Benjamin Evans
Civilian
Posts: 20
Age: 20
Power: Empathy
Player: vloer
Faction: Civilians
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Post by Benjamin Evans on Jun 6, 2016 18:44:59 GMT
"Not a problem, mate," Johnny said, and stood up to fill Benjamin's glass. Surprisingly, he even laughed at Benjamin's stupid joke. "Ah, I see," he said, when Benjamin explained why he really was out walking the streets at this time. "Makes sense, now that I think about it, I mean what with the card and all that," he added, and Benjaming shrugged. "What's it like, working there?" Johnny then asked, and Benjamin scrunched up his nose a little, pulling a face without really thinking about it. "It pays enough to get by," he said, pulling his sleeves over his wrists again and then pushing them back to his elbows. "And I guess the other cleaners are okay, not that I really.. know them that well," he muttered, noticing the reddened skin on his left wrist and turning his hands, pressing the skin to the fabric of his jeans. "The other people are pretty shitty, though," he admitted. "Most of them don't really say anything out loud, but it's clear how they think about me - us. Cleaners, I mean." He pushed a hand through his hair and shrugged a little. "Though I hear it's even worse in the Inner Ring, so I guess I'm sorta lucky." He realised how long he had been talking, and pulled his shoulders up a little. "Sorry, uh, what do you do?" He asked, not wanting to come over as if he only wanted to hear himself talk. Though, rationally, he knew that probably wasn't the impression he usually made on people. "I mean, for work," he added, not sure if he had been clear enough.
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Johnny O'Marten
Civilian
Posts: 17
Age: 22
Power: Holograms
Player: Admin Yoloswek.
Faction: Civilians
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Post by Johnny O'Marten on Jun 7, 2016 20:59:53 GMT
Johnny listened intently to what Benjamin said and found himself feeling really bad for the kid as he realized just how lucky he himself was with the work he got to do. "Though I hear it's even worse in the Inner Ring, so I guess I'm sorta lucky,” Benji concluded his story and Johnny smiled empathically. “I suppose so. Though I can completely see why this isn’t exactly a dreamplace to work either,” he said. “People have no right to look down on you for the work you do. Cleaning’s honest work. The city would be a right mess without you lot,” he added earnestly. A haughty attitude towards ‘lesser’ jobs or ‘lesser’ social standing could really get him worked up. He’d seen so many of these people up close and their hearts were just too big to be condemned like that. "Sorry, uh, what do you do? I mean, for work,” Benjamin then asked. “Oh, no need to apologize,” Johnny quickly said. He then turned his lower arms a bit, revealing the tattoos that covered them entirely. “I’m a tattoo artist,” he said, with a grin, unable to hide his excitement now that one of his favorite subjects was breached. “You know that small tattoo parlor close to the park? That’s where I work,” he said. The parlor was small, but well-known among tattoo-lovers. For most it was probably just another tattoo shop, however. Still, people even came down there from the Middle ring, so they certainly were doing something right.
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Benjamin Evans
Civilian
Posts: 20
Age: 20
Power: Empathy
Player: vloer
Faction: Civilians
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Post by Benjamin Evans on Jun 8, 2016 10:12:16 GMT
"I suppose so. Though I can completely see why this isn't exactly a dreamplace to work either," Johnny said, and Benjamin shrugged again, a little uncomfortable. He wasn't sure how to act around Johnny's obvious pity. "People have no right to look down on you for the work you do. Cleaning's honest work. The city would be a right mess without you lot," he added, and Benjamin looked down at his knees. "Oh, no need to apologize," Johnny said after he apologized for talking so long. He was about to say sorry again, but caught himself just in time. Right, no need to apologize. Benjamin looked up when Johnny turned his lower arms. He had noticed the tattoos - of course, how couldn't he have noticed them when the guy had been standing in his underwear when Benjamin had walked into him - but he hadn't paid that much attention to them yet. Now he took a closer look, wondering how much time Johnny had put into covering his skin with ink. "I'm a tattoo artist," he said with a grin, and Benjamin's eyes widened a bit. "You know that small tattoo parlor close to the park? That's where I work," he added. "Wait- you work there?" Benjamin said enthusiastically, for a moment forgetting his anxiety. "Do you make some of the designs as well?" He asked, curious. He had walked past the tattoo parlor Johnny was talking about quite a few times, actually, always trying to sneak quick peeks into the building, but too scared to take a closer look.
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Johnny O'Marten
Civilian
Posts: 17
Age: 22
Power: Holograms
Player: Admin Yoloswek.
Faction: Civilians
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Post by Johnny O'Marten on Jun 8, 2016 17:40:21 GMT
"Wait- you work there?” Benjamin reacted, with an enthusiasm that only fueled Johnny’s, who grinned widely and nodded. “Yep,” he said. He liked that Ben seemed so excited about it. People’s opinions on tattoo’s always seemed to fall into either of three categories, one being ‘fuck man, that’s so cool,’ two being ‘I don’t give a fuck’ and three being ‘you are going to hell and you should feel bad’. "Do you make some of the designs as well?” “Yeah, definitely,” he answered. “I usually get the people that are into more retro-looking designs,” he told Benjamin. “We all kind of have our own specialty, you know?” He shifted in his chair to sit a bit more comfortably. “It’s really funny, because we actually get people from the other rings as well. The same folks that look down on most people here are suddenly not above coming here when they need to get some ink done,” he grinned, shaking his head. He loved his job, but part of him, no matter how friendly and open he was, would never really feel quite right about certain types of people. Not nearly everyone from Middle or Inner was like that, God no, but he recognized the type right away, whenever they came in.
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Benjamin Evans
Civilian
Posts: 20
Age: 20
Power: Empathy
Player: vloer
Faction: Civilians
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Post by Benjamin Evans on Jun 8, 2016 20:36:26 GMT
"Yeah, definitely," Johnny answered when Benjamin asked him if he made any of the designs as well. "I usually get the people that are into more retro-looking designs," he explained. "We all kind of have our own specialty, you know?" Benjamin nodded, probably a little too enthusiastically. "Right, of course," he said. "It's really funny, because we actually get people from the other rings as well," he started telling, and Benjamin's eyes grew a size larger. "The same folks that look down on most people here are suddenly not above coming here when they need to get some ink done." "So even people from the Inner Ring? They come here?" He asked, finding it hard to believe. He rarely walked into people from the Inner Ring himself, but he had heard enough stories to know what most of them were like. He didn't think the type would ever freely set foot on the Outer Ring. "Aren't they- uh, condescending? I mean, uh," he said, his voice slowly drifting, realizing again that he barely knew Johnny. It wasn't often that he forgot himself like this. He guessed it had something to do with how genuine Johnny had seemed in everything he'd done so far.
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Johnny O'Marten
Civilian
Posts: 17
Age: 22
Power: Holograms
Player: Admin Yoloswek.
Faction: Civilians
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Post by Johnny O'Marten on Jun 8, 2016 20:56:14 GMT
"So even people from the Inner Ring? They come here?" Benjamin asked, seeming incredulous. "Yeah, not very often, but we have made a bit of a name for ourselves, and most people really are willing to go that extra mile for their tat, you know?" Johnny said. "Like, a lot of the Inner ring folks can afford anything, but in Middle they have often saved for a few months or longer to really get it done as best as possible." He liked that. He liked it when people took a tat that seriously, even though he himself had a fair number of tattoos that weren't serious in the slightest. But if that much of your skin was inked, you got a lot less worked up about it. "Aren't they- uh, condescending? I mean, uh," Benjamin asked next. "Well, some definitely are, but most are smart enough to be polite to the guy permanently inking their skin," Johnny said with a broad grin. "And to be fair, the types that look down on us are the minority. They suck, but the awesome folks outweigh them, really."
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Benjamin Evans
Civilian
Posts: 20
Age: 20
Power: Empathy
Player: vloer
Faction: Civilians
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Post by Benjamin Evans on Jun 8, 2016 21:29:38 GMT
"Yeah, not very often, but we have made a bit of a name for ourselves, and most people really are willing to go that extra mile for their tat, you know?" Johnny said. Benjamin didn't really know, but he could imagine, so he nodded. "Like, a lot of the Inner ring folks can afford anything but in Middle they have often saved for a few months or longer to really get it done as best as possible," he added. It made sense, explained like that. When Benjamin asked him if clients from the other rings weren't condescending, he was glad Johnny didn't say anything about the return of his stuttering and stumbling over words. Some people did, and it always made it ten times worse. "Well, some definitely are, but most are smart enough to be polite to the guy permanently inking their skin," Johnny pointed out, and his grin was infectious enough for Benjamin to show a small smile as well. "And to be fair, the types that look down on us are the minority. They suck, but the awesome folks outweigh them, really." "Right, I guess it wouldn't make sense for people to go to someone they look down on anyway," Benjamin muttered, and startled a little when the phone in his pocket buzzed. "Uh, sorry," he mumbled, fishing it out and reading the text from his mom. He was surprised to find it had already neared half past one; he had spent here longer than he had thought. "Oh, uh, I need to get home, sorry," he said, closing his phone again, and finding that he really was sorry to go. It had been surprisingly nice. "Uhm, thanks for the milk and stuff," he muttered, immediately regretting his words. And stuff? What did he even mean by that? Always finding it a little awkward to leave, he slowly rose to his feet, looking at Johnny for a cue about what to do next. Should he just walk out? Bring his empty glass to the kitchen? Give Johnny a hand?
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Johnny O'Marten
Civilian
Posts: 17
Age: 22
Power: Holograms
Player: Admin Yoloswek.
Faction: Civilians
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Post by Johnny O'Marten on Jun 13, 2016 10:03:16 GMT
"Right, I guess it wouldn't make sense for people to go to someone they look down on anyway,” Benjamin said. Johnny smiled. “My feelings exactly. The ones that do probably compensate for something.” He shrugged. Benjamin then excused himself to read a text he’d just received. "Oh, uh, I need to get home, sorry,” the young man said. "Uhm, thanks for the milk and stuff." “No problem, it was to nice to have a guest around for a bit,” Johnny replied cheerfully. He got up as well and walked back to the door. “Feel free to drop by anytime you like,” he said. He wasn’t sure Ben was the type to do that on his own volition, but he wanted him to know the option was there. “Like, wether it’s here or at the shop, ’s all good,” he added, walking into the hallway. He had taken a liking to the young man. There was something adorable about him, like he was a little brother or something. “Do you have everything?” he asked. He had no idea where the kid lived, so if he forgot his phone or something, that’d be a bit of an issue.
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Benjamin Evans
Civilian
Posts: 20
Age: 20
Power: Empathy
Player: vloer
Faction: Civilians
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Post by Benjamin Evans on Jun 20, 2016 19:49:26 GMT
"No problem," Johnny said after Benjamin thanked him for the milk. "It was nice to have a guest around for a bit." Benjamin was glad to see that Johnny stood up and walked to the door, sparing Benji the awkward moment of having to decide what to do himself. "Feel free to drop by anytime you like," Johnny said, and Benjamin smiled and nodded, even though he knew he probably wouldn't. Not that he didn't like Johnny- the guy was actually surprisingly nice, but he just knew that when the next day would come he'd lose all of his temporary courage. There were few things as scary as having to open a door to a house he barely knew. "Like, whether it's here or at the shop," Johnny added as they walked into the hallway. "Right," Benjamin muttered, not wanting to lie and promise something he wouldn't have the guts to do anyway. "Do you have everything?" Johnny asked, and Benjamin patted both of his pockets to check for his phone and keys. "Yeah," he answered. "Uhm, it's three more streets anyway, I'll survive," he added. "So, uhm, bye, I guess," he muttered, opening the front door and giving an awkward wave he immediately regretted. "Maybe I'll see you around?" He said, but it came out more as a question. Benjamin stuffed his hands into his pockets and slipped out of the door, before he could say anything else embarrassing.
** Next day **
It was already midday by the time Benjamin had finally gotten out of bed and out of the house. The late night and social interaction with both his co-workers and Johnny had tired him out more than he had expected. As he had woken up, however, it hadn't taken very long for his mom to start nagging, so he had left the house with the excuse of getting toilet paper. He was glad she hadn't known they still had plenty - he really didn't feel like entering a supermarket right now. Instead, he was planning on taking a long walk, figuring that if he just kept his head down and his shoulders up no one would bother him. He was about to slip into one of the quieter alleyways, when a sudden wave of nerves hit him. Not his own, however - these were definitely coming from someone else, maybe even more than just one person. The feelings hit him so unexpectedly that he came to a slow halt, now noticing that it wasn't just nerves he felt. Instead it was mixed with excitement as well. Just as Benji realised what could cause such an odd mixture of emotions, he saw the tattoo parlour across the street. Well, that definitely explained things.
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Johnny O'Marten
Civilian
Posts: 17
Age: 22
Power: Holograms
Player: Admin Yoloswek.
Faction: Civilians
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Post by Johnny O'Marten on May 5, 2017 23:54:34 GMT
Even if creativity was your business you needed your breaks, even if it was just to stave off the risk of RSI, so Johnny quickly grabbed a sandwich and followed one of his coworkers outside. Dahlia was a smoker, Johnny just liked a bit of fresh air. If he stood on the right side in order to avoid inhaling second hand smoke, those two things mixed quite well. And so it came to pass that, just as the two of them went outside, he spotted a familiar face across the street. "One moment," he said to Dahlia, who shrugged and lit up a cig. Johnny crossed the street and grinned. "Hey man! Long time no see," he joked. He took a bite out of his sandwich. "You get home alright last night?" he asked, realizing as he was speaking that taking that bite after he was done talking would've been the more polite road to take. But Johnny wasn't all that great in thinking ahead. His grey shirt had some ink smears on it and it's sleeves were torn off. Here, however, Johnny's tattooed arms and shoulders didn't really faze anyone and given that Benjamin had seen a lot more of Johnny's body yesterday night - a sentence that really needs it's context - he probably wasn't too impressed by it either. The jeans Johnny wore were free of holes, for once. For now. He did have a chain dangling from one side, because, well, why the fuck not.
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Benjamin Evans
Civilian
Posts: 20
Age: 20
Power: Empathy
Player: vloer
Faction: Civilians
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Post by Benjamin Evans on May 22, 2017 18:17:47 GMT
Benjamin had been standing still for a few minutes when he spotted two people leaving the parlour to stand outside of the entrance. He figured they were the people working there, since they didn't move any further. Just as his tired brain started to progress what that could mean, since the guy from last night had told him he worked at a tattoo parlour, one of the people ran across the street towards him. "Hey man! Long time no see," the man said, just as Benjamin recognised him to be Johnny from last night. Too surprised to immediately respond, the words got stuck somewhere halfway for a moment. Fortunately, Johnny didn't really wait for him to say anything before he followed up with, "You get home alright last night?". "Uh, yeah," Benjamin said, blinking. "It wasn't a long walk back," he added. Normally he would probably be intimidated by someone like Johnny - for some reason the tattoos on his arms stood out even more than last night with the sleeveless shirt he was wearing. It helped that he had already met him last night, though. That, and Johnny's mix of excited emotions somehow had a sort of soothing effect. "Is that where you work?" He asked, pointing to the tattoo parlour across the street, immediately after silently berating himself for the dumb question. Of course it was. Johnny had said he was a tattoo artist, and Benji had just seen him leaving there.
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