epidemiology | (no subject)

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CHARACTERS: Twisted Fate and Knock Out (and Koltira)
DATE: makes a vague gesture
WARNINGS: nah
SUMMARY: two guys with weird two-word names go for a nice drive (and then there is an elf)

[ Knock Out stands out quite a lot in Perdition's Rest; in his alternative mode he doesn't match any of what they use to get around. It results in a lot of stares as an Aston Martin rolls smoothly through town, headed through the inn, and Knock Out minds that not at all. People should stare at him. With his glossy red paint and polished golden rims, he likes to think he's one hell of a sight, and they probably don't get a lot of that around here.

He cruises to an even stop in front of the saloon and honks his horn, just two quick taps, and sits idling with his darkly tinted windows exposing nothing. Some lucky person in there is going to get a personalized valet service, and all they had to do to earn it was save his life. (Or at least his paint job.) ]

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[Well, hard to ignore the horn.

Twisted Fate strolls out from the saloon, strutting up to the car and giving a tip of his hat in greeting.]

Well, hey there, good lookin'. You come 'round these parts often?

[ He may not have a hat to tip, but he flashes his lights briefly. Practically the same thing, right.

His voice comes from, again, nowhere in particular, sounding in a pleasant mood: ] Only when I have to.

[ Seriously, have you seen how dusty it gets around here. It was like half an hour to scrub himself down beforehand, and he's already picked up dust again just driving over here. But unspoken complaints aside, he pops open the passenger side door. ]

Well then, climb aboard.

[ While he gets over how weird it is to be voluntarily offering a human a ride. Again. Man, the lows he sinks to with ALASTAIR. ]

Then I am mighty obliged you came to fetch little ol' me.

[Ensuring that he has as little dust and dirt on his person as possible, Twisted Fate ducks down and sits in the passenger side. Wouldn't make sense to take the driver's seat. Seems a bit rude, even.]

Love the seats, doc. [He crosses his legs.] Lookin' forward to seeing what you can do.

[ He doesn't miss that pat-down for dirt and dust; so nice that he and Twisted Fate are on the same page here. The door clicks closed behind Twisted Fate again, but he doesn't move just yet. ]

Now then, you asked about rules. [ Honestly, most of these do seem like Twisted Fate would be following them anyway. But it never hurts to have them out loud. ] First one, hands off the windows. I don't have any use for fingerprints.

Fair enough. Even brought a pair of gloves anyhow. We'll keep you untouched, doc.

[He thinks he can follow the rule easily enough, but he'll play it safe. Things might come off as habit, but he doesn't aim to insult his Cybertronian friend here.

So, he tugs on the gloves.]

What's next?

[ And again, so obliging. He's at least mildly surprised by it. After the humans he's known, that's going to take some getting used to.

(It probably helps that he's not trying to kill, steal from, or kidnap this particular human.) ]

Music is driver's choice.

[ That sounds a little wry. Honestly, the rest of the rules are redundant. There's no mud to track in, he's already been careful with the dirt, and he doubts TF would unroll the window without asking. With a low purr of his engine, he starts them rolling forward. And as promised, music quietly fills the inside — a smooth jazz, because he's trying to make a better impression than what his current favorites provide. ]

[If it's any consolation, Twisted Fate is pretty damned forgiving.]

Well now. Can't say that I can complain about the driver's choice in music.

[He winks, albeit he's not entirely sure that Knock Out can see it. The thief settles down, getting more comfortable as they start to go. He's been in vehicles in Piltover, but already Twisted Fate can see the difference in how smooth it is.]

Despite my complaints — my numerous complaints — there are a few good things about Earth.

[ He cruises at a gentle speed through town, drawing stares as per usual, taking corners easy and hardly even making use of straightaways. Like a nice afternoon stroll. ]

Their automobiles are obviously the top of the list — I'll admit humans have a good eye for design there. Their music has its benefits. And the cinema isn't half bad, if a little technologically behind.

Couldn't rightly say. Plenty of folk from this Earth, but I've only ever been in Runeterra for most of my life til now. But I'll take your word for it, doc.

[He has to say, it really is a smooth ride. And with company he certainly has no aversion to.]

Well, your people do seem significantly advanced. How are you feelin' with the rest of Audentes?

[ Hold up, is this guy not human after all? There's a small whirring from somewhere in the dashboard as some lens somewhere focuses more closely on him. He looks human.

First, though, there's a very open ended question to contend with. There are a lot of ways Knock Out could answer that, and most of them are too honest. So, without seeming to put much thought into it: ] Unimpressed.

[ It's the safest answer. ]

And as for you, I'd thought you were human. Aren't you?

Who, me?

[That earns a raise of a brow.] 'Course I am. I didn't give it much thought, considerin' the name of my world is different than typical, but I am a human.

Just a bit more gifted than usual, I suppose. Most folk don't toss around magic cards.

[ He could point out that humans come from Earth... but alright, you know what, whatever. There's another whirr as he gives up on examining Fate and turns his full attention back to the road ahead of him. ]

More gifted, I'm sure. Considerably better company than most, I'm also finding.

[ His engine hums a little louder as his speed begins to pick up. They're reaching the edge of town, which brings with it an end to the gentle strolling zone. ]

[The pace is less leisurely when they begin to get toward the edge of town, but he hasn't an issue with it. Instead, he remains relaxed, and folds his arms as he tips his head back.]

Flatterer. [Fate chuckles.] But I'm not gonna disagree. Still, some of the others might surprise you.

So. How fast can you go?

Trust me, I know flattery from a fact, and this is the latter.

[ That other part, about more humans being tolerable, that seems doubtful. But Twisted Fate has brought up the one thing that will get Knock Out's attention every time, and he doesn't bother argue it. His engine revs as he passes the last building, and there's a clear and obvious smirk in his voice: ]

I suppose I'd better show you.

[ He scans the horizon briefly, picking out the best course. It doesn't take him long. Just a few seconds later his engine roars to life. Tires spin in the dust and dirt for a few instants before they bite deep and gain traction, and then he leaps forward. It's an easy 20 to 70 MPH in no more than three seconds; hopefully Twisted Fate has invested in his seatbelt. ]

How sweet.

[But he's not one to shrug off a compliment. Twisted Fate considers himself a self-made man; if he stands out from regular people, all the better.

Now here, he doesn't quite expect Knock Out to give such a demonstration. He stiffens up for a moment, gripping the edge of the seat with a gloved hand before he decides that, just maybe, the seatbelt is a really damned good idea.]

Holy--

[All right, that's fast. Faster than anything in Piltover.]

Damn, you are somethin' else.

[ Twisted Fate is perfectly correct, as far as Knock Out's concerned. He is something else. But it's still nice to hear it. He pushes their speed still faster, but the most dramatic flare is unquestionably the initial acceleration. Rocks and desert plants whip by violently, although he keeps his path clear of actually scraping past anything. ]

You've barely seen anything yet.

[ There's a curve ahead. He hardly slows to take it, and lets his back wheels drift out ahead of his front around it. It leaves him in a perfect position to slam on the gas again once the way is straight ahead of him, and for the second time momentum pulls hard at Fate. ]

It's a pity there's not much in the way of roads out here. You should see me really get going in a street race.

[At the sharp turn, Fate is abruptly very glad he decided to put on the seatbelt. For a moment, he holds his breath at the momentum forcing him back into the seat, and he finds himself clutching his hat to his head.

Holy shit. Twisted Fate lets out a little laugh; it's hell of a rush.]

Heh, well. Maybe the next mission, we'll luck out. I bet you're a real demon on the road, doc.

You have no idea. [ He takes another hard turn, wheels spinning furiously through the dust, kicking up a veritable wall behind them. With a chuckle, he amends: ] Well, at this point you might have some idea.

[ He's got some of the showing off out of his system though, so from there he tames their speed somewhat. After all, he hasn't quite solved the energon issue to his liking just yet; wasting too much energy is ill advised. ]

Now then, any requested sights? As long as there's no roads, there's not many limits, either.

[This time, the hard turn is taken with more delight than surprise. There's definitely some thrill to the speed, and he's definitely respecting what Knock Out is capable of here.

He scratches his beard before smoothing it out.]

Don't reckon you're much into the woods. You come across any canyons or anythin' interesting out here?

[ He's right about the woods. It's hard to be into something you have difficultly literally being in. ]

I can think of a few. Nice sights, really.

[ The closest one is behind them, according to his navigation system, which is another perfect chance to show off. He slams hard on the breaks, throwing them into a screeching twist. He rocks to a stop having spun a full 180 degrees around, then immediately slams into another of those heart-stopping accelerations slightly Eastward of the way they'd come. Off to sight seeing they go. ]

[ And what sight do they see but this one: a tall elf, striding angrily through the desert. The long, pale braid of his hair whips behind him and his black coat billows as icy, whistling wind swirls around him; frost crystals glitter on his lapels and vest like so many miniature diamonds. It'd be a beautiful effect if it didn't look so out of place--and if his expression weren't so deeply, gravely sour.

He turns slightly at the noise of Knock Out's approach, and he stops.

His expression does not improve. ]

[Show off indeed. Not that it bothers Twisted Fate by now since he's expecting it this time. It just earns another little laugh as Knock Out takes advantage of his momentum and smooth steering.

He's impressed, truly.

But he's immediately distracted when he sees an incredibly familiar sight of Koltira. The frost in the window is both beautiful and concerning, as it goes with the elf.]

Doc, you mind pullin' over?

[ He spots the figure ahead of them with at least passing interest, but he'd be perfectly content to blow past him. He's probably an ALASTAIR teammate, but beyond that, Knock Out doesn't care much. Just another organic.

He does slow at Twisted Fate's request, though, like he's considering it. ]

Acquainted, are we?

[ He doesn't slow down quite as much as he should for a stop, instead coasting in a wide, circling loop around Koltira as the speed slowly wanes on its own. Take altogether, the circling reads as a little predatory. ]

[ This rudeness! Koltira's fingers twitch as his gaze follows Knock Out around and around. He's momentarily diverted from his brooding to wonder what the hell is going on, his ears pinning back on either side of his head as his agitation grows. He still has that abominable network post ringing in his mind, and he's in no mood. ]

Stop.

[ He squints. This is a ... car, yes, circling him. He's pretty sure that's a car, anyway. It's significantly sleeker and more advanced than a goblin hot-rod, but the general shape is about right. ]

[Internally, Twisted Fate winces; usually, he's all for Knock Out messing around, but he already knows this is going to do nothing for Koltira's already sour mood, considering all that's happened.

With a glove hand, he braces it against Knock Out's dashboard.]

We're close. [Not a lie, exactly.]

Knock Out, I ain't one to boss you around, but you're gonna wanna quit that real fast.

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turns on the lyn signal, shines it into the night sky

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