[Hotel - Kaito, Chisa, Trinity, Recon]
Recon, meanwhile, had managed to stack enough food on its plate for it to start overflowing. Bacon, eggs, sausages, gravy and other delicacies were all nearly spilling over as he effortlessly balanced the huge feast in one hand, Moreover, he didn't even seem to notice the burden, despite drawing more than one glance from many passer-by.
"You can pay for this if you want," Recon said as he put the overfull plate down on a nearby table for 4. "Some of the staff were giving me some pretty nasty looks there, and I think they're nearly out of gravy."
As a finishing touch, he reached into his messenger bag and pulled out an unmarked 200 ml soda can. However, when he popped the top, an observer would be able to observe that whatever liquid was inside was glowing green.
"Anyway, now that we've grouped up, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to discuss our next move," he said before taking a sip from his can.
Crazy Kiwi
Grand Hotel - Dining Hall
Katya, Teri and Wolfe"Exalted worker". Wolfe had never heard the phrase before but pegged it as Communist terminology, the workers being valued as the life-blood of the community and all that.
He chuckled. "Most the time we just hunt, fish and forage to keep ourselves alive but occasionally we get called on to go places and do things for the Council - that's the ruling body of our little colony - if our particular skill set is required. Especially if it involves interdimensional travel. When you last met us, we were having a well-earned holiday from our shopping trip - I mean Diplomatic Mission to Capital City; this time they've sent us to locate and retrieve something that's apparently around here somewhere."
Teri nodded. "If it involves running around the woods or skipping between dimensions, we're the ones they call on. Partly because we've got the experience but mostly because we're the only bastards mad enough to do half of what they ask."
Katya leaned in closer to Wolfe as they walked towards the table and the others. ""Something worries you, your business is your own. But need I be concerned?"
He nodded in the direction of the table and spoke softly. "We picked up a stray kid under strange circumstances yesterday and there's a possibility someone may want to kill or harm him. I'm fairly certain that we can handle whatever comes, but it does complicate our own task." He switched to speaking in more natural tones as they neared the table. "We're planning to split our team into groups of two or three people each so we can cover more area so we're thinking of joining up with others for mutual support and skill-sharing."
He was about to say more when a voice behind them said "Ah, Miss Walker, fancy seeing you here."
Teri turned and saw a man with a red-irised artificial eye and a battered mechanical arm with mis-matched hand. She instantly recognised him as the man they had met on the road up to the Mountain Resort. "Ullo," she said with a friendly smile, "how's your bike going?"
Wolfe turned at the voice and instantly recognised the man. Kiwi accent but a Welsh name... He nodded acknowledgement. "G'day, Gwion.
Gwion gave a grin. "Bike's going fine, thanks." He turned to Wolfe. "G'day, Wolfe, nice to see you've got a decent hairstyle for once." Then he turned to Katya. "Katya Oborin, your reputation precedes you. It's a pleasure to meet you properly."
Three others joined Gwion and Wolfe looked them over: a hard-looking woman with numerous visible piercings, heavily tattooed arms, short green mohawk with cropped pink-and-purple leopard patterned hair either side; an elfin-looking woman with eerie green eyes and noticeably pointed ears and a flamboyantly-dressed man with a torc around his neck, tattooed arms, a drooping moustache and a mane of bleached hair. Wolfe thought the last looked like the statue of Vercingetorix
◊ had got down off his plinth and popped into the local Glam store for a "new look".
The newcomers introduced themselves as Sophia, Kaitlyn and Finn respectively.
edited 9th Feb '16 9:04:53 PM by Wolf1066
[Hotel-Room 204-Hallway]
James shrugged. "I don't know...he really cares for that kid, even though we known him for barely a day. Oh, I shouldn't have snapped at him last night; I feel so god awful..."
Pancake meowed.
"You'll get breakfast in a second." James said, rubbing her back. "Hold your horses."
He twisted his lip and refaced Scents, "I-I'm sorry for disrupting your morning like this. I think I already took up too much of your time. I'm going to go check on him now. Have a good day."
With a slight apologetic bow, he went out the room and ran down the stairs. "John? John!"
[Hotel-Lobby]
"What do you mean you haven't seen him?" John asked at the front desk.
The woman behind the counter shook her head. "Sorry, but we haven't seen anyone with that description enter of leave the hotel last night or this morning."
"He's a walking, talking lizard! He's not hard to miss!" John frowned heavily, "Doesn't that make him stand out at least?"
"Sir, we have all kinds of creatures coming in and out of the hotel. Aliens, robots, talking animals, and the like. A humanoid lizard is not unique to this place. If he really did just vanish like you said, then this is beyond our control. But we will try our best to give you any updates if something changes. For now, we recommend you go to the dining hall and relax. Someone will be with you shortly."
John let out a frustrated groan and walked away from the counter, sitting in the chair in the lobby. Part of him knew that this was all pointless, but still...he needed some hope, no matter how small, that his friend was out there somewhere. He didn't want to give up. Not now, at least.
I'll probably post for Maya and Amy in another post.
edited 9th Feb '16 9:23:09 PM by Masterofchaos
Mountain Pass - Campsite
As Hoshi spoke, on behalf of Miyuki and apparently an entire empire, Roscoe and Blair watched and nodded sort of passively, without looking at each other, because they both knew that any look they shared at that moment would give away exactly what they thought of the attempted apology. Roscoe was willing to grant that Hoshi had already struck her as fairly lighthearted and irreverent toward most thinsg, but the way she was tackling this particular topic, a potentially sensitive one, was nothing short of ridiculous. It was clear she did not understand why Cyrus and Kito had been bothered enough to bring up the subject in the first place.
Fortunately the moment passed as Suela remarked on her tea. At that point Blair at least was able to concentrate on what the woman was saying and direct his attention to that. Good. Roscoe knew all too well that giving a Fae, even the high sidhe, an opportunity for mischief was just an invitation for conflict, which would ultimately help no one.
“That sounds and smells interesting,” Blair remarked, with a little smile that was actually muted laughter at what had previously transpired. “I’m not familiar with a couple of those plants. I take it they’re native to your home world?”
Roscoe gave a little smile of appreciation, meanwhile, at Kito’s acceptance of Hoshi’s apology. It had to have been difficult. However, she also knew what “for now” meant. Hopefully the whole thing would be forgotten by the time Miyuki joined them. She could help with that. “Oh, yeah, taking on new forms is always jarring at first. I can’t imagine having to deal with it in the middle of a fight.”
Blair fed Roscoe another handful of berries. This time, however, he was very obviously trying to get Roscoe to stop talking.
“Having to deal with anything in the middle of a magic fight is annoying. Body switching, though, that must be particularly so. That one hasn’t happened to me yet.” He nodded to the current Wolfram. “What does Cyrus think of those arrows? Also, is he any more receptive to being petted?”
Humorous subject change. It might be funny or irritating, but either way Blair hoped it would distract from what Roscoe had just said.
They needed better communication.
edited 9th Feb '16 9:52:05 PM by savlamar
Hotel - Dining Room - Chisa, Kaito, Recon, Trinity
Trinity smiled at Kaito's offer. "That would be most helpful, thank you." she replied. It would certainly give her more money to get whatever other supplies they may need. She grabbed herself some hashbrowns, an omelet, and some orange juice and found a table for all of them to sit at. Chisa, who never tried eating food until now, had no idea what to get specifically so she grabbed whatever looked good. Pancakes, sausage and some cranberry juice. The pancakes had strawberries and whipped cream on top and Trinity grinned at the choices as Chisa sat next to her.
Recon's question brought her attention to him and her smile faded a bit. "Well, I was thinking perhaps we could train Chisa in using her new body and powers. And then well...I don't know. When I came into this world, I noticed the way I came in disappeared. I never mentioned this, but I'm not sure how to get back to my world at the moment. I haven't been able to reach Lotus either, though I admit I haven't tried as of late due to everything going on." she explained.
Chisa picked at her pancakes listening to the older woman. She too had no idea how to get home, after all, she came running from Trinity's world and thanks to Kaito, she now knew where she truly belonged. She looked up at him and suddenly asked, "Do you know how to get home?" with a tilt of her head.
"Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?"
[Room 205 -> Dining Hall]
Once everyone got ready, the group of Annie, Gregory and Nemaforte made their way down to the hotel's dining hall, where Annie plopped herself into the first free chair she saw before crying out, to no one in particular "All right! I'm going to need Eggs! Scrambled! And lots of them. I've got a huge day ahead of me!"
"That reminds me," Gregory added, "If and when we do find Elizabeth, how is she going to react to us? Don't forget, I've never met the woman."
Annie took a deep breath. "Look, the one thing you two have to know about my sister, is that you can never really know anything about her. She's what you'd call a volatile person. Finding her is hard... convincing her to do something is even harder. But you know, deep down Elizabeth loves me, so I'm sure she'll have no issue helping us out!"
"Hasn't she tried to kill you before... a few times?" Gregory asked with a raised eyebrow, but Annie doesn't lose her smile.
"Boy, has she! But it's all in good fun, I swear. You guys will love her."
[Grand Hotel (Dining Hall)]
Iraal paused for a moment before answering. That hadn't exactly been the response she was expecting. She had only herself to blame, though - this kind of thing was the reason why she normally preferred directness.
The silence stretched on a moment longer as a text message from Scents appeared overlaid on her vision: Coming down now. Order me some soup. Eventually, though, she realized that Zuri had probably expected her to say something by now.
She reached up to push her sunglasses up her nose slightly. "Did I not mention it before? The 'Dead God' is the name I've seen used for some sort of ancient ruin or artifact in the mountains, or maybe beyond them - my information is limited. It's what Scents and I are here to look at. I don't think I understand half of what you're telling me, but I think it's possible from what I do that whatever might be affecting your... um, Lupin, might possibly be connected to this Dead God."
Normally, she preferred to say things with a bit more certainty, but this situation was an unusual one. If anything, she thought she might be overstating the possibility - but it couldn't hurt to have more people along either way.
Although...
"I don't think we can afford to drag a comatose man along with us, though," she continued. "Is there anywhere you could leave him?"
Scents will arrive next post.
Attitude is prohibited
[Mountain Pass] (Campsite)
Hoshi breathed a sigh of relief, happy to have avoided the potential conflict. Not so much out of any genuine concern for the feelings of others, but because she was afraid the others might demand the Miyuki leave if she refused to apologize, as Hoshi knew that she would. And if Miyuki left, Hoshi would have to go with her, and she didn't want that. She wanted an adventure and she didn't know where else to get one, aside from here with this odd group.
"Whew. Glad that's over with." Muttered Hoshi.
That was about when Miyuki came back. "What's over?" She said. Her mask was gone now, and her face was plainly visible. Not that it tended to emote much more than a featureless, opaque, black mask...
"Um, nothing!" Said Hoshi. "Did you say 'hi' to Rin and Maya for me?"
Miyuki nodded.
"Did they say anything back?" Said Hoshi, eagerly.
"Rin said, 'stop messing around.'"
Hoshi frowned. "Yeah, that sounds like her..."
Not entirely dead.
[Town ~ Hotel (Lobby)] (John)
John was being observed, whether he knew it yet or not. Eyes had been upon him shortly after he'd emerged from the stairs into the lobby, but most had lost interest in his frantic state after a matter of seconds. However, one particular pair lingered on, studying the man as he moved through the lobby and spoke to the person at the front desk. But it wasn't until John had left the front desk that the pair of eyes—or rather, the person in possession of said eyes—made their move.
A man who had spent the previous few minutes lingering near some vending machines in a small hall between the hotel lobby and a set of public bathrooms stepped out into the lobby proper. He took a quick look around, even glancing over his shoulder, before walking casually towards the chairs and finally approaching John.
He was a young man, though solidly built, tall, with a large jaw and a crop of very short blonde hair decorating his head like mowed grass. He was wearing a black wool jacket over a plain white shirt, dark blue denim jeans, and some dusty white sports sneakers. Not the kind of person to stand out in a crowd on looks alone.
"You all right man?" he asked, looking down at John with his pair of lingering greenish eyes. "You sound like you're having some kind of an issue." his voice sounded as though it had some deepness to it, some power, but that both were being reserved. "Cracker jack?" he asked, taking a piece of caramelized popcorn out of a small bag in his hand and popping it in his mouth before holding out the bag to John.
this place needs me here
[Hotel-Lobby]
John was considering going outside and continue his search there, but he didn't even get the chance to get up from his chair before a young man came to talk to him. It was surprising that this, besides the lady at the counter, was the most normal person he had seen in his rather short time here. At least, that what he think he was at the moment. On top of that, he was one of the few people that sounded like he was willing to help him; another surprise.
He wasn't going to turn down probably the only help he had at maybe finding Joseph, so he tried his best to get his story in order.
"Uh...something like that." John said, slowly taking some of the popcorn from the bag, "I'm looking for someone. He vanished last night, and I've been trying to find him, or try to get anyone to find him. I haven't had any luck yet, and almost everyone thinks this is all pointless. But I'm not giving up yet."
He blinked. "Um...may I know your name? I don't think I've seen you around the Frontier before."
edited 10th Feb '16 11:13:11 PM by Masterofchaos
[Town ~ Hotel (Lobby)] (John)
The stranger shook his head, his smiling frown becoming ever the more merry.
"No, you probably haven't." he said, squinting slightly, "Is that unusual?" Before John could answer, the stranger shook his head again and put a hand up, "Nah, forget it. Save your answer for a better question. I am... my name's... Omar." he hesitated for a moment, glancing behind himself again before adding, "Ah... P-... Pringle. You can call me Omar.”
He turned around, seeming to scan the room yet again, then took a seat next to John.
“Now,” he said, “about that better question. This person you're looking for. This guy, from the sound of it. He ‘’vanished’’, you said? Vanished like... poof?" Omar clenched his fist, releasing it with the word "poof", as though he were releasing a cloud of smoke. Then he tilted his head, "Or do you suppose he might've just run off?"
this place needs me here
Drummer Boy
[Hotel Dining Room]
<thanks.>
Arthur typed and sent this with his left hand while his right was occupied with transferring food into his mouth. Fuck, he hadn't had food this good since he left home. That was at least a year and a half ago. Mom never made American food, though.
A voice message from Gwen and played in his earpiece, confirming that everyone was still in a bad mood but mostly leaving each other alone. That was... decent news, actually. Maybe by the time he got back they'd be all calmed down.
He was kind of wondering what Gwen would have to say to Tsadro about this leadership stuff. "Easier said than done," probably. Then again, for her, it was just... different. Arthur felt that she'd be doing much better if the rest of the team was her age. Hell, under normal circumstances, she'd still be at a training camp.
<i've been kind of wondering, what's the state of the psychiatric field where you come from? do they look for straight-up cures for things like autism? have they already been found? forced onto people?>
[Mountain Pass Campsite]
Kito had started off the morning not wanting to make a huge issue out of last night, just to be pragmatic, but if Brin could offer a decent apology, why would it be so hard for Miyuki to do the same? And what made Hoshi think she knew exactly what would happen if Miyuki was confronted about this?
When Hoshi muttered something under her breath, Cyrus pricked up his ears. I'm really starting to wonder what exactly she was trying to avoid...
A conflict. Clearly.
But how big of one?
Oh, don't worry, we're not letting the matter rest forever, are we? Her evasiveness only inspires more curiosity. "You know, Roscoe, you made it sound like you're no stranger to the experience. Cyrus likes your craftsmanship well enough, Blair, but is your archery up to par? As for your second question..." He grinned lazily and started scratching behind Cyrus's ears. "You gotta be special. No, really, would you just pat some random guy on the head? Is that a thing where you come from?"
edited 12th Feb '16 1:27:50 AM by SnowyFoxes
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
[dining hall - Tsadro, Arthur] Well, that really wasn't much shorter, but it got more to the point, at least?
He blinked, his mug raised halfway. Dare he ask, did this have something to do with Unit Psi?
<I can't recall if I told you this, but I believe Mialor bears a very important difference from your society- it is what one might call post-scarcity. Drones have supplanted humans in most jobs, meaning only a small percentage of the population is actually needed for work- in government, law enforcement, journalism, education, research, things like that. The government sustains a large non-working population with basic income, but there is still a very, very deep divide between the working wealthy, and the poor who must rely on basic income. The product and types of services each one has access to contains almost no overlap.>
Tsadro leisurely sipped his tea. <Now, where does psychiatric medicine come into this? There exists a number of treatment options- psychotherapy, medication, experimental implants that can regulate brain chemistry. The government and its extensive genetic screenings would have you think that almost all psychiatric conditions have genetics as a primary cause. They feel it's easier, cheaper, and "reduces suffering" to "cure" as many illnesses and chronic conditions as possible by strongly discouraging people with such undesirable genes from breeding. Not sterilization... just strong disincentives. It's not completely without merit, several of the most debilitating physical genetic abnormalities have been greatly reduced this way, but you see a slippery slope here, do you? What is the result?>
He set his empty mug down, glancing away. <The government doesn't care about any condition that is not mortal within a year, and that has more than a minuscule genetic component. What gets hit the most with this? Most psychiatric conditions are considered sufficiently based in genetics. "It's your parents' fault," they say, "they saw their screening results and should have known they'd have a child with a problem. We're not encouraging others to repeat your mistake by helping you fix it." And if you are unlucky enough to be alive with a psychiatric condition that you can't afford to treat? They say if you're wealthy, you can probably afford treatment or someone who can take care of you out of your own pocket, and if you're poor, you don't need to work or even interact with another living thing anyway, so what's the point?> He sighed.
edited 16th Feb '16 3:50:53 PM by CrystalGlacia
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
[Hotel-Lobby]
John tilted his head. Why did this man seem to hesitate telling him his name? It wasn't like he asked a super hard question; he just wanted to know his name. Nothing more to it.
He let it slide, just for now.
"I'm John." he said, "And no, he didn't run away; I would've heard the door if he did. Besides that, the bed didn't even look like he moved. He just...vanished out of thin air, and I can't find him."
He clenched his legs. "Everyone is telling me that it's pointless looking for him...even my fiance...but I'm not giving up! He's just a kid and he's probably lost somewhere, cold and scared..."
He realized that he just went on a mini rant, and cleared this throat. "S-Sorry about all that, friend. T-The point that I'm trying to make is that he didn't run off and I know it. I didn't know him that long, but I know he wouldn't run off like that during a storm."
Professional Recluse
Katya
Hunting, fishing, and foraging. Like a perpetual camping trip. The thought brought a smile to her face. Her own survival skills were considerable but she couldn't see renewing survival based on it. Somehow she pegged it as exactly what the mad bastards would do. Dimension hopping on the side was odd for such a...rural setting, but the group had proven already they were a cast of contrast.
Wolfe explained the tag along softly. Bodyguard detail, she was neutral on the idea but being forced to guard another tended to make tactical combat brittle. It helped when the body was a competent fighter.
Another man approached, this one she had seen often with Wulf but never got the chance to meet in person. He was brown like Teri but not as much, she knew she'd seen it somewhere in the world but the name eluded her. His arm was mechanical, as was his eye, an interesting contrast. Gwion, it was one of the stranger human names she'd run across but she'd checked files all the same. While far from complete he was an on/off citizen of Capital and seemed known for driving and security.
"Katya Oborin, your reputation precedes you. It's a pleasure to meet you properly."
Polite too it seemed. And well connected, though his being a friend of Ulf could explain the familiarity.
"As does yours Gospodin Gwion."
His handshake was firm but not overpowering, for that she was grateful. The companions with them were called Sophia, Kaitlyn, and Finn and were not known to her. She filed it away for future reference, a man of security was likely to have good company but since the Great Patriotic War she was more comfortable feeding her paranoia a bit.
She sat and began to eat. "Coincidently I am also here for work. Buut I believe I can be pulled away for a while to help some old friends." she smiled. "I have examined the people in town regardless and none are connected to my asset to my knowledge. Helping you might help me as well since I have no desire to go stomping around a hot dusty place such as this with no purpose."
Stoned hippie without the stoned. Or the hippie. My AO3 Page, grab a chair and relax.
[Town ~ Hotel (Lobby)] (Omar, John)
Omar's brow knitted hard as John attempted to fill him in on what he knew. He popped a few pieces of popcorn into his mouth, chewing slowly while he mulled John's words over in silence. After a few seconds, a few squints, and a few thoughtful frowns, he turned his eyes back to John and said, "Well John, when you put it like that, it doesn't sound like a whole lot to go on, does it? But here, I've got a few other questions; try and see if you can answer them for me, and we'll work from there, 'kay?"
He tipped his cracker jack bag in John's direction again before proceeding with his questions. "First, " he began, "this 'kid' as you called him: is he like... ten? Is he a toddler, or...?" he held up a finger before John could answer, "hold that thought. My second question is, were you awake all night, or are you a really light sleeper? Say, would it be at all possible for someone to creep out of bed, quietly ease open a door and then sneak out without capturing your attention, maybe? That one is more of just a thought," Omar said, tapping his own forehead. He glanced away again, looking a little uncertain, then finally said, "Lastly, ah... I don't mean to pry into another man's emotions, but... do you think you're being completely objective about all this?"
this place needs me here
PAINKILLER
Grand Hotel - Dining Hall (Peggy, Kris, Karl, James and Vic)
Vic leaned in his seat a bit to eye the person. "Russian? Like from a different country?" He raised his eyebrows. "Huh. So, you guys go to different places a lot? Sounds cool."
Soon enough, Samuel came inside, looking stoic, but still void of his calm demeanor. He saw the group right off, and marched up to them. Vic waved him over, but Samuel's sudden rise in speed made the gesture fade.
He grabbed Vic's arm and jerked him up to a stand. The boy looked confused. "Hey, hey, what's wrong?"
He ordered, "We're getting the hell out, that's what." He jerked for the boy to leave, but Vic resisted.
"Why?"
Samuel eyed the group with him. "I think you're in danger. We gotta leave now." Vic still was confused, but allowed Samuel to lead him out. He passed by the other half of the Mad Bastards.
I said that Samuel went outside, but disregard it.
[Town ~ Bed & Breakfast (Shared Room)](Connie, Davey, Irina)
Irina pulled the chair closer, and sat down. She breathed in the air. After a long exhale, she said, "I'm glad the sandstorm went. I'm also glad you're all right, Davey."
She stretched a bit. "So, you got any plans today? No one comes out to a desert for the sights."
[Grand Hotel - Presidential Suite]
When Todd realized that he was alone in the suite, he knew something was wrong. He first sprung up to look for the book of scriptures, which had disappeared from his bag. He then lunged at his communicator and put in a certain frequency.
"Commander, Commander." But his intended recipient failed to pick up. He growled and threw the thing down. He returned to his room to clothe himself.
He found Samuel's pistol in its holster among the clothes. He took it out and readied it.
Once Todd was ready to go, he ran to the elevator. They couldn't be too far.
Life is hard, that's why no one survives.
Crazy Kiwi
Grand Hotel - Dining Hall
Katya, Vic, the Mad Bastards, Alpha, Gwion, Kaitlyn and FinnGospodin. Gwion didn't know exactly what it meant but he had heard it in his travels - always in the context of an honorific title in the same way "m'sieur", "Herr" or "Mister" might be used under similar circumstances by speakers of other languages.
Katya took the last spare seat at the table where Kris and the others were sitting and started eating. Teri and Wolfe took their places by their waiting breakfasts.
Gwion mentally gave the group full marks for choosing the best table in the house that gave a clear view of the rest of the dining room - it was the table Gwion would have chosen - and he had no doubt that it was a deliberate choice on their part.
He chose the neighbouring table which didn't give quite as good a view of the room but at least had no dangerous blind spots from which they could be attacked without warning.
Kaitlyn eyed up the group at Teri and Wolfe's table. When she had entered the room, the hushed conversation between the Russian woman and the kiwi bloke had stood out amongst the normal conversational level of others in the room and she had singled it out even before she had realised Gwion knew them. Consequently, she knew exactly what had passed between the two regarding the "stray kid" picked up under "strange circumstances". It hadn't taken much to identify the "stray kid" - all of Wolfe and Teri's group had a certain "back woods" vibe to their clothes and equipment.
She, Sophia and Finn introduced themselves to the others at Teri and Wolfe's table and took places at the table with Gwion.
"Coincidently I am also here for work." Said Katya. "But I believe I can be pulled away for a while to help some old friends." she smiled. "I have examined the people in town regardless and none are connected to my asset to my knowledge. Helping you might help me as well since I have no desire to go stomping around a hot dusty place such as this with no purpose."
James nodded. "That's exactly why we're looking at connecting up with other groups. We could spend months wandering around this place and not find what we seek, or we could break up into smaller groups, join up with others and head out in different directions to cover more ground."
Wolfe had watched enough movies to note the use of the word "asset" and associate it with "spy stuff", which had him wondering exactly what it was that she did - she didn't seem to be merely an "exalted worker" herself. Gwion was obviously some sort of quasi-para-semi-hemi-demi-military/security sort and the fact that Katya's reputation was known to him spoke volumes in itself.
Kris was about to reply to Vic's question about visiting different places when she saw Samuel enter the room and head for the table in a purposeful march.
Sophia watched the brusque exchange between the military man and the young lad with mild interest. Of more interest to her was how many people's hands "casually" moved closer to where they might conceivably be carrying concealed weapons. Her own right hand dropped gently to her thigh, scant centimetres from where one of her SIG-Sauers rested in its holster, and there it stayed - things hadn't taken a violent turn yet and she didn't know enough about the situation to initiate any action.
She noted Teri's group exchange glances, heavily laden with unspoken words, and obviously they decided that the military bloke was not a threat as they made no move to unholster their weapons, nor voiced any protest, when he led the lad away.
Once Samuel and Vic had left the room, Wolfe moved his right hand away from his holstered Walther and turned to Katya. "I'm sure Samuel's motives are for Vic's safety - he spared the kid's life yesterday - it's Todd and others that're likely to be the problem."
Teri nodded. "And from the way Samuel's acting, I think he's recently worked that out."
"That's gotta be hard on him," said Kris.
Karl regarded the door thoughtfully. "I wonder what it was he found out."
Gwion wondered what sort of life Teri and the others led. They lacked the uniformity of a military unit and looked downright "rustic" in some respects and yet James was obviously ex-military. They were all armed and behaved like they were well accustomed to dealing with dangerous situations but - even though they were obviously extremely well accustomed to working together as a group - they didn't seem like any military, police or security group he had ever seen. Despite the strange admixture of old and new technologies and styles, Kris had a prosthetic arm as good as any available in his time. Better than his own, he had to admit. They had visited Capital City at least once - Teri's bike came from the same shop as his own - and kept turning up in the strangest places. Why? What was their function? It would be worth keeping a closer eye on them.
He turned to James. "We might as well throw in with you as well if you're going to be splitting your forces." He nodded at Katya. "And it will be good to work with you. Any friend of Ulf is a friend of mine."
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Shared Room Balcony)] (Davey, Irina)
Davey leaned back in his chair as far as he could, yawning and stretching. He'd definitely been sitting outside for quite a while.
"You know, I've given it some serious thought, and I'm glad those things happened too." he said, following his words with a particularly weaselly smile. "Even so, there's not a whole lot a sandstorm can do that a good shower can't just as easily undo."
He may have been selling the storm a little short, but that was, in many ways, the point. His smile softened and, slowly, his expression returned to something that looked—by the standards of his face—a little more sincere. "Really, I'm... sorry if I gave you or Connie a big scare. If it makes you feel any better, I didn't see hide or hair of Garganteum, although, believe it or not, I wasn't the only one wandering around out there."
He sighed and readjusted his sitting position, ending up cross-legged with his arms resting across his knees and his tail coiled slightly to the side, next to his leg. "As for plans, well, I was going to talk to Rip to see if he had anything in mind — this was all his idea, see — but I don't expect much is going to come of that. So, actually, 'seeing the sights' might just manage to sneak it's way onto the agenda."
edited 13th Feb '16 7:22:02 PM by Ryuhza
this place needs me here
[Hotel-Lobby]
"He's seventeen." John said, "And no, I'm not a light sleeper, but like I said, the bed doesn't even look like anyone or anything moved. Not at all."
When Omar suggested that he was being objective about this, John glared.
"...Objective?" he repeated, "How dare you? Sir, if someone you grown to care about just vanished in the middle of the night, you would act like a worried parent too, wouldn't you? He's a kid, who literally just vanished in the middle of the night, while me and my fiance were in the same room, and we don't even know why! And all I'm doing is sitting here and-"
"John?"
John completely stopped his rant when James appeared next to him, with Pancake on his shoulder. Once Pancake saw her owner again, she leaped onto his lap and sat down. James looked at John, then Omar, then John again.
"What are you doing?" he asked as he sat next to him, "And who is this?"
"This is Omar," John said, "And he might possibly be the one help I might get in finding Joseph again."
James frowned. "John, are you sure you want to do this? We're dealing with something neither one of us understands, and you could be-"
"I made my mind. I'm not giving up."
James sighed, then looked back at Omar. "Sorry for interrupting. Are you some sort of detective?"
Ok, I will post for Amy and Maya...soon.
edited 14th Feb '16 2:49:08 PM by Masterofchaos
[Mountain Pass] (Campsite)
Suela responded to Blair's question with a nod. "Yes; the spirit lantern in particular is from my husband's garden, though we're a bit low for mountain rose, and his effort's to get the emperor's shoe to take haven't paid off." She smiled fondly as she recalled him cursing the emperor's shoe for not quite taking root despite his best efforts. "It's warm enough in Icegate, barely — everyone in the lowlands assumes it gets to freezing out there, but that's not quite what the name means. Something about the soil was his theory? He'd talk your ear of I'm sure... and oh, am I rambling?" She was back to her usual self.
Satisfied that Suela was in a good mood after her tea, Brin said, "I should see about that previous lot. It sounds quiet; I think they've moved on. For better or worse."
Suela nodded and added, "if so, we should get moving; I don't want to sit around in these mountains all day!"
[Town ~ Hotel (Lobby)] (Omar, James, John, Pancake)
Omar sighed, looking fairly unimpressed by John's little diatribe. He waited patiently, looking ready to say something in return, but James showed up, and any such plans were put on hold. Instead, he got to wait again as John and James touched bases, perking up slightly when the conversation finally turned back to him.
"Detective? No no, not professionally." He shrugged, "Just a guy with time on his hands, saw someone with an issue and thought, hey, maybe I can help." he turned his eyes from James to John, "and I'd like to help; I'm not trying to be insulting here— I get- I understand that you're very concerned about finding this seventeen-year-old 'kid', or at best sorting out what happened to him, right? I'm just worried that this... ah... emotional stress might be interfering with your sense of reasoning, you get me?"
Omar paused for a moment, turning his attention back to James. He held out his snack bag to the man, rattling it. "Cracker jack?" Then he continued, speaking again to John, "For instance, this bed thing, I'm not sure I follow. You said that the bed doesn't look like anything or anyone moved, but wha... what does that mean? Was the bed completely undisturbed like it had just been made? Or did it look like someone was still in it, like... like a bunch of pillows or something?"
this place needs me here
Mountain Pass - Campsite
Both Roscoe and Blair noted Hoshi’s extreme relief, but since her conversation with Miyuki upon the latter’s return did not seem to have anything to do with them or the others, they set the whole issue aside, for the moment. Sometimes Roscoe hated how Blair tended to be right about these things; about Brin and Miyuki having left Kito behind, for one, at least on one count. But then, despite Roscoe being older than Blair - almost by orders of magnitude - he had more experience dealing with various types of people, and had the added advantage of being endlessly cynical.
She protested a little at the forced berries, but then realized that she really should not have talked so much about shapeshifting if she was pretending to be a normal human. And since Blair had already had to break character, he was likely very serious about keeping hers in place.
“She’s always been very sympathetic,” Blair answered Kito breezily, before moving directly into a wholly different topic. “I think you’ll find my archery above par; I trained to be the best at it.” He raised one eyebrow. “But you bring up a valid point… I don’t think I would appreciate being randomly scratched behind the ears. People like to do it to cats and dogs, though. Dogs seem to like it. Cats… who ever really knows with cats?”
His attention turned to Suela as she spoke of her husband’s gardening, and he chuckled, not laughing at her, but because he did enjoy learning about different places and their quirks. He added his approval to her last comment: “Yes, we should get going soon, while the weather is on our side.” Who knew what they would encounter later, in this climate?
Roscoe looked less enthusiastic, but, swallowing the remainder of the mouthful of berries, nodded as well.
[Hotel-Lobby]
James looked at the bag and lightly shook his head. "No thanks. But thank you for the offer."
"Well...the last time I spoke to him..." John said, scratching his head, "He was heading to the bathroom, but I fell asleep. But I know he didn't...he wouldn't..."
"I'll explain." James said, rubbing John's back, "The bed looks like someone was in it, but never left it. That's what makes the whole thing so weird to us. It could be a time traveling thing or something else, but we don't know what. Either way...I don't think he's here. As in anywhere in the Frontier." he looked at John, "But we're still trying to have a little bit of hope that he could show back up at any minute."
That last sentence was for John's sake. In reality, James knew that this was nothing more than a wild goose chase. He wanted to find an easier to way to explain to that to his fiance, but nothing came up. The only thing he could do now was comfort him until the inevitable happens.
Pancake curiously sniffed Omar.
Hotel - Dining Hall (Zuri, Iraal)
Zuri was interested indeed at Iraal's mentioning of a dead god, and of an adventure. She leaned forward in her chair, not even realizing that the waiter had brought her corned beef hash while she was gone.
"An adventure? To the mountains?" She took a glance out the window. "Hmm, it might get hot later on during the day, but I am up for it. However, there is the issue of Lupin... I have the strange feeling that he may not wake up for a while, but I don't want to leave him here either. I fear he may be locked in some sort of nightmare. Which means we'd need to find some way to transport him. Anyway, what is this Dead God of which you speak?"
Zuri began to wonder that whatever it is, it may have been the reason why her astral projection was blocked there...
edited 9th Feb '16 6:46:18 PM by ladytanuki
Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.