Serviceman; Guidance

The quick transition between locations was something that Wei could get used too, and something he could see someone getting spoiled on. It seemed the fastest way to get around, if you knew how to access it, but dependency was an issue. Until he got a much better lay of the land, he'd continue to call on Tina. After that, he'd move independently.

He exited the hazy distortion the transition between locations manifested in the middle of La Crysta, the old Dusk City. He waved a hand in front of him, fanning the fog of spacial displacement out of his face, while he looked around to get a look at how everything had changed after the fight with the Mega Generator and Koudo's amicable resignation. It hadn't really changed much, but everything had very subtle differences that could go unnoticed to the trained eye. The exact reason why Koudo got so upset when he realized Valparaiso was so different from the way he remembered.

Wei quirked a brow at the robotic men that this alternate version of Tina, he assumed, instructed him to consult if he was in need of assistance. "Ah, yeah. I know them. I've seen them destroyed." They looked quite a bit like the robots Chita and himself ran into within the walled off section of Valhalla. He figured that they wouldn't be hostile if he was, so he'd avoid being so. It was better not to attract attention to himself anyway, if he could help it that was.

Already, he could felt a slight bit rejuvenated. Moving from the stagnant, lifeless continent of Valparaiso to the Dusk really did wonders on his sparse natural energy reserves.

The people of Dusk City each minded their own, barely stopping for a moment for anything else. Everyone who knew where their next destination was seemed rather hurried about getting there, calling for Mechanica from every side to provide them personal services to get through the City effectively.

"Hey mac, call me a cab!" Someone said to one of the Servicemen, somewhat impatiently. "I gotta get to work." There were vehicles that both hovered and remained bound to the ground, but a majority of them seemed to be automated, with manual control being a secondary.

The Dusk Citizens had gotten acquainted with the Mechanica, though at first it all seemed new, strange and terrifying to them. Many of them were also concerned with the fact of the major election for their mayor of the city, who would work with their Queen. Some people desired the position for a myriad of reasons, and assembly for those that were capable and eligible to hold the position was under way. Those who were not interested in the fine inner workings of the city simply enjoyed the natural technopathic ambiance that was throughout the air. Sounds like that of intricate frequency music was heard throughout the streets instead of only the cluttered noise of machines and humans overlapping each other. The sound of techno music kept a certain balance and harmony and kept the monotonous convoluted noises from both distracting and draining the citizens of their vigor. It resembled a land of strict and hard business blended with jubilant and carefree excitement.

Not only that, the natural energy that flowed with the abundance of life in this sprawling metropolis, but the myriad of neon lights and electricity didn't only make Wei feel rejuvenated. He felt like he was channeling a much larger supply of energy than he ever had in his short time on all the other continents of the Veritas; combined. He tried not to smirk, failing to do so as he moved from the crosswalk he'd appeared in to the sidewalk, and turned his head up towards, perhaps, the largest corporate building in the immediate area.

"I think I could get used to this place, after I find the girl in the photograph." He whispered aloud to himself, lowering his eyes to glance at the ball of swirling emotions that he'd extracted only moments before appearing here. He held it up closer to his face, "It seems, perhaps, your feelings for Valparaiso were misguide. The Dusk fits better with the images in your mind. I wouldn't be surprised if Euphoria, the greater criminal enterprises, and a new version of Champion hadn't migrated here ages ago."

He didn't think he was wrong in assuming so. Valparaiso was a dead end. The Dusk was a sprawling technological marvel of a city. It buzzed with the kind of nightlife that Euphoria had become known for. It sang with the seediness of corporate corruption that mafioso with greater entrepreneurial spirits would thrive. Prize fighting wasn't something that wouldn't and couldn't make money any and everywhere it sprang up.

Yes, looking around, Wei didn't think that he would find the information that he sought: He KNEW he would find the information, both of the other girls whose names were ascribed to the back of the photograph, and perhaps the girl herself. Once that was done, he was positive that he could find and, possibly, overthrow a crime family in order to install himself as their Don. If nothing else, the old remnants of Koudo's individual branch of Absolute Zero, when he grew the group without the consent of both Perura and Priere into a much larger organization, were still hanging around.

He nodded in affirmation, lowering the ball in his hand and tucking it carefully into his top, "Now all I need, is to find a weapon..." he said, tapping his bottom lip. As he did so, his eyes gleamed alive with his Energy Perception.

The myriad of phantom colors would be jarring, to any lesser energy bender. While it took him a moment to properly adjust his sight, Wei became capable of understanding that the colors were just the natural Myst that flowed through the Dusk. A trait that hadn't changed from the way he remembered the Dusk. Once he came to that realization, it was much easier to navigate and key in on energy signatures that were similar to those that he recognized.

With the nightlife that the Dusk's atmosphere fostered, Wei would be remiss if he didn't seek out Euphoria. It was a club that didn't only thrive on the nightlife, but made it the most important way of life. There was always neon lights, blaring music, and the identifiable youth of the rebellious sort.

Wei's eyes narrowed, "So he was here the whole time. I should have guessed. Ace lives for the party and Euphoria follows him." He whispered as he keyed in onto a familiar golden energy that matched the sunny disposition of Koudo's closest male friend.

Ace and Koudo were friends from before Koudo became a shinobi of the Dusk. They ran the streets, charming girls and boys alike, and discovered Euphora completely by chance. The were inseparable partners before Koudo, eventually, grew bored of partying all the time and was overwhelmed by his youthful dragonic impulse to seek conflict.

They lost touch around then, only coming back together when Koudo defected from the Dusk. When he went back and became Kage, however, he official became 'The Man' and was barred from ever entering Euphoria again. They lost contact again, Euphoria forever becoming a paradise locked from him, and eventually a distant memory as he devoted himself to more pressing matters of national security. After he quit because it was having massive negative effects on his health, causing him to fall into week long comas and have near constant heart attacks, Koudo wasn't interested in trying to find where Euphoria had moved after the DSF shut them down because of an illegal drug trade that had been found there during a sting operation that Koudo had authorized himself. Yui was paramount to him.

Now, Wei, alone in this world, needed Ace. He needed his connections. And he needed to find Euphoria in order to get access to them.

The signature was very faint, here anyway. Ace had come down this street, but it had to have been hours, if not days, ago. This seemed to be a main street that many people passed through and it diluted the sample.

Regardless, the signal was strong enough for Wei to follow it back to the main source. And that was exactly what he was going to do.

He began walking, following the crowd and obeying the traffic laws as he did so. To him, there was no reason to draw unnecessary attention to himself. He kept his head down, figuratively, heading for the entertainment district where Ace's energy signature was the most powerful.

Crowds parted like the Red Sea, expediting Wei’s travel to the entertainment district of the city. He barely had time to think for himself, formulate a plan if Ace wasn’t as he expected, but only barely. Ace had always been a rather talented energy seer as well. Not quite as talented in the manipulation department, but his sensory abilities were second to none. Koudo’s paled in comparison and he was an energy sponge.

Even if Wei didn’t look the same, or this Ace only knew whatever version of Koudo existed in the Veritas, he had no doubt that the energy signatures would still ring loud and clear. It could present complications with getting into the club, but Wei doubted it. He could handle that situation when it arose.

Wei walked with limited knowledge of the layout of the Dusk, and how it had changed after the incident with the Mega Generator and the Insanity, but he didn’t need a detailed map to find his way. Once he was locked onto Ace’s energy signature, he could follow it like a bloodhound tracking scent. There really wasn’t much difference, actually. If he wanted too, he could use his nose to track Ace, rather than his eyes, but it was much easier to use his eyes.

Thinking about it now, it made him miss Okami. She had never been his partner, his dog, but because she had been Koudo’s he had fond memories of her as well. A lot of the time, Koudo didn’t rely on his tracking abilities because Okami had been a much more talented and experienced tracker, being a skilled ninja hound. It made Wei realize just how… limited his own experiences had been in life. Everything he “remembered” were all things that belonged to Koudo. He didn’t have anything that belonged to him, specifically.

Without thinking, he pulled the picture of the girl out of his shirt again and stared at it. There was a small sense of longing in his eyes as he did so. Quietly he whispered, stashing the picture away as he did so, “I’ll change that.”

He had been given a clean slate in a new place. After extracting the distracting rose-tinted memories of Valparaiso Koudo had cursed him with, Wei was granted the freedom to do, and become, whatever he wanted. Whether he shared the appearance of Koudo or not, he was his own man and could do as he pleased.