OPEN | Disasters Mean Rethinking Decisions

[atypical_echo]

Who: Mark Bryant atypical_echo, Tommy Shepherd slowmotionbuscrash, Open
What: A Bank Robbery Gone Bad, Photography Outside of Guild Headquarters, Awkwardness of confused coffee orders
When: Robbery: 10/14, Photography: 10/15, Coffee: Mid October
Where: First Bank of Central City, Outside Alliance Headquarters, Moondoe Coffee Shop
Content Warnings: Bank robbery might involve violence toward civilians, and will involve explosions.

I. Robberies Make For Bad Days | First Bank of Central City | Closed to Tommy Shepherd

From now on he was going to live his life only through drive through and online banking. With those sorts of things you didn't end up like Mark did, sitting curled up on the floor of the bank with a cluster of other civilians, shaking. The others shook from fear, whimpered whenever the masked robbers looked at them and gestured with either guns or what looked like energy pistols, and didn't talk about their hope that some hero would come and save them.

Mark? Mark sat there quaking not because he cared that he was being menaced with a gun, or that there was a robbery going on, or even that a bad twitch would get him shot. No, he was shaking because these robbers were Metas, and Mark was accutely aware of that in a way no other civilian there was. Sure, they hadn't made use of their powers yet, but Mark could feel them, pressing in on his mind. One was clearly a telepath of some sort, and that Mark knew how to keep control of, how to keep his mind to himself, how to hide from other telepaths. But there was also someone who, best Mark could tell, cause metal to melt, and another one whose power Mark couldn't pin down but made his skin itch.

It was too much. It was a hard enough to keep control of his powers around some Metas, but it was worse when there were more than a few around. With no familiar powers to ground them in it was enough to leave him off balance, and with the fear... Mark was growing terrified that people were going to get hurt if this didn't end soon, and it wouldn't be by the thieves.

"Someone help," he whispered under his breath. That was their only hope, and for reasons no one else knew.

II. Is Heroics Really A Shelter? | Outside of Alliance Headquarters | Open

What do you do with an unsigned Meta? It was a question running through Mark's head, to the tune of some old shanty about drunken sailors. The song had been running circles around his head for days now, and the only way Mark knew to work through shit like this was distraction. So he did his best for distraction. Today his distractions were coming in the form of photography. So Mark stood across the street from the Alliance Headquarters and turned his camera upon the structure, his lens always focused up at large structure, never dipping down toward the doors without Mark first turning it away.

It was important not to piss off people with supernatural powers by making them think that you are taking pictures of them. Which Mark totally wasn't going to do. He doesn't need his ass kicked and himself accidentally stealing someone's powers in the process.

Still, he has to sigh before taking another picture of the building, trying to capture the way shadows fell across it at this late time of day, as if to make a picture to call into mind the idea that the Alliance was come upon dark times.

"This was never what comics prepared me to think superheroes would be like," he sighed as he snapped another shot. "Feel more like sports and movie stars than heroes."

Which was probably a rude thing to say because someone overhearing it could assume weird things. Like that Mark himself is a Meta. Which wasn't wrong at all.

III. Coffee Mix-Up Meeting | Moondoe Coffee Shop | Open

Coffee, the magical brew by which many an artist runs. Or so Mark always thought. He stood near the wall of his local Moondoe Coffee, waiting for his name to be called. Or, well, the poor approximation of his name that places like this seemed to manage.

"Brian!" a voice called, and Mark looked around. No one was making clear motion for the drink, so he walked toward it. Okay, one more way to check. He lifts the cup and, instead of sipping, checks the writing on the side indicating what the drink should be. And there was the familiar shorthand for a dark chocolate machiatto.

Alright, resolved that this was most definitely his drink, Mark lifted it to sip. And immediately cringed when it hit his tongue.

"The fuck?" he sputtered as he winced at the taste. "Is that... apple? Holy shit, what?"

"Maybe it's not your drink," the barista behind the counter said with that look that said 'you picked up someone else's order'.

"It's literally labeled with my name and marked as a dark chocolate machiatto. Soooooo, um, I'm sorry but I think the order might be wrong."

Though he was definitely wincing at the attention this was drawing him. Maybe he should just take this and go? Oh man, would that be more or less embarrassing? He wasn't sure.

[OOC: Mark Bryant's main Meta ability is copying the powers of those near him. This is entirely opt-in, and you can go to opt in over here if you'd like to play with Mark echoing powers.]

Comments

[atypical_echo]

Oh trust was massively something Mark lacked too. But with all that was going on, and him not being nearly as strong and capable as some unaffiliated, he was mostly scared.

"Oh yeah, public speaking blows," he says, "Presentations in high school totally sucked."

He was definitely confused on what was going on here, but the man offered a hand, and Mark took it.

"It was a fine first impression, just not expected. Metas don't often talk to normals I guess. Or not to me at least."

Lies. Massive lies. Serious lies. Just keep moving Mark.

"Uh, I should probably check."

[defenderoftomorrow]

That was a good reason to be secretive too. Jayce wouldn't judge him if he knew his real reasons. But ah, it seemed like his assumption about the man had been incorrect, Mark was a regular human. Or so he said. That was fine by Jayce, of course, but it did surprise him that Mark took meeting a meta so well, the first scare notwithstanding.

"God, they truly do. Let me tell you, when you become the teacher and you need to talk to the faculty or the students, it's just as bad. There's nothing scarier than a large group of teenagers looking at you."

Mostly, Jayce had focused on Hextech back home, but he did classes for students from time to time when he had the time. After the handshake, Jayce seemed slightly more cautious but still mostly kept an approachable attitude.

"I like to talk to everyone. I don't think there's a reason why we shouldn't. In fact, maybe if we knew each other better that would make others fear us less. As for your camera, if it's damaged, I could probably help fix it? I'm an engineer and an inventor. A lot of the tech here is fairly different from the one in my world, but cameras are one of the few common machines."

[atypical_echo]

Oh no, teachers had it horrible.

"I can't remember always being so great to my teachers growing up, so I get it. Though I guess with art students like me, the expectation is for sass and conversation rather than being quiet and expecting someone to lecture on something you might not be that invested in," he suggested.

But the camera question is still there so he definitely takes a step back and picks up the camera to check. He tests with a few shots, not of Jayce of course because that is rude and it's not like he has a waiver form for the guy to sign right now and who knows if a new arrival Meta will get the whole idea of waivers for use of their image and...

"It's okay. I use the straps for a reason. Like, this is all of my meager savings and livelihood on the line."

[defenderoftomorrow]

Teachers really had it hard, just ask Heimerdinger, who had to deal with his students doing science-magic crimes. What Viktor and Jayce invented turned out to be incredibly revolutionary, but they gave the poor dean more than a few mini-heart attacks. Jayce's eyes brightened up at the mention of art, looking even more interested than before.

"I should have guessed that after seeing you with the camera. Artists can't and shouldn't be contained, anyway." Jayce waited as Mark made sure the machine was undamaged and tried not to stare too much. At this hour of the day, the light and shadows gave the surrounding buildings a special kind of atmosphere. No wonder Mark might have wanted to capture it on camera.

"God, I'm glad." He sounded sincere too, because he was. Jayce knows very well how much simple-looking objects could mean to someone. He had treasured the empty magic gem he received from a mage since he was nine years old, and he still wears it on the leather bracelet on his left wrist.

"Oh, maker, Then I'm glad I didn't damage it. Are you a professional photographer?"

[atypical_echo]

See, back where Mark's from you could ask someone named Heimerdinger just because their name would be SO torn into by teens. Good thing Mark doesn't know, he'd probably come up with a few gems himself. Which he wasn't doing right now because wow, the dude looked so excited and Mark was actually smiling in response.

"See, if more of the world had opinions like that, I'd probably be living a better life. And yeah, as professional as someone can be when you can't get the good work."

In fact, he reaches into his pocket on impulse and brings out his card. It's a recent acquisition, having cards, but he's glad for it. It's got a nice picture of a ballerina dancing on it, no face of course, that was actually one of the shots he took of his friend River. It's great, if Mark does say so himself. And done in very tasteful and neutral font in the corner is not only his name and social media information, but his business phone number.

See, he's all official. Atypical Photos is actually a damn business now and he's proud of it. Gotta pass the time somehow.

"Mostly people only hire me for weddings these days, though some metas have allowed me to do some shots for portfolio building."

Why should he need to build his portfolio? Maybe because he's only been here a few months and his proper portfolio is back home.

[defenderoftomorrow]

Given how Heimerdinger is a Yordle, and over 400 years old, the odd name is the most normal thing about the guy. Back in the academy, he barely reached people's knees, but his intellect and pleasant disposition made him someone worthy, whom people wanted to befriend. But yes, there is no avoiding jokes sometimes, with a name like that.

"Give it time, opinions aren't always set in stone. Maybe things can change for the better if we work hard enough." Always looking for a brighter future, this one. It's one of Jayce's best and worst qualities.

He takes the offered card and studies it with a smile, absorbing the details. Jayce knows how to draw, both blueprints for complex machines and more casual drawings, so he could be called an artist of sorts. But this is different, this is someone's passion, like magic is his. Mark's talent really shine here, even if it's on a small card.

"Do they, uh?" Jayce is also new to this concept of superheroes being more interested in celebrities than in helping, but he's also aware of how easy is to be blinded by the spotlight and the fame. " I'm no hero, in fact, I'm not even part of any guild, so I doubt you'd want me for your portfolio...but if I ever decide to get married, you'll be the first person I'll think of."

His smile turns into a playful grin. Then Jayce stares down at the card one last time before pocketing it safely and looking up at Mark.

"That one is a really gorgeous shot. You captured the moment beautifully. I also like that your pictures are in color. In Runeterra, cameras are still not that common, and they can only take black-and-white pictures."

[atypical_echo]

Damn, that positivity is damn well Caleb or Chloe levels of it, and Mark doesn't know what to do with that. Or the smile. Stupid charming smile.

"Sometimes you need that PR edge for people to forgive a hero when said hero is thrown into their car, wrecking it. It seems to matter here," he points out. Though he groans at the idea of being the first person thought of for weddings.

"Please no green cake. I ended up with some in my heir two months back. Not pleasant. Weddings are HORRIBLE to work. People don't pay nearly enough for the amount of work you have to do, and tend to be rude about it too. And come on..."

He produces another card to show off the dancer again.

"That's just a friend of mine. But she's in there. And you ooze more 'I should be a model' than she does. A lot more. Though River's amazing at what she does. I offered her the photos for free in return for her own showcase for getting work."

Runeterra? He's never heard of the other worlds people are from mentioned by name, so he's intrigued.

"Oh, I like working in black and white. Can't go wrong with old fashioned silver-nitrate film. These days, though, most people want vivid, and that's digital all the way."

[defenderoftomorrow]

Considering how stressed out and frustrated Jayce had been back in his world, that with the city he is in charge of almost on the brink of war, being in this world had allowed him to relax considerably. It also brought back a bit of his old self, who wanted to help people and improve their lives. Things are far from perfect here, of course, with the metas and not-metas conflict, but it's still different from his home. For starters, there are fewer terrorist attacks, which is always a plus.

"I haven't thought of that..."  If the brief but slightly alarmed look in Jayce's eyes is anything to go by, he's not lying. He also chuckles a moment later. "Insurance companies must make a fortune around here. Perhaps that's where the money is at."

Not like he particularly cares about money, his passion is science. But Jayce is no slack, and he's going to have to do something to survive in this world until he finds a way to go back to his own. Having a job is key.

"I promise that my maybe-wedding will not have any green cake on it. That's a weird color choice. What were they thinking? Being a wedding photographer does sound stressful and unrewarding. Sorry you have to deal with that." 

Jayce talked to River a few days ago, she told him about dinosaurs after doing a video of them with some toys, but he didn't catch her name and didn't immediately recognize her in the picture. At Mark's complimenting his looks, comparing him to a model of all things, Jayce gets slightly flustered and smiles sheepishly.

"Is River a professional dancer, then? Ah...thanks. I'm really not...uhm. That kind of job is better suited for people with more charisma." God knows he's been put on a stage before, and while Jayce enjoyed some of the attention, it got too much too quickly. 

"Black and white does have a special way of capturing the essence of both things and people. Perhaps it's because the lack of color makes you focus more on the subject. Not like colors aren't a form of art in itself of course. Hmm...this reminds me that I should check the museums in this city."

[atypical_echo]

Insurance companies... Mark only thinks of it in that moment and he goes pale because wow talk about a horrible things to think about. That's so much money. People should go into that. But not him. He'd hate himself if he tried.

"I really don't know why they chose green, but they liked it. Still, you're not wrong, it's very stressful and unrewarding. And as it's getting on into fall, even that business is diminishing some. I'm going to miss those soon."

That said, when the guy says he's probably not suited, Mark rolls his eyes and waves the comment aside.

"I'll tell you right now, that's not true. I've worked with some people that wanted to go into modeling? They can be as flat as cardboard too. It's about the pose and honestly, a willingness to trust the photographer sometimes. Yeah, some people are inherently better or not, but trust matters."

ANd he still holds the guy would do well at it. But hey, they can both be flustered over it and Mark can instead point out the museums.

"There's an AMAZING museum here, actually. I've been enjoying it slowly. The sculpture garden is so insanely good. They don't really have a lot of photography on display sadly."

[defenderoftomorrow]

A terrible job, no doubt. Probably just as bad and stressful as being a politician, a position Jayce never wanted in the first place and that he ended up hating to his core.

"People imagine their wedding in all sorts of crazy ways. As long as they were happy with it, and you got paid..." Jayce shrugs. There are a lot of odd customs in his world, even between people from the same city, so he's not judging.

"You're going to make me blush." He means it, because while Jayce is generally blind to flirting, he's also very susceptible to kind praise.

 "Ah, well... in that case, if you ever need help with your portfolio, just let me know. I don't mind giving you a hand if you need a subject."  There's a brief pause before an idea occurs to Jayce, and he adds; "Oh! You've already seen that I can shift into different animals. If you ever need to photograph a specific one, and you can't get a hold of it, I'm amenable. It might be safer too. I can even turn in those dragons without wings you had here so many years ago."

Dinosaurs, he means. Jayce is still memorizing all the creatures in his world, but all he needs is to see a picture to be able to turn into any creature, as long as it is not mythological. Jayce's face lights up just as much as Mark's at the mention of the museum.

"I'd love to see it, and especially the garden now. Shame about the photograph, but we can't have it all."

[atypical_echo]

Oh no, there was advantages to being a photographer over a politician. See, if Mark didn't do something he had agreed to do, he could actually be held accountable for breech of contract. Politicians couldn't.

"Go ahead and blush. There's definitely ways to clear that right up in software," he said with a smirk. He just wanted the guy to know it could be taken out of images, you know, for the future. If he needs any head and shoulder work done for a passport or something. Still, the idea that someone would volunteer to be a subject.

"I mean, usually when I take solo subjects for portfolio work, I want it to be something that benefits them too. Got any reason you need pictures done? I mean, yes, animal pictures are totally cute, but I'll admit that if you pose perfectly for one as, say, a cat? Well, I'd be overselling my ability to get a cat to sit still for an attractive picture. It's so hard."

Wait, Dragons without wings? What?

"Um, lizards? Alligators? Wait, your world has dragons?"

Nope, this is so important. He wants to know about dragons. It's actually enjoy to make him forget about the museum thing. Which was a shame. The sculpture garden was AMAZING.

[defenderoftomorrow]

Politicians get away scot-free with so much shit, it's incredible. Jayce, back home, tried to fix the ongoing corruption of the system, but he also had to play by their rules to try and get some reason. He got burned out quickly and despises most politicians to no end now.

"Ah, that's comforting. Because it might happen." Not like Jayce knows exactly what the word 'software' is, but he trusts Mark with this. He's the expert photographer here. He will keep him in mind for the future, in case Jayce ever needs his photos taken.

"You're right about the animals. It might give people the wrong impression about your handling skills, I wouldn't want to get you in trouble. But if it comforts you any, cats do not abide by the laws of men, they truly do as they wish." Jayce always liked them, and there are times when Viktor reminds him of one. The question about if he needs anything has Jayce pausing for a second longer, pondering one of his recent conversations with Miss Anima.

"I don't need anything myself, not exactly. But Miss Anima has been helping me with my powers, since we have similar ones, and I offered my skills in exchange. She mentioned that perhaps I could help out with engineering and their PR branch. I'm not affiliated with any guild yet but it's clear that all metas could benefit from the public seeing them in a better light, so I'm considering it. Maybe in the future you could help me with the photos? "

He already went through this while promoting Hextech back home, and some parts of being a public figure turned into an absolute nightmare. But Jayce, being a bleeding heart, wants to help no matter what. And he likes Mark so far, it's comfortable to talk to him. It's also really amusing to see his enthusiasm when dragons are mentioned.

"No, those other animals, they're usually much bigger than simple lizards...dinosaurs! That was it. And yes, we have different species of dragons, although you don't see them around that often. Luckily.

They can talk about the museum later because Jayce wants to see it too and won't forget about it so easily.

"The Celestial dragons, who exist in the celestial realm, are the parents of the terrestrial dragon species that populate our world. They are bigger than mountains and had existed since the dawn of the universe.

[atypical_echo]

"Cats follow their own laws and structures of interacting with the world," Mark agreed with a smile. Sam's cat had been just like that, and Mark had liked the little kitty just for that."

But the man's suggestion makes Mark smile. Yes, he could offer that to the guy.

"If the PR department ever needs help with things like that, I'm happy to help them. But for you, no charge."

Seriously, though, he's thoughtful about the dinosaur thing. Of course he can't take pictures of that, but he is intrigued that someone could maybe make them look real.

"Wait, how does the dinosaurs thing work? We're still not fully sure what they looked like. Will you be sure you will know what to do? And seriously how would dragons that big ever manage to hide?"