considering what lurked in the waters around Step City, but it wasn't interesting right now.
"I don't care if we compete. I just want to run with someone. And you are here." Hide used to be who she'd run with, dancing and teleporting across rooftops. But he couldn't have that kind of fun anymore, and she didn't have other friends who did actual parkour outside of the gym. And now! Here was a guy! Who was doing it! But he was now refusing to! Maddening!
"So. Run?" DC leaned in, peering into those goggles.
---
There was a slight click as Oz’s lenses blinked slowly before he could stop the grin behind his mask, causing the lenses to curve up into crescent moons before widening completely.
“Woah.” Oz dragged the O out like his mind was just blown. “You're like, seriously bored, aint cha?” Lonely was going to be his first choice to call the FM, but he knew that might cut a little deep and he didn’t know all her buttons yet.
“Little buddy, if you wanted company, you could have just asked instead of stalking me like a Dito in the night. Sheesh.” Oz mock wiped his brow, his lenses curved like a cat basking in the perfect beam as DC leaned in before dipping his head towards hers to get in her space- CLONK
Both of the rims of their baseball caps connected, causing Oz to step back and rub his forehead where his cap and head met.
“Ah-! Sorry, you alright, pal?”
----
The way the goggles moved was kinda cute. Almost reminded her of that stupid bot--
DC took a step back as their hats tapped, blinking (winking?) at him and the sudden move to get that close.
"I'm good." She didn't address the boredom allegations as she readjusted the hat so it sat back where it was supposed to on her head. The cap itself was plain, not one of her favorites, because they had a habit of falling off when she was running around the rooftops. She didn't want to have to go back for it if she lost it.
"Do you question the motives of every surfer who pulls up to catch a wave next to you? We're both doing the same thing," DC huffed. "It's not stalking if I let you know I'm there, come on."
----
The FM named DC was lonely otherwise why would she be trying so hard to make him go again? That was so… sad.
Steven 'liked' pathetic FM, it is why he liked/hated Frankie with a passion, so fun to play with and now one had just wandered up to him when he couldn’t do anything about it. Ugh. Being a Square sucked.
He slid up his sleeve to a fully covered wrist to check his watch… He had some spare time to burn and it could be fun to see if he could outpace this Stepper with her teleporty Vibe.
“Ok, maam. You’ve like totally worn me down.” He held up his hands in surrender as he backed away from the FM till he hit the edge of the rooftop, thighs hitting the concrete barrier causing him to pause. He leaned precariously backwards over the edge, hands anchoring him in place as he held the lip of the barrier and spied a drainpipe.
Perfect.
“Let’s see if you can keep up.” He said as he hopped up onto the ledge and took a few steps before he gave DC a little salute and stepped off backwards off the roof seemingly to his demise.
Oz however had lined up with the drainpipe beforehand and with his covered robotic hand, gripped the thick metal pipe hard, the mags connecting the prosthetic to the stump stretching to its limit as his feet scraped down either side of the wall to slow down his descent. When he finally slowed down enough, he was able to springboard off the wall with a little help from his Vibe and towards a fire escape which he climbed up a little to the 4-story building. He had to rotate his arm and shoulder a bit as he continued to jog, the sudden death-defying stunt jarring him a little but as he looked up at the ledge he’d just jumped through, he was so happy he had his Vibe back, even if it was in these tiny, non-visible bursts.
----
Thank Groove. She'd have given up before things had gotten too pathetic on her end, unaware it was already too late. Oz was moving, and that was all that mattered.
Let's see if you can keep up. Now that was the attitude she was looking for. Her grin went wide and sharp, and she darted forward to watch him fall off the side of the building.
Impressive! DC's eye lit up at the move, and she dropped right after him to, if not imitate it directly, keep to the spirit of the chase. She didn't bother to slow herself down, only using the pipe to help redirect her movement out towards that same fire escape. She gripped the edge of one of the landings as her legs naturally swung up underneath it, then kicked off to begin a spider climb up the side and join Oz running across the roof, deliberately choosing to bound over decrepit AC units in flashy spins to keep her Vibe going.
"Come on!" she called out. "Let's see a little more flair!"
---
Oz didn’t bother looking behind this time, the tut from his mouth lost in the pounding of sneakers on worn roofs as the FM called out to him, goading him on. He knew giving her what she wanted meant she wouldn't stop following him till one of them died…
Ok, that was a little dramatic but he was pretty sure he would have to tire her out or pretend to get injured so she’d leave him be.
“Yeah, yeah.” He muttered, going for a causal slide over a pyramid-shaped sky-light with as little flair as possible as he was in the market for producing as little Vibe as possible before scaling an old ac unit to hop from it to a chimney stack to an old vent, denting it slightly but catching where he’d like to jump from next from the higher point before landing in a tumble and was back on his feet again.
Gloved hands planted firmly on the lip of the roof as his body followed through, launching himself over the much smaller clearing. He wondered if he could lead DC through some of the rougher areas of the RD, perhaps lose her between some unruly Ditos… He tucked that idea under his baseball cap for now.
---
DC technically couldn't complain. While Oz wasn't flashy, he was coordinated and consistent, picking interesting routes and surmounting them capably. He looked to have a lot of practice with it, and the RD wasn't particularly perfect when it came to free running. Many places were still damaged, or simply had no one to manage upkeep, so surfaces could crumble or jagged edges could catch you unaware.
Still, it was like all the guy could do was run and jump, he wasn't mixing in any of the fun little flip twists or show-off vaults. She wasn't expecting a trapdoor or reverse palm spring necessarily, but was a wallspin too much to ask?
DC didn't have any such reservations, and had to put in extra effort, regardless, so when she inevitably fucked up some distance she could recover. Flip precision got her that sweet Vibe, but they also needed, well, precision.
She deviated from his path, taking a parkour roll over the skylight that creaked but did not crack, using the AC unit's proximity to the chimney to do an aptly named chimney climb until she ran out of AC to wedge against. Pushing off the side of the chimney, she kicked off the edge of the unit and grabbed the lip above, pulling herself up with just her arms and deviating away from the dented vent. There were a few chimney stacks to stride across, and then she let herself drop in a cork screw to a parkour roll where Oz had been moments prior.
She kept up, but wouldn't dare pass him yet--he might take the initiative to ditch her. Instead, she kept him directly on her sighted side as much as possible while still managing a handspring or wall spin where it could come up.
---
Steven’s Oz’s baseline Vibe compared to the average Stepper was always there, with every movement and slight twist. He could attune himself to omit a higher frequency of light and sound from his body consciously, hence him being able to change the colour and pitch of his Vibe, but revealing he had Vibe to an FM felt like a poor choice on his behalf. If they knew he had Vibe, the likelihood of starting a fight with him or worse, wanting to recruit him would increase exponentially.
‘No thanks’” He thought to himself as he took another easy, low-risk jump from one rooftop to another before an idea struck… What if he stayed on the same few rooftops and just went round and round for a while? Would that get DC off his trail or lose interest?
He slowed down to a jog as he neared another edge, peering over before running along the edge to look at another rooftop, then followed the length of that and then once again till he had circled the whole building. He’d found one route that would be easy enough to loop back to this rooftop, but one of the buildings looked a little more bruk up than the other ones, due to disrepair…
Did he wanna chance it?… What if the roof gave in after repeatedly landing on it?
---
DC watched Oz turn around and around like a lost dog from a roof above, the easy drop having given her pause. What was he doing?
"Hey, you worn out?" She put her hands on the edge and swung her legs up as if she might vault down to join him, then simply plopped her ass down. She leaned her arms across her thighs, squinting down at his pacing.
"You need to take five, go for it, Goggles." She saw the building across from him that it looked like he might be contemplating, but from this distance she couldn't tell what exactly was giving him pause. "Is something off?"
This trip to the RD was risky, having abandoned Dascha at home with a note to let the other Furies know when she’d be back. Vaguely, anyway. They’d know to look for her if she wasn’t home by morning, at least. If something went wrong, they could find her eventually, probably, somehow.
But it wasn’t just being an FM grunt in Dito territory that put her at risk. Parkour across these buildings was changeable and treacherous on the best of days, with wind-carried ocean spray causing damage to even their metal fittings, and plenty not having seen the restorative touch of Gianni or any more mundane caretakers in decades. Getting good footing was, occasionally, a gamble. Especially if you didn’t have the best depth perception. Luckily, her Vibe could compensate if she made a mistake.
And it was cold. She’d thrown on gloves with grips and nearly lost one to a metal pipe with sticky frost, and barely avoided a concussion from a slip on nearly invisible ice.
Groove, though, it felt nice to be out.
And it looked like she wasn’t the only one. From her perch, she saw another figure, covered head to toe in dark gray making their way across the skyline. Making good progress, too.
Well, it was always fun to run around with a new buddy. And, from here, she didn’t see any green or orange to complicate things. And if it turned out that was the case, well.
A little rooftop carnage could still be very fun.
“Hey!” She yelled, cupping hands over her mouth. It was hard to tell if the person turned to her, but she gave a big wave, then propelled herself right off the eighth story for the nearest building between them, running and rolling to catch up.
----
Sticking to an above-ground level usually worked out better for Oz than not, seeing that most Ditos liked their wheels and it took effort to get up on the higher levels and to stay up them, but it also meant Oz was usually less likely to be attempted jumped by a large group of criminals as there weren't many shadows to hide in all the way up here.
He didn’t mind the joy of trying to outpace a band of RBee’s hot on his tail, but sometimes he just wanted to make his way back to his District or to Bonnie’s without unwanted hands and Vibe grabbing and slicing at him till he got to a safe zone.
It was also very good practice to use the basic charge of Vibe and twist it into something unnoticeable, barely there while he was stuck as Oz. Climbing was something he’d gained during his time away on the other island, and he was more used to a natural jungle than the concrete one he found himself back again in, but there was something exhilarating about clearing gaps and trusting in your balance that fighting didn’t usually hit unless it became arial.
He was about to take a running leap over from one rooftop to the other when he heard someone call out to …him?
Oz peered around to find the location of the voice, landing on the woman bounding over to him- Oz paused for a moment, wondering what the woman could want from him before he raised a hand in a small way.
“Wuddup~”
---
Good, they hadn't spooked (and maybe fallen and died) or shifted into a defensive stance, but gave a little wave. DC might just have an impromptu running buddy for the evening.
Separating them was a wide street, the kind most people couldn't cross without looking for some kind of additional platform, a bridge or overpass or, in the case of the RD, a fallen building face. DC simply kept going, and where her spring into a dive might have gotten her part of the way, the snap of displaced air Traveled her the rest as she finished the move in a teleport.
It killed all her momentum but oriented her upright, so she went from free fall to man-standing-emoji right on the stranger's rooftop, into an easy stroll.
"You out free-running?" DC asked, as if she may have not given several heart attacks. "Nice mask."
While DC wasn't particularly advertising her status as Purple head-on, she did have a pretty memorable face. There were little hints here and there, also, in the stitching down her pants and outlines of her gloves. If she turned around, though, it was clear--even her athletic jacket had a big purple crown on it, like a target.
---
Oz’s gaze took in all the little parts of DC as she neared, though his goggled face gave no hint that his eyes were moving at all apart from the slight whirring of lenses like they were trying to focus.
“Thanks….Er, naw dude. Just making my way home. It's just-” He motioned down the gap between buildings to the ground several stories below with a dismissive wave.
“Safer up here sometimes, you know. No getting jumped in the dark by some gnarly guys.” He chirped brightly despite logging every part of this Stepper. He’d seen her in a few feeds before when he caught up with the highlights, eyes honing in on any flash of Faction colour that it could and stood a little straighter.
“Well, have a good one. Hahaha.” For the love of Doechii, why did he have to run into some FM fight freak when he just wanted to get home… Could she bother him when he was Steven? He’d much prefer that since he could actually fight back-
With a nod, he backed up a bit and took off sprinting, planting his foot on the edge of the building and getting some impressive air without his Vibe before he landed in a forward roll, followed through and continued running.
He didn’t want to look back, didn't want to give her a reason to think he was interested in her at all so he just concentrated on keeping his pace steady, hoping to put some distance between the two.
---
"Smart," DC said, leaning over to look down into the gap, then leaning back when her internal balance gave a nauseous warning. She'd been good, she'd taken her meds, but if she wasn't moving forward she could get dizzy like that.
"Hmm? Good one?" DC watched him go (nice ass, actually), head tilted unconsciously to adjust her field of view. He was just going to go?
Unfortunately for Oz, the best way to get DC to lose interest was not to start running. He'd have been better served awkwardly and boringly standing around, trying to make small talk, than turning his back on her and heading across the rooftops. That made him a far more interesting moving target.
DC didn't have anything better to do, so she let him get a good head start, watching the way his body moved, where he landed--
And then she took off after him.
---
Oz didn’t need to turn around to see DC was chasing him, his Vibe-sensitive ears could hear the slap of her running shoes echoing towards his direction. He knew turning his back on a beast was always a mistake, but he guessed goon-level FM were now on that list too.
He sighed under his breath as his eyes scanned up ahead, looking over the next couple of paths he could take and decided on the clearest for now, another jump across from one rooftop to another, though this gap was a little larger than the last.
If he had to, he would surreptitiously use his Vibe to clear a gap even this FM couldn't by normal means but he thought he’d give her one benefit of the doubt that she wasn't being a creep and following him before he’d start treating this like he would with any Bandito after his Square self.
The jump was clean, there was that ever presence of a rush as the daunting drop opened beneath him but then his feet made contact with the ground once more and he was still running, calculating what he should do next if the FM was still following him.
---
The chase was on!
It didn't seem like anything too strenuous or out of the ordinary, yet. There was no guarantee the Square had a Vibe that worked into parkour at all. Which would, probably, mean a pretty safe, routine route.
That's what they had so far, at least. DC entertained herself by adding in flourishes, kicking off of old aircons and stairwells, keeping the Vibe humming under her skin with a few somersaults.
Watching him take the clean jump was nice; it was (probably?) a bit farther than the last. DC's depth perception worked better at a distance, but she had the cavalier attitude of a person with two functioning eyes thanks to her ability to catch herself if she misjudged.
"Nice jump!" she called, right before diving into a block to increase her speed and momentum, then taking the edge of the roof to join him in a clean jump.
---
Oz let out a little hiss of air as he heard DC call out behind him… Maybe she was like an FM dog, just thinking he was some kind of ‘friend’ or ‘person to recruit’ and by following him, that would endear him. Or perhaps the FM woman was bored and chasing people who didn't want to be followed got her rocks off.
Either way, Oz just wanted to not have this basically stranger following him… He huffed a laugh. This is how Benson somewhat felt when they first met, except he was sure the Bonnie Boy was fearful rather than mildly irritated and bemused.
Mechanical lens whirl, looking for the next jump when he spied the building to his right. It was lower by 2 stories, and would probably hurt to land on for even an experienced runner a bit if you didn't find a way to slow down your fall, but Oz wasn’t helpless.
When he reached the small building that housed the stairs down into the building, he took a sharp right and used it as cover as he threaded a few mechanical steps into his run, just the tiniest bit of Vibe pooling in his feet before he launched himself off the rooftop, across the gap and landed on the roof below in a forward roll. His Vibe slurped up kinetic waves as he connected with the ground, followed through, back into a standing position rippled through his Vibe almost silently and he massaged his knees and rotated his shoulder like it had hurt.
The lack of response didn't deter her. If anything, his stoic refusal to reply spurred her on. She didn't want to be ignored, after all.
The stairwell did its job, hiding Oz's use of Vibe, but as DC rounded the corner, she balked at the drop he'd taken the risk on. It looked two stories down, and even with a good roll or crumpling properly to the side it was going to hurt. The fuck had he done?
Or maybe it wasn't as low a drop as she thought? Her depth perception was better at a distance, but it would never be perfect again.
Ah well. She had ways to compensate for failure. She kipped up to the top of the stairway, using the added height to give her a dive start to her run-and-leap across the divide.
Oh, yeah, that was down as far as she thought. The impact was going to fuck up her shoulder or hip if she didn't adjust.
The air gave a loud snap around her as she vanished from her dive and Travelled to the rooftop near Oz, all momentum killed but landing perfectly upright and safe.
"Shit, you're gonna get hurt if you keep doing that." She sounded less admonishing and more impressed, a laugh on her words as she shook it off.
----
Oz held back a swear, because Oz barely swore, as DC seemingly teleported to the side of him a few feet away, lenses wide and owlish as his brain began to ran as put the woman’s face to the Vibe. This was one of Volt’s, one of Avalon’s rivals - FM - dog owner- there was a jumble of other little facts and tidbits that rolled in the back of his head like loose change around the main fact that this FM was dangerous to UG he knew.
“I do my stretches every day, brah~” He rolled his feet till he was standing on his ankles before going back to his feet, shaking each one of them out.
“Er, is there a reason you’re following me?” He asked in his casual surfer drawl as he scratched his cheek and hunched his shoulders, trying to make himself look smaller.
“I don't think we’ve met… It's a little weird?” He posed it as a question, his voice trailing off at the end like he wasn't confident with his assertion, like he wasn't sure… Steven was sure this woman was a weirdo, but Oz wasn’t so sure.
---
"For fun," DC said, like that was a normal and acceptable reason to stalk a stranger across the rooftops. "Don't get to do this kind of running much.
"But. If it makes you feel better," she leaned in with a sharp grin, putting her hand out. "I'm DC."
---
There is a slight widening of lens shutters at DC's words before his eyes darted to the FM's hands.... This was a perfect moment to pull a leaf out of Benson's book (though this wasn't one of his pranks) and fist bumped the open palm gently to make the greeting as awkward as possible.
"Oz." He chirped brightly as he shot DC a peace sign. "Well..." he shuffled from foot to foot before jerking a thumb behind him. "You arent gonna follow me forever, right? I got to go home..."
---
She snort as the fist hit her palm, but let it go. Nobody taught Squares how to act; not really their fault. And she was feeling good, blood pumping from that missed jump. No hard feelings.
"Not forever. There's only so much island." DC could see the hint. She was just not taking it. In fact, she was starting to feel the urge to bite him just to keep him running. "No need to stop after every jump."
---
Oz mouth pressed into a grim line behind his mask at DC declaration that she was going to follow him whether he wanted her to or not, not giving any clear sign if she would stop…
The Steven in him wanted to rise to the challenge. But Oz… would try not to first at least. Show the belly so to speak. She’d hadn’t tried to touch him or hurt him yet so maybe he could ‘cower’ his way out of … whatever this was.
“Well, I'm flattered but I might just rest here for…forever…”
---
"If you need a break, that's fine." DC fidgeted, foot tapping, trying to give grace and lip service to the situation, aware that Hide would not like her antagonizing a random Square for no reason after all the outreach Purple was doing in the district.
And yet.
She didn't mean any harm! She just wanted to have some competition and sport with it all. And this guy was being a wet blanket.
"I'm not trying to hurt you or trip you up or anything, goggles. Clearly. Can't we just have some fun?"
---
The faux-Square weighed up his options. He felt like pushing the FM some more, really show how easily Oz could give up when someone isn't being aggressive or weird towards him.
“Dudette… DC, it's more like I'm a lover, not a fighter. The only competition I really dig is when Mother Nature throws down the gauntlet and conjures up a gnarly set.” He said as he motioned, standing on a board, surfing to help drive home the point.
---
Surfing was interesting, considering what lurked in the waters around Step City, but it wasn't interesting right now.
"I don't care if we compete. I just want to run with someone. And you are here." Hide used to be who she'd run with, dancing and teleporting across rooftops. But he couldn't have that kind of fun anymore, and she didn't have other friends who did actual parkour outside of the gym. And now! Here was a guy! Who was doing it! But he was now refusing to! Maddening!
"So. Run?" DC leaned in, peering into those goggles.
---
There was a slight click as Oz’s lenses blinked slowly before he could stop the grin behind his mask, causing the lenses to curve up into crescent moons before widening completely.
“Woah.” Oz dragged the O out like his mind was just blown. “You're like, seriously bored, aint cha?” Lonely was going to be his first choice to call the FM, but he knew that might cut a little deep and he didn’t know all her buttons yet.
“Little buddy, if you wanted company, you could have just asked instead of stalking me like a Dito in the night. Sheesh.” Oz mock wiped his brow, his lenses curved like a cat basking in the perfect beam as DC leaned in before dipping his head towards hers to get in her space- CLONK
Both of the rims of their baseball caps connected, causing Oz to step back and rub his forehead where his cap and head met.
“Ah-! Sorry, you alright, pal?”
----
The way the goggles moved was kinda cute. Almost reminded her of that stupid bot--
DC took a step back as their hats tapped, blinking (winking?) at him and the sudden move to get that close.
"I'm good." She didn't address the boredom allegations as she readjusted the hat so it sat back where it was supposed to on her head. The cap itself was plain, not one of her favorites, because they had a habit of falling off when she was running around the rooftops. She didn't want to have to go back for it if she lost it.
"Do you question the motives of every surfer who pulls up to catch a wave next to you? We're both doing the same thing," DC huffed. "It's not stalking if I let you know I'm there, come on."
----
The FM named DC was lonely otherwise why would she be trying so hard to make him go again? That was so… sad.
Steven 'liked' pathetic FM, it is why he liked/hated Frankie with a passion, so fun to play with and now one had just wandered up to him when he couldn’t do anything about it. Ugh. Being a Square sucked.
He slid up his sleeve to a fully covered wrist to check his watch… He had some spare time to burn and it could be fun to see if he could outpace this Stepper with her teleporty Vibe.
“Ok, maam. You’ve like totally worn me down.” He held up his hands in surrender as he backed away from the FM till he hit the edge of the rooftop, thighs hitting the concrete barrier causing him to pause. He leaned precariously backwards over the edge, hands anchoring him in place as he held the lip of the barrier and spied a drainpipe.
Perfect.
“Let’s see if you can keep up.” He said as he hopped up onto the ledge and took a few steps before he gave DC a little salute and stepped off backwards off the roof seemingly to his demise.
Oz however had lined up with the drainpipe beforehand and with his covered robotic hand, gripped the thick metal pipe hard, the mags connecting the prosthetic to the stump stretching to its limit as his feet scraped down either side of the wall to slow down his descent. When he finally slowed down enough, he was able to springboard off the wall with a little help from his Vibe and towards a fire escape which he climbed up a little to the 4-story building. He had to rotate his arm and shoulder a bit as he continued to jog, the sudden death-defying stunt jarring him a little but as he looked up at the ledge he’d just jumped through, he was so happy he had his Vibe back, even if it was in these tiny, non-visible bursts.
----
Thank Groove. She'd have given up before things had gotten too pathetic on her end, unaware it was already too late. Oz was moving, and that was all that mattered.
Let's see if you can keep up. Now that was the attitude she was looking for. Her grin went wide and sharp, and she darted forward to watch him fall off the side of the building.
Impressive! DC's eye lit up at the move, and she dropped right after him to, if not imitate it directly, keep to the spirit of the chase. She didn't bother to slow herself down, only using the pipe to help redirect her movement out towards that same fire escape. She gripped the edge of one of the landings as her legs naturally swung up underneath it, then kicked off to begin a spider climb up the side and join Oz running across the roof, deliberately choosing to bound over decrepit AC units in flashy spins to keep her Vibe going.
"Come on!" she called out. "Let's see a little more flair!"
---
Oz didn’t bother looking behind this time, the tut from his mouth lost in the pounding of sneakers on worn roofs as the FM called out to him, goading him on. He knew giving her what she wanted meant she wouldn't stop following him till one of them died…
Ok, that was a little dramatic but he was pretty sure he would have to tire her out or pretend to get injured so she’d leave him be.
“Yeah, yeah.” He muttered, going for a causal slide over a pyramid-shaped sky-light with as little flair as possible as he was in the market for producing as little Vibe as possible before scaling an old ac unit to hop from it to a chimney stack to an old vent, denting it slightly but catching where he’d like to jump from next from the higher point before landing in a tumble and was back on his feet again.
Gloved hands planted firmly on the lip of the roof as his body followed through, launching himself over the much smaller clearing. He wondered if he could lead DC through some of the rougher areas of the RD, perhaps lose her between some unruly Ditos… He tucked that idea under his baseball cap for now.
---
DC technically couldn't complain. While Oz wasn't flashy, he was coordinated and consistent, picking interesting routes and surmounting them capably. He looked to have a lot of practice with it, and the RD wasn't particularly perfect when it came to free running. Many places were still damaged, or simply had no one to manage upkeep, so surfaces could crumble or jagged edges could catch you unaware.
Still, it was like all the guy could do was run and jump, he wasn't mixing in any of the fun little flip twists or show-off vaults. She wasn't expecting a trapdoor or reverse palm spring necessarily, but was a wallspin too much to ask?
DC didn't have any such reservations, and had to put in extra effort, regardless, so when she inevitably fucked up some distance she could recover. Flip precision got her that sweet Vibe, but they also needed, well, precision.
She deviated from his path, taking a parkour roll over the skylight that creaked but did not crack, using the AC unit's proximity to the chimney to do an aptly named chimney climb until she ran out of AC to wedge against. Pushing off the side of the chimney, she kicked off the edge of the unit and grabbed the lip above, pulling herself up with just her arms and deviating away from the dented vent. There were a few chimney stacks to stride across, and then she let herself drop in a cork screw to a parkour roll where Oz had been moments prior.
She kept up, but wouldn't dare pass him yet--he might take the initiative to ditch her. Instead, she kept him directly on her sighted side as much as possible while still managing a handspring or wall spin where it could come up.
---
‘No thanks’” He thought to himself as he took another easy, low-risk jump from one rooftop to another before an idea struck… What if he stayed on the same few rooftops and just went round and round for a while? Would that get DC off his trail or lose interest?
He slowed down to a jog as he neared another edge, peering over before running along the edge to look at another rooftop, then followed the length of that and then once again till he had circled the whole building. He’d found one route that would be easy enough to loop back to this rooftop, but one of the buildings looked a little more bruk up than the other ones, due to disrepair…
Did he wanna chance it?… What if the roof gave in after repeatedly landing on it?
---
DC watched Oz turn around and around like a lost dog from a roof above, the easy drop having given her pause. What was he doing?
"Hey, you worn out?" She put her hands on the edge and swung her legs up as if she might vault down to join him, then simply plopped her ass down. She leaned her arms across her thighs, squinting down at his pacing.
"You need to take five, go for it, Goggles." She saw the building across from him that it looked like he might be contemplating, but from this distance she couldn't tell what exactly was giving him pause. "Is something off?"
Moderators: AJ_89 Steven (played by Robo-Craig) QnQ Hide Miyagawa (played by Monoclejack)
