[Nexus Universe Mini 3.4 – The Unintentional Beginning!] Oh, will she end up doing like Jinx asks and at some point after the mentality training work on rescue? It'll effect the RP next time. Don't know Ao-Lang well enough to guess which way she'll go. Ao would ask Isaac to do it. Well... I dunno if ask is the best word. Right, but it'll get done. She'd probably tell Neria to heal her, look at Isaac, and say something along the lines of train her. Likely! Ah... Well, I'll check with Zeg then. :P Looks like Jinx'll be satisified. Although Isaac may plan to take that job for himself, which doesn't bother Jinx, he just wants Taki ready too. Right. [And now they go IC!] [Jinx and Ao are talking! Somewhere near the campsite! This is what happens when people spontaneously go IC. You get lame, after-the-fact descriptions.] Won't somebody think of the of-age woman. ^_~ I'd bet against you getting laid, but you wouldn't take it. Well it'd depend on the odds. But also it might annoy of Mela so not really worth. But I still want to make damn clear that treating me like she does will be rewarded. :P What, carrying you around on a chair? A comfortable chair. I can see why that'd make the difference, sure. Yeah, don't know about your world, but I'm not used to that kind of treatment in mine. Nah, most people can't or won't bother carrying around people on a chair. So, you got a point. Particularly when that person is hot, has survival skills, and not a personality that makes several forms of death look appealing by comparison, and trust me on this one I've met enough of the last few. * Ao-Lang raises an eyebrow. "Do I *want* to know? ... Yes, I do. Tell!" Imagine a person who is your best source of information and reinforcements on a mission. This mission goes badly; and by badly I mean metaphorically the train left the tracks, went on a few miles, exploded, and then went over the ravine. And this person deems it regularly necessary to point out how right and how much brighter she is and how if you listened to her things would go better. And she's got a crush on a coworker who jilted her to boot. That's impressive. At least she doesn't have a crush on you. True. But, she's right some of the time, which honestly makes it worse, and I was the only one who got that and was willing to listen to her because she pissed off the rest of the group too much. * Jinx grumbles. "Did I say I could plan or lead in the initial interview? Cause I sure as hell don't remember saying that." (Poor Jinx, doesn't know at this point he gets to meet Jan again. Then again I don't think he'd actually met Alexis by then either. :P) (Hee. Jan makes everything better! LOVE JAN!) * Ao-Lang shrugs and grabs a rock, which she tosses between her hands as she chats. "Well, we got a definite leader, and I can say she *sucks*. She's a good soldier, but she's no general. Not even a tactitian. She gave up obvious advantages because she thought it'd be more fun that way, and it's not just to *her*, but to my entire team." And trust me, if you bring this up to her? She'll threaten to kick your ass. She got the position that way, 'cause the team didn't know better, and I wasn't there. More fun? I can see liking a challenge but that's a team decision. So why don't you have a better leader organize the rest and jump her? * Ao-Lang rolls her eyes. "'Cause they're idiots. Seriously. Most of them are more concerned with getting along, liking each other, and keeping the peace than *winning*. We're a team, but we don't have to like each other. Hell, I don't like half of them." But I made it a little too clear, and now if I bring it up, I'm gonna get ignored or blown off because they dislike me. Whatever. This whole team thing's a load of crap. And you know how it is when you have people who could make okay leaders, but they don't have the courage to take the position? ... Yeah. Hell, I'll take the position over Hope, and I don't even want the damn thing. I've been on good teams, I've been on bad ones. Better than the sum of its parts on good ones, far worse on bad ones. The trick is people gotta act like pros towards each other. Liking doesn't really matter. * Ao-Lang throws the rock into the air and catches it. "That's what I'm thinking, but I'm not counting on them to realize it. They just don't care enough." ( Ao's is probably just slightly on the young end of people Jinx would really get along with. If it wasn't for the fact that she completely out classes him combat wise, and that's kinda scary, she'd be in the range. She's got her obsessions to be sure, but so do most of the people he works with. :P) ( As is, probably just takes time to get over the fact that she could slaughter him. :) (:P) (Mwehe. I did figure Ao and Jinx would get along. They're both gamblers, after all. ^_~) (If Ao were a little older, it'd be easier. She's only fourteen, after all. Had nothing like a normal childhood, though.) (Yeah, Jinx would have nothing to do with your average normal childhood person from modern Tokyo. Yeah, fighting on a team isn't the same as fighting as an individual. If you're too obsessed with one-on-one stuff you miss other skills you need. * Ao-Lang smirks. "I'm not used to it, either. The first school was all solo, and before then, I stayed solo, too. It's easier when you don't need to depend on anyone for your success." And the teamwork isn't all... at the same time. It's usually more organized than chaotic, 'cause it's one on one fights, but the leader chooses who goes in. That's Hope's job. She's supposed to maximise strengths, minimize weaknesses, and make sure people learn. And she doesn't *do* it." Not like the rest of 'em care, anyway. Except Karasu, who just hates her and doesn't want to take orders from her. * Jinx smirks. "They teach it the wrong way. Should drill the team stuff in the damn kids’ heads to start with. Some of it's working with particular people. Most of it's just knowing *how* to work with people. And once you’re badass that's fought your way through years of school, I'll bet you aren't gonna listen to that sort of lesson." * Ao-Lang laughs. "Well, the idea's to become the best fighters in the world. You're not gonna get that by always depending on people. And the teams are chosen at "random"." Here she uses air quotes, then grins. "Not like it actually is. You know those things are fixed." (Oh yes, and Isaac is much, much closer to a normal childhood. He's one of those kids who lived normally, sans voice, and just sorta learned how to fight in self defense.) (His specials even happened after he died; just sorta picked them up.) Of course. But yeah, if you're supposed to be the best individual fighters in the world fine method and they're jerking you around with this team stuff. But if you're supposed to do both, sounds like they're teaching contempt for teamwork, not how to use it and win. I get the feeling that the idea is to overcome contempt or to use it to become stronger fighters... It's not like they picked teams that'll get along with themselves. If you want to win enough, you'll get over it and work as a team while hating the other guy's guts and training to kick his butt anyway. Bet you a dollar that half of the people try to overcome it by becoming such good individual fighters that they'll win despite team, rather than learning to actually work together. * Ao-Lang grins. "No bet. I don't think those are the teams that *win*, but that won't stop people from trying it." She pauses. "Hell, I'll try it if I have to." * Jinx nods. "Probably aren't the teams that win, unless they're just powerful enough. Trouble is even in losing, most people won't learn, especially when they can just blame there teammates. Can't say I ever actually learned much in a school, but seems to me teaching requires more than just letting people live through their failures." (Jinx had a high-quality pre-school education. Makes all the difference. ^_~) (Seems so!) (Mostly he's just well aware of the weaknesses of the living through failures model. ^_~) * Ao-Lang shrugs. "What do you expect? Teenagers. We're expected to make mistakes or something, only these can potentially kill us. But hey! The principal said nobody's died over the past few years." She eyes Jinx. "And you're not in school- guess college isn't a common choice wherever you're from." Not saying anything wrong with you, think your principal has some odd ideas. ::he then shrugs:: Even with a normal upbringing I'd have been out working by now, as is I was done a dozen some years ago. So maybe my standards are high as they haven't really been in contact with reality. (He'd know the term college right? Somewhere that the kids of rich people go?) * Ao-Lang raises an eyebrow. "Reality. You're sayin' I've been living in a fantasy world all my life?" (Yes. College and university and school of higher learning are all about synonymous. If anything, he'd think of the Redrock Society of Explorers and Scientists and Mary Anne as examples.) (As expected, it's for those rich, educated people with nice families.) My standards Ao. I always figured it'd be easier learning stuff in school, even special dangerous fighting schools. Never been to one, so I may just be full of it. * Ao-Lang lets out a faint 'huh'. "I've been to plenty of schools, and I can say that the one I'm going to now isn't anything like them. Except Toriyama, but that's also a fighting school." Oh yeah? I'd guess they wouldn't have the fighting, but totally different otherwise too? * Ao-Lang hums and starts ticking off on her fingers. "Most high schools don't have you live on campus. And they're not in a castle. On top of a mountain that gets harder to climb up as you go. And, amazingly, their cafeteria food is usually *better*." She makes a face. "Though the stuff heals you really fast, so I guess I can't complain." But it's not like I have to go to high school, anyway. If I didn't get a scholarship into one of those schools, I'd have dropped out of the system. (Woot, differences in the Chinese and U.S. education systems! Who needs to go to high school, anyway? :P) * Jinx nods. "Nothing worth your time to learn?" It's just not worth it. I'd have to stop traveling with my family and leave them to go to this school that they're paying money to put me into, and I probably won't even use the stuff I learn there *anyway*, 'cause I'd just go back to performing and fighting. Not that I don't like learning and get good marks, but. * Jinx nods. "Sounds sensible. So, what are you going to do once you get out of school?" * Ao-Lang shrugs. "Besides, all that bullshit about meeting friends at school that'll last you for the rest of your life is just that." She grins. "Even if I had them, as soon as I'm gone, they're gone, too. Do? Huh." * Ao-Lang thinks. Go with my family, get into trouble, teach my style to the next generation, maybe get a nice house on top of a mountain and dispense wisdom until someone kills me. * Jinx nods. "Sounds like a pretty good life." (For some reason, Jinx just doesn't get calls to make public service announcements. :P) Oh yeah, and get revenge on whoever killed my grandma. Has to happen sometime. (Ao neither. Wonder why. :P) * Jinx nods. "Revenge loses it's appeal after a while, but the first few times feels damn good." * Ao-Lang laughs. "I dunno, it hasn't lost its appeal to me just yet. But most things aren't worth more than a practical joke or a snide remark, y'know? Maybe beating them into unconscious once. Nothing serious." Yeah, I tend to just let that kind of stuff go, unless I haven't had enough sleep in the past few days. The trouble with higher levels of revenge is the bastard who did it is dead all right, but so's the person your avenging, and not that long after the second thing is still all that matters. ::Jinx smiles rather faintly:: But good chance you'll avoid getting to that point. Never know. Sure, I can jump off the roof of a sixty-foot building and live - hell, I've done it - but it comes with all sorts of other shit. Like that. Bet my grandma went through that. Whole family like you? * Ao-Lang smiles faintly. Not grin, but smile. "Nah. They're... not normal, I mean, most of them travel together. It's a family act. And a lot of 'em know how to fight, but I'm the heir to the school and the best we got now that grandma's dead. I've been classed better than Aunt Tou-Rui earlier this year." How about you? Does everyone where you're from wave around guns like that? Millie was from there, right? A lot have them; although some Injuns and most of Easterns have bows or swords insteads. But no, we're both mercs and neither of us our discrete ones at that. Anyone as showy as we are is either hunted, skilled, drunk, or a fool. Typically several at once. * Ao-Lang nods. "Yeah, that's what I thought." And she grins. "So, which ones are you?" * Jinx smiles. "Guess." * Ao-Lang sniffs at the air. "Well, you don't smell like alcohol..." * Jinx keeps the smile. "True, I have been known to indulge on occassion, but I keep most vices in moderation." And I can't verify whether you're bein' hunted or not. But since you haven't shot yourself in the foot just yet and are still alive, but persist in hanging out with people who you admit make a bad and likely suicidal team, I'll go with a skilled fool. * Jinx nods. "Occassionally hunted, but yeah, you got it." * Ao-Lang laughs. "Score one for me." * Jinx grins. "Yup. Oh, and short-lived was the one I left out. That tends to apply to all of them, the skilled later than others but not always, fortune has been said to favor fools and drunks." * Ao-Lang snickers. "Which'd be why you're more than one. Trying to fix the odds?" * Jinx snickers for a bit. "Maybe. But there's one certainity, fortune's favor doesn't last forever. I'm just trying to have a good run as her favored toy until the bitch is through with me." Favored toy? Not full of yourself, are ya? * Jinx chuckles and casually gestures up and down at his multitude of scars. "I tend to think this proves my point.. That and the fact that I'm alive." * Ao-Lang glances over those scars with her mismatched eyes, then sighs. "Okay, okay. I'll give it to ya. I'd be more impressed if you were older, though." * Jinx chuckles. "Might be just as well, I'd likely try the long odds and hit on you if you were several years older, but I'm not, and you're not, so life goes on." Aww, I'm jailbait where you're from? Too bad. * Ao-Lang smirks. "Hey. You can try for Mela." * Jinx snickers. "Well, my reasons for wanting to make sure Taki would be an option to rescue her weren't all virtious." [End!]