OH HELL YES I AM BACK
[Bed and Breakfast (Lobby)]
Maya furrowed her eyebrow. After all that talk of opening up and pressuring Davey to bring up his past, now Connie doesn't want to talk? Well, it looks like she was gonna have to get her to confess the hard way.
She then smirked, grabbed Connie from behind, and started to give her a noogie.
Come on... she typed in her other hand, Don't back out after all that talk!
[Bed and Breakfast (Porch)]
Amy looked at Davey, twisting her lips.
"Is it so wrong to worry about my friends?" she asked, "I mean...the way you walked out, I had to come check on you! After a story like that, how can I not worry?"
She furrowed her eyebrow.
"I won't keep dwelling on this, but I would like to see if my friends are doing ok. That's what friends are for after all!" She then shook her head, "You're so confusing sometimes, Davey. Why don't you want me to check on your well being?"
Attitude is prohibited
[Subterranean Shelter]
Rin resisted the urge to bite her lip. This wasn't going quite as well as she had hoped, but at least nobody had been shot yet.
"A big, black lizard, you say? Hm..." said Rin, stalling. "Well, I know of only one person who could fit that description, and I'm sorry to say it, but he left a couple of minutes ago," she continued, with a shrug. "Yeah, he's probably halfway back to town by now. He'll be back, though. We're expecting some company, you see." She let that sit, and her eyes darted around the room as she paused for a moment.
"But listen, my friends and I don't want any trouble, so I'll happily tell you what we're doing here. We're..." she hesitated, but only briefly. "We're archaeologists. Hobbyists, though, nothing professional. We heard from our friend there," she motioned to Omar. "That there might be some sights to see in here. Nothing exciting or valuable, but worth the short trip out if you're anything like us. Stuff that the miners might have stumbled across and brushed aside way back when. Just pottery, some little walls, drawings, stuff like that..."
She didn't like the attitude these people were giving her. Just who did they think they were? If it wasn't for Omar's predicament, she might have already killed them, or at least given them a few injuries they'd be thinking about for a while. She was tempted to try and intimidate them into cooperation, but not only would that be a rather sudden break from the approach she'd already started, she had a gut feeling that it wouldn't work out the way she wanted it to.
She'd avoided conflict with the gentle strategy thus far, and so supposed that it would be best to continue on with it. She cleared her throat. "He's Omar, by the way. That's his name. I'm Rin, and this is Cynthia," she said. "We've told you what you wanted to know, so how about we just part ways pretend this never happened?"
Not entirely dead.
Southern Desert ~ Underground Bunker (Cynthia; Joseph, Omar, Los Tres Chiflados; Rin)
The young knight frowned slightly in thought; it was best to keep Joseph out of unnecessary danger. She decided to roll the best she could with the archaeologist cover story Rin provided. "We hadn't gotten far when Omar called for us just now," she added, "so we haven't found anything yet." That last part she directed towards Omar.
Cynthia then shot Rin a pleading look; she wouldn't be able to maintain the facade for long if she was forced to lie for any extended period of time. At this moment, the room's residential rat decided that there were far too many noisy people around. The rather size-able creature took off along the wall and dashed across Cynthia's foot. This gave the young knight an idea.
"EEK! A rat!" she yelped, her shield flickering out of existence as she stumbled backwards, letting the rat disappear down the tunnel.
edited 28th Jun '17 9:59:31 AM by WillDeRegio
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Main Hall)] (Connie, Rip, Maya)
Rip didn't see Maya's message, but the idea was clear enough. He looked at Connie with pursed lips, narrowed eyes and slightly arched eyebrows. He wasn't going to intervene.
"All right, all right!" Connie growled, pushing Maya's arm away from her head, "Jesus— it's not even anything big, it's just..."
Suddenly, she straightened up and relaxed, even folding her hands in her lap, like she was on some sort of talk show. Candidly, she answered, "I was just wondering about David's family. I was wondering what they would think if they saw him the way he is now."
Rip shook his head, "Connie, Davey cut ties with his folks a very long time ago. My point being, I don't think he cares. You probably paid 'em more mind just now than he has in the past month."
Connie didn't say anything, she just looked off to the side, frowning slightly.
"Ah," he said, raising his eyebrows momentarily, "a mite-a' misdirection." He beckoned to her. "Well, come on then. You opened this door; gotta plant both feet on the other side."
She glanced between Maya and Rip, then—with reluctance and little of the composure she'd shown moments earlier—said, "Fine, you got me. I was thinking about myself." She leaned forward slightly, propping her head up with her hands. "I was wondering how things would be if something like that—something like what happened to Dave—happened to me. What would my family think? What would they do?"
Rip frowned, shifting his jaw uneasily. After a few seconds, he answered, though he seemed almost as reluctant as Connie herself had been. "I'm sure..." he began, slowly, "I'm sure they would take you in with open arms, any which way. But look, you don't have to worry about that. Davey faced a very powerful and very uncommon kind of person; a once-in-a-lifetime kind of encounter, unless you're actively looking for that kind of trouble. All it takes is a little precaution— you stick with us and you'll stay just as you are."
He planted his fingers against his jacket, "Just look at me. I've been here thirty-odd years and I ain't got a hair out of sorts."
"Yeah..." Connie replied, "as far as you can tell."
[Town ~ Railway Street (Bed and Breakfast Porch)] (Davey, Amy)
"That's not it," Davey said, shaking his head. "You can worry about your friends— about me, I just don't want you to get fixed on this... this idea that I'm not well, or that I'm constantly bothered by this thing that happened nearly five years ago."
He paused, studying Amy's expression for a moment before letting out his breath, facing the street again, and draping his arms over the bench's backrest. "Oh," he sighed, "maybe I'm the one who's worrying too much. But I've had relationships end—several of them—shortly after I told them that story."
He glanced at Amy again, "Sure there are a lot of reassurances that 'everything is fine', that 'nothing is going to change', but things do change. Subtle changes that grow and grow until they can't be ignored. We would hash it out for a while, try to make sense of everything. Try to find answers. They came as surprise the first time, but only as dread thereafter."
The fur-tinged corners of his mouth twisted in a peculiar frown before he continued.
"I was told—to paraphrase—that it was hard to be around me. That thinking about me and simply looking at me made them feel guilty. Again," he raised a finger, "more than once. It sounds absurd, but I know they meant it. Through their words, little fidgets, expressions... I could sense exactly what they were talking about. And they never said it to be mean. These were people that I," he sucked in his breath, "for a time, I felt very close to. Tears were shed with these words. And 'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.' "
He closed his eyes, keeping his head very still until a shiver-like shake roused him once more.
"Now, telling you this story probably isn't helping matters, but," Davey fixed her with an earnest stare, "Amy, I don't want you to feel guilty like that. I don't want some years-old incident that happened to me be a burden to you, or anyone else." He placed his hand against her shoulder, "I'm all right. Really, I am."
He looked at Amy for a few more seconds before returning his gaze to the town beyond the porch. "Honestly... it's not all bad."
[Southern Desert ~ Subterranean Shelter] (Omar & Guests, Cynthia, Rin) The blonde Omar lookalike let slip a suppressed honk of amusement when Rin claimed that Joseph—or the 'big, black lizard', rather—had left minutes earlier. It wasn't until both she and Cynthia had spoken that he replied though.
"That's bullshit," he declared in a odd, nasally voice, underlaid by something of a southern accent. "We saw all of you go in, and not a one of you come out." He smiled like he was holding back another laugh. "Come on now."
"Didn't ask for your names," the caterpillar-stache man said. "Don't want them."
All the while, Omar tried getting the attention of one of his two negotiators. Making as little obvious movement as he could, he tapped his wristwatch and repeatedly mouthed the words, No time. But before any communication could occur, the rat from before made its presence—with the help of Cynthia—quite well known.
The loss of Cynthia's shield immediately caught the eye of the mustachioed man, who now bore a despicable grin. "How kind of you," he said, before nodding to the woman with the cigarettes. Omar felt the gun barrel get removed from his back, only to be swiftly replaced by the man's boot, sending him straight to the ground.
Meanwhile, the cigarette woman took one last drag, blowing a small cloud of smoke across the hole in the wall, before reaching her hand over and flicking the spent cigarette at the two within. Then she readied her rifle and hurried to join the mustachioed man.
Omar, though struggling to catch his breath, knew what was about to happen. He rolled over in time to see the mustachioed man raise his weapon. With a painfully mustered burst of energy, he kicked his legs out at the man's shins. As soon as his feet made contact, he looked back at those in the tunnel and began shouting in a strained, wheezy voice. "Weller needs to go now! Take the red lantern and carry it to the far wall! There-"
Before he could continue, he was kicked in the gut by the rifle toting woman, sending him gasping onto his hands and knees. The mustachioed man, recovering as quickly as he could from Omar's last-ditch leg assault, once again raised his weapon. He the woman pointed their rifles at the hole in the wall, and opened fire.
These three are expendable
this place needs me here
[Bed and Breakfast (Lobby)]
Connie, Maya typed, The chances of something like that happening to you is unlikely. Aside from the fact that the man responsible for this is dead, do you honestly think Davey and Rip would allow that to happen to you?
It felt weird that she was the one trying to comfort her instead of Amy, but it was the least she could do, though it made her feel a little weird. Rip pretty much said what mostly needed to be said, so all she typed was:
Sorry for the noogie.
[Bed and Breakfast (Porch)]
Amy frowned heavily.
"...You really think I would do that to you, Davey?" she asked, "I wouldn't! The story did make me worried but not enough to do that to you! I would never leave my friends like that!" She furrowed her eyebrows, "And your story is not a burden to me at all! Why would it? I won't treat you any different than how I treated you before! Promise! Cross my heart and hope to die!"
She then tilted her head.
"I do want to tell you that if you wanna vent or something like that, I'm here! I can give you my number, and with one call, I'll come rushing in!" she smiled, "Cause that's what friends are for!" She looked down at the town as well. "...You think you're about ready to head back inside, or do you need another minute?
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Main Hall)] (Connie, Rip, Maya)
Rip only grumbled something incoherent at Connie's suggestion, though it sounded just a bit like a concession.
Connie read Maya's message—which reiterated, for the most part, what Rip had already said—and smiled a rather discontented smile. "I know Rip and Dave would do whatever they could to keep that from happening, but I'm not naive enough to actually believe that it's entirely in their hands. And I of course don't mean something exactly like what happened to Dave, but he's not the only one who's ever been affected like that. I mean, not to discount how specifically traumatic his experience was, but," she turned to Rip, "one of the first things you taught me about Ianus is that people change here. Remember? When you found out about how long I'd been wandering out in the wilderness, without any sort of protection or know-how? You told me that I was extremely lucky that nothing happened."
Without skipping a beat, she looked back at Maya, "See, it's this thing they call 'The Will of the World'. It can change people. It's like this bizarre force of nature, but with like a... like a... well, people don't understand how it works."
"There are theories," Rip interjected.
"Right, there are theories, but nothing that's really stuck. They don't really understand. Sometimes there are people who can control it, like they tap into it and use it however they want, right?"
"Will-warpers," Rip added with a nod. "Bunch of crazies."
"But a lot of the time," Connie continued, "most of the time, it just operates on its own accord. Like there's some invisible hand, guiding it all. No one knows where it comes from, how it works, who it's going to affect or exactly what it's going to do. And it's everywhere."
Rip put up a hand, "But Connie, it's not as if we're entirely bereft of understanding. We've got methods of keeping it in check. Method of keeping ourselves safe."
"It's just lowering the odds, Rip. Shit still happens. You can live in the safest town with those little magic flowers at every corner, get all your clothes made with that... kookoo twine or whatever, never run into any of the Yekkel Albors of the world, and still end up with polka dots all over your skin and feathers growing out of your fingers. And if the Will of the World picked me, there would be nothing you could do about it."
She paused, looking at Rip for a moment, waiting and hoping for him to pull out some bulletproof answer from his back pocket. But she could see it all across his face.
"I've got to take this shower," she said, grabbing her towel and clothes and beginning to head towards the stairside bathroom.
"Connie, you can't live life thinking like that."
She glanced back at Rip with a sarcastic smile. "What, is there a water shortage?"
"Connie."
She shrugged, "Sorry; I can't ignore it either. It'd be nice if I could, buuut..." with a dismal frown she slowly shook her head. She cast one last glance at Rip and Maya, then stepped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Within seconds, the water was running.
Rip looked at Maya and sighed. "The fun never ends."
[Town ~ Railway Street (Bed and Breakfast Porch)] (Davey, Amy)
Davey spent another few seconds studying Amy while she reassured him that nothing would change. He smiled and tried not to think about how much her words reminded him of the ineffectual reassurances that he had just described. He certainly didn't say anything to that effect.
"No, I'm sure you wouldn't," he said, laying his hands in his lap, "but it's better to be safe than sorry."
He considered telling her that it would be unlikely that he'd be able to reach her number once they parted ways, but thought better of it. After all, phones on Ianus were peculiar devices, known for operating at times in unexpected and peculiar ways. No sense in writing off what he couldn't know for sure.
"I don't know about 'rushing in'," he said, scratching at a rogue itch on the tip of one of his ears, "but if you don't mind me talking the side of your head off once in a blue moon, then sure." He thumbed at the door, "if I'm not mistaken, I believe Margaret keeps a pen and paper at her desk, if you'd like to leave your number there. As for myself..." he padded the back of his neck with his hands, adjusted his tail, and slid down a bit, sighing like a deflated balloon, "mm... perhaps another minute or two."
this place needs me here
[Bed and Breakfast (Lobby)]
As soon as Connie left, Maya rubbed her forehead.
Throughout her life, she had never met anyone as paranoid and afraid of everything as this girl. It was quite irritating, but she had no interest in repeating what happened at the cave—they're barely on good terms now, and there was no way in hell Maya was gonna risk destroying that. Not when everyone's emotions were already at an all time high.
Instead, she faced Rip, blinking several times before deciding to write a message to him.
Christ. she typed, Is she always like this?
[Bed and Breakfast (Porch-Lobby)]
From the way he sounded, it didn't seem like Davey believed her all too much, which honestly hurt. Then again, it wasn't like Amy could blame him completely; after all he's been through, it would be hard to trust people not to be cautious.
Her face lit up, however, when he told her when a pen and paper was. She had no idea what typed of phone Davey (or Connie for that matter) used—if she remembered correctly, they didn't even know what a cell phone was—but the idea of being able to still be contact with her new friend was too exciting to give up.
"Oh boy!" she said, practically jumping up and down, "We're gonna talk so much! I can't wait! Ok, I'm gonna go write down my number right now!" she then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, "Take as much time as you need, ok? I'll wait for you back inside!"
With that, she went back inside the lobby, just in time to notice that it was missing a person.
"Hey, where's Connie?" she asked.
Shower. Maya signed, We talked a bit after you left. How'd it go with Davey? You didn't squeeze him to death, did you?
Amy furrowed her eyebrows. "Very funny. No, we had a nice talk. I'm gonna write down my number so we can still be in touch! Isn't that exciting?"
Maya glanced away. Considering that these people didn't really know what a cellphone was, she doubted that they were gonna still communicate with them. But she prevented herself from signing that. Instead, she, once again, faced Rip.
So, how long do you guys plan on staying here, anyway? she signed.
Attitude is prohibited
[Subterranean Shelter]
The longest second of Rin's life thus far was spent looking on in horror and dismay as Cynthia was essentially defeated by a small rodent. The subsequent second was divided between her muttering "shit!" and closing the distance between her and the mustachioed man and the smoking woman. The air behind her was sent howling through the cave as the means by which Rin had earlier been flying now provided her with and sudden and incredible burst of speed.
In the blink of an eye, Rin was upon them. Seeming wholly unafraid of their guns, she used the momentum she'd suddenly acquired to clothesline them, hitting them with enough force to knock them clean off their feet and probably leave them with very serious concussions, if not broken necks. Without a word or a moment's hesitation, she scooped Omar up off the ground and slung him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes, then made another - slightly slower - dash for spot she'd just come from.
On the way over, she secured Cytnthia as well, taking just the briefest of instants for an awkward motion that was somewhere between picking her up and just tackling her and holding on tightly before resuming her high-speed dash. (This part assumes Cynthia has not moved significantly from her previous location, and has not erected another shield. If either of those are true, just ignore this paragraph.)
With agility, skill and truly dizzying speed she whipped past the spot she'd been standing just a few moments ago, sharply rounding the corner that Joseph was hiding behind. Hastily setting down, she unceremoniously dropped her undoubtedly-dazed human cargo on their feet. "Get Joseph to safety!" she urged, then poked her head out around the corner. Her maneuvers had kicked up a lot of sand and dust, but she knew that wouldn't last very long.
Thin streams of red dripped down her side, but somehow, she didn't appear to notice.
Not entirely dead.
Crazy Kiwi
Railway Street —> Bed and Breakfast
[Amy, Maya, Teri, Kris, Peggy, Sophia, Kaitlyn, James, Karl, Wolfe, Gwion, Finn, Aubrey]A mottley group approached the Bed and Breakfast: Aubrey in his recently-accquired Victorian suit; Teri, Kris, Peggy, Karl, James and Wolfe all in their practical wilderness clothing; Kaitlyn the modern elf; Sophia the punk rocker; Finn the neo-Celtic peacock and Gwion the battered cyborg.
There were a couple of figures visible on the porch; an adult woman and what looked like a child. As the group got closer, Aubrey was able to see that the woman was Amelia, one of his rescuers. To his surprise - despite having spent some time in the presence of a sophont bipedal lizard - the "child" turned out to be a bipedal white-furred otter that seemed to be having a conversation with Amelia.
Amelia kissed the otter-person on the cheek and went inside, clearly not noticing Aubrey and the others approaching. This was understandable, Aubrey reasoned, she'd have no reason to take note of a random group of travellers and she could hardly be expected to recognise him, having last seen him in a rather dishevelled state.
The group mounted - or, in Aubrey's case, limped up - the steps onto the porch and made their way inside, all but Aubrey giving the otter-like person an acknowledging nod as they passed.
Aubrey had been wondering who to ask where to find his former companions and was overjoyed to see that Amelia and Maya were in the building's foyer.
He beamed as he approached them. "So good to see you both." He turned to the others. "This is Amelia and Maya," indicating each of the women in turn "two of the people who rescued me from my captivity and led me through the mine to safety." He turned back to address the two women and started pointing out his companions. "These are some of my fellow Terra Novans who came here to find me - James, Wolfe, Karl, Teresa, Kristina and Margaret - and some others who volunteered their services in the search - Gwion, Finn, Sophia and Kaitlyn."
The rest of the group nodded and gave greetings on the themes of "hello", "hi" and "g'day" as they were introduced.
Aubrey felt somewhat humbled standing in the presence of two groups who had saved his life - James, Wolfe, Karl, Teresa and Kristina on the Long Walk and, recently, Amelia and Maya.
Aubrey looked around. "Where are Joseph and Constance?"
Southern Desert ~ Underground Bunker —> Mines (Cynthia; Joseph, Omar, Los Tres Chiflados; Rin)
The combination of straining to keep multiple magics operating at the same time and the momentary lapse in memory of Rin's speed left Cynthia dumbstruck. One moment, she was trying to quietly lunge forward as her holographic doppelganger stumbled backward so she could take down the mustachioed man and escort Omar out; the next Rin surged forward and did just that.
Still reeling, Cynthia was suddenly aware of the running tackle hug used on her, breaking her concentration and dispersing her clone in a burst of fading aether. The next thing she was aware of was tumbling to the ground; they had returned back down the (rather dark) tunnel.
The young knight conjured up a simple light to get her bearings, and started to panic when she noticed fresh blood on her clothes. Her wounds from earlier had healed, hadn't they? She began to lift her tunic to get a better look, before realizing her error; they were fleeing from people with guns. They probably wouldn't be for incapacitated very long, and the three of them were standing/laying in a tunnel. With a glowing light.
Rather than trying to charge down the tunnel in the dark while evading (presumably) pissed-off gunmen, Cynthia decided to take a more... drastic approach. Focusing her power, she drew her sword and thrust it through the orb of light she had summoned. She took off a few yard back towards the bunker before stopping. This would be a safe enough distance for the others.
Channeling more power and more aether into her blade, the weapon became cloaked in light. As more power flowed into it, the covering of light grew larger and brighter, forming a screeching, over-sized blade of what could almost be called sunlight. Cynthia fiercely shouted as she began to blindly swing her sword about, wildly gouging into the rock. She wasn't able to keep it up long enough; fueling a blade shaped star was taking its toll on her, mentally and physically.
Taking a few more drunken sword swings, the sheath of light failed. Now the hall was only lit by the glow of molten rock and steel. Cynthia stumbled backwards a few steps before plunging her now ruined sword into the ground and clumsily chucking one final ball of light down the corridor. The orb detonated with a resounding roar, and was accompanied by ominous cracking as as the now weakened ceiling caved-in with a crash.
Buffeted by the resulting cloud of dust and debris, a strange crackle of faint light rippled across Cynthia's body. She began to fall backwards, feeling quite winded, but before she hit the ground, most of her body erupted into tingling, stabbing pain before she blissfully blacked out.
As the dust settled, the young knight lay knocked out on the ground, the muscles of her body wracked by spasms. The gauntlet on her left arm was alight with the visible glow of strange patterns that crisscrossed the metal surface; similar markings were burned into the sleeve and fainter markings covered the good portion of the left half of her back and chest of her officer's tunic.
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Main Hall)] (Rip, Amy, Maya)
"No," Rip answered, shaking his head, "no, not always. Not even frequently. It's..." he waved his hand around, "it must be Davey and his story dredging this all up."
He stared across the room for several, hands joined just beneath his nose.
"Could be that I'm just out of touch. Ianus is my home; I've been here near as long as one can remember. Even looking Davey... half of his life still belongs to Earth. Connie is young, which is good," he shrugged, "the young tend to be more adaptable. But six months to adjust to Ianus, and come to terms with some potentially frightening propositions..."
Rip gave Maya a well-meaning look, "It's a lot to ask. Now, maybe her behavior can be, ah... trying at times, but please, try to have a little patience."
Just as he finished, the front door opened and Amy stepped back in, returning from her visit to Davey. Rip couldn't help smirking slightly as she described their talk, though at least part of it seemed like genuine happiness.
"Yeah, I knew he'd be fine. Davey's nothing if not a springer-backer."
[Town ~ Railway Street (Bed and Breakfast Porch)] (Davey)
Davey smiled something modest and a little sheepish from Amy's partying gesture. "All right," he said, his little brown eyes following the girl as she left, "I'll see you inside. And thank you, Amy," He shrugged, "for talking to me."
With that, he settled back into the bench, back into his own thoughts.
Only moments after Amy stood up, a rather large procession of people rounded the corner onto Railway street. Davey watched them with idle interest until, rather suddenly, he realized that they weren't walking by the building, but directly up to it. One by one, the eclectic group stepped onto the porch and—before he could so much as open his mouth to greet them—they proceeded inside.
Davey waited, wondering briefly about Margaret's occupancy limit, until the last of the person-train had crossed the threshold of the entryway, then, brushing back his whiskers, he hopped off the bench and fell in at the end of the line.
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Main Hall)] (Rip, Amy, Maya, Aubrey, Finn, Gwion, James, Kaitlyn, Karl, Kris, Peggy, Sophia, Teri, Wolfe)
Like a dummy with loose hinges, Rip's mouth fell open a bit more with each addition to the suddenly-undersized main hall. His surprise turned further to confusion as he discovered that he actually recognized a few of the faces from earlier that day.
Pulling himself together, he eyed the nearly dozen newcomers with a typically stony expression, silent as the man who seemed to be the head of the gathering addressed Amy and Maya. His succinct explanation to his companions filled in some of the picture, but failed to completely sate Rip's curiosity.
"Busy day, Amelia?" he murmured casually behind his hand, the hint of a teasing accusation in his voice. To the unnamed gentleman and his presently-named posse, Rip said, "Pardon my intrusion, but, uh, what exactly is going on here? Are you..." he paused a moment to count with his pinky, "eleven all looking for a room?" He glanced between them for a moment. "Rooms?"
Just then, Davey found enough room to step out from behind the large group. He wore a big grin as he looked at Rip. "Would you like to tell Maggie, or should I?"
Without waiting for an answer, Davey faced the large procession. "David Harkness," he introduced himself, extending his hand to be shaken by anyone willing as he moved further into the room, "at your service."
[Southern Desert ~ Subterranean Shelter] (Omar & Guests, Cynthia, Rin)
The two gun toting reprobates were taken blind by Rin's attack, both sent back a few feet before knocking hard against the ground. The third man, still standing off to the side, was so taken aback that he dropped the pistol he had confiscated from Omar. By the time he fished it back off the ground, the only company he had left were the two bodies left in Rin's wake. Blood had begun trickling from the backs of their skulls, and it became clear that they wouldn't be getting back up.
With an angry yell, the man ran in front of the hole in the wall and raised his gun, firing it down the tunnel after Rin's distant form. Even as the tunnel collapsed, they could still hear the sound of him shrieking like a madman, firing until the gun went click.
On the other end of the tunnel, behind the newly-ruined corridor, Omar struggled to get his breath, wheezing and spluttering with one arm wrapped around his bruised chest. Once he had the air to speak with, he raised his watch arm and moaned, "Light..." then, with more urgency and desperation, "Light!"
[Southern Desert ~ Old Mine] (Joseph)
Moments earlier, Joseph had been squinting, trying to get a better look at the scene unfolding at the other end of the tunnel. Just as he thought he could almost make out the face of the guy who had been talking, Cynthia shouted about a rat, and, lo and behold, moments later he could hear one skittering towards him. But whatever attention he had to give the rat was short-lived. All of a sudden, Omar was shouting. Shouting at him. Instructing him.
Joe took a quick breath, preparing to move, but caught up a bit in his own tenseness. Then an ungodly explosion of noise erupted from the other end of the tunnel, so loud that he could barely hear the whizzing, cracking and pattering that followed. Rock and dirt dust sprayed out from the adjacent wall. Joseph dragged himself backwards as a hail of bullets passed just over his head. He had little experience with guns. He had spent very little time around them, and had never seen one fired outside of movies and TV. He'd never even been to a firing range. Rick, his mother's boyfriend, carried a small handgun, but it came as part of his government job, and he had never had to discharge it on duty, let alone in front of Joseph.
Once out of the line of fire, Joe sat stunned for one brief moment. Then he got to his feet and bolted, running blindly in the dark back towards the caved-in tunnel and his supposed way home. Behind him, the gunfire ceased for a moment, before returning in a more isolated form. He didn't pay much attention. He was too busy keeping his footing and imagining the path ahead. He nearly tripped twice, scraped the side of his tail against a surprisingly large rock, and managed to rub a few splinters from an old wooden beam into one of his exposed shoulder cuts, but he found himself, in relatively short order, staring at a pile of large cave rocks, highlighted at the edges by a soft red glow.
Red lantern, he thought, take it to the far wall. Take it to the far wall and...
He closed his eyes, breathed out twice, then proceeded forward, dropping quickly to his belly as he came to the same small crevice he had crawled out through only minutes earlier. With urgency in mind, he began shimmying his way through, ignoring the pain in his arm, or that against his knees and belly as they dragged across the uneven ground, picking up sharp gravel and brushing against rough stone.
Joe was about midway through, with only the extremities of his nose and tail sticking out from either side, when he realized that the protective barrier—the one he'd suggested to keep the pile from collapsing on top of them—was gone. In the same moment, roaring forth like hell on wheels, there was a new sound to replace the cacophony of gunfire. The sound of tons of unsupported dirt and rock, collapsing in on itself, and rattling the rest of the mine as it fell. The sound was loud, but clearly distant. However, as it settled, Joseph's ears were filled with a quieter, more sinister sound. A scraping, grinding, shifting sound. A sound just above his head.
Trying not to breathe, trying not to scream, he pulled himself forward, bit by rapid bit as the sound grew louder. He could hear small rocks falling loose and rolling free, thudding against the ground to cause vibrations of their own. He made it halfway out, with only his legs and tail still in the crevice before he could feel the rocks directly surrounding them start to move. As quickly as he could, he turned himself over and drew his legs inward. He could see one of the small boulders at the other end of the crawl space fall over flat, crushing all beneath it. The shift in support seemed to set off a chain reaction, and the pile adjusted itself to make up the difference.
Joseph could feel the pressure building on his legs, which then pressed down against his poor tail. He let out a wordless yelp of fear as he pulled his left leg and most of his tail free, but found his right leg stuck just below his knee. The pile had it pinned in such a contorted way that he felt it would break if any more weight was applied. But the cave-in was still moving.
"Come on-" he muttered through clenched teeth, half growling, half whining as he twisted and pulled his leg, making only inches of progress, if that. "Come onnnn!" Small rocks rained down from the top of the pile, a few grazing his head. He put his hands up to block them, and began shaking with panic. Everything had a hellish red tint from a light that did little to dispel the surrounding shadows.
"Please, please please please!" he hissed, tightening his jaw against the pain as he yanked at his imperiled leg. There was an agitated cracking, and the contents of the cave-in shifted once more. Joe could feel the pressure building against his leg. He blinked back tears and prepared for the worst, then seized his upper calf with both hands, turning his leg to the side and pulling as hard as he could. There was a brief surge of stinging pain, then he found himself rolling backward.
When he opened his eyes, Joseph found himself still clutching his leg. His already well-worn jeans were in complete tatters below his knee, but, beyond that, he could make out the distinctive shape of his foot. It was bruised, scraped, and missing a shoe, but it was there, completely intact. He let out just about all the breath he had in him with one sweeping sigh, and brought his leg in close, folding it to rest atop his other leg as he cherished its continued existence.
Alas, the celebration was short lived, as it turned out he was still sitting next to a volatile rock pile, spilling large rocks out in close proximity to his person. Not wanting to get beaned by a boulder, Joe backed up and got to his feet, rising quickly until his head made contact with something else.
"Agh," was all he could get out, before the light fell to the ground and shattered. And all was dark. And all was silent.
edited 12th Jul '17 4:30:17 PM by Ryuhza
this place needs me here
[Bed and Breakfast (Lobby)]
Well, this was unexpected.
Aubery did return, but it seemed that he brought tons of new people around. Now Amy wondered what room she and Maya were going to sleep in at this rate. But for now, she decided to greet everyone.
"Hello!" she said cheerfully, waving at the newcomers, "I'm Amy, and this is Maya!"
Maya gave a two fingered salute.
"She's deaf and mute, so I'll translate almost everything she says!" She turned to Aubrey, tilting her head in confusion, "Constance? Who are you...oh! You mean Connie? She's in the shower right now, so she might be a bit. Also...did you really think my name is Amelia? It's a really pretty name but that's not mine." She rubbed the back of her head, "I'm just Amy!
She then turned to the door. "Joseph left, by the way. He had to go back to the cave for something important."
edited 13th Jul '17 11:24:38 PM by Masterofchaos
Attitude is prohibited
[Subterranean Shelter] >>> [Hidden Cave]
Rin's initial attack had kicked up a fair amount of dust, and Cynthia's cave-in had kicked up a great deal more, to say the least. Between the rumbling of the cave, the suddenness of the collapse, and those final few gunshots, Rin found herself totally disoriented by the chaos. Once the commotion had died down, she realized she was currently on the floor, lost in a dusty haze. "Light?" she coughed, having heard a familiar voice wheezing near-by. She pulled herself to her feet and shook some dirt out of her hair, trying to get her bearings. Visibility wasn't great, but it grew clearer by the second. "Light... Oh, the red light! Joseph!"
She took a few steps forward, then halted abruptly and turned around. "Cynthia? Cynthia! Shit." She ran to and crouched next to the young knight, who was now partially lit up by strange, glowing symbols. "Please don't be dead," she said. "Why do I always have to take care of everyone? Can't anyone stay alive by themselves?" Rin looked around at an injured Omar, and incapacitated Cynthia, her own wounds - comparatively minor though they were - and the complete lack of Joseph anywhere in sight. This was a bad situation.
"Okay," she said, taking deep, if rather dusty, breath. "Just stay calm, everyone. Stay calm." Carefully, she rolled Cynthia onto her stomach and then scooped her up under one arm like she was a medium-sized dog and not grown woman. Without another word she went over to Omar, hoisted him to his feet, put his arm around her shoulders, and started walking. "I'm going to drop you two off near the cave's entrance," she told him. "Then I'm going after Joseph. Try not to bump into my bullet holes while we're walking, though. They still hurt a bit."
She sighed. "I just hope he's okay..."
Not entirely dead.
Southern Desert ~ Abandoned Mines (Cynthia; Omar; Rin)
The two things Cynthia was aware of when she came to was the fact that she was being carried by someone, and the pain. The knight let out a pitiful groan of agony, before struggling to string together a coherent sentence.
"Yh can p' m'd— owww." Cynthia moaned a bit before feebly groping for her sword, wondering briefly why her arm wouldn't cooperate. Struggling through the pulsing migraine, she recalled pulling off her luminous blade technique. She groaned at the realization that she might have gone a little overboard with it; as such, she'd need to get a new sword.
Now in better control of her muscles, but still feeling like she'd been trampled by a rampaging bull, she wriggled her way out of Rin's grip and struggled to her feet. "I can walk," Cynthia said, before putting her gauntleted hand on the wall to maintain her bearings and her sense of balance.
Blearily squinting at Rin's form, Cynthia brought a small, flickering light into existence, one that paled in comparison to the lights she had been producing previously. Jerkily doing a glance over of Rin, she pointed out what would have been obvious to her earlier; "You're wounded," she exclaimed, breath ragged.
Wearily gazing at the other woman for a moment, Cynthia then cast a glance behind them. "But, isn't the entrance that-a— oh..." the young knight started, her voice faltering when she realized her folly, "Oops."
[Southern Desert ~ Old Mine] (Omar, Cynthia, Rin)
Omar groaned and shook his head, eyes shut and teeth clenched as he tightened his hand against the pain that wracked his chest. "No, not that ligh-rrgh" He bent forward slightly and took a few moments to focus on his feeble breathing.
"I need to look at my watch," he managed in a voice just above a whisper after Rin brought him to a stand, "he had a minute... thirty eight seconds left last I looked." Omar let his head slump forward slightly, "That's all I can guarantee. Anything beyond that is a risk. He could end up just about anywhere, which wouldn't be much worse than the status quo, only that taking this particular route will almost certainly end his unplanned travels. Wherever he goes, he's likely to stay."
He closed his eyes and shook his head. "If Weller missed the window, then it's all lost. You're welcome to look for him, but I don't think you'll find him. No."
Watching Cynthia, Omar relieved Rin of his own weight. "I'll be fine too. Just a few bruised ribs... some lost wind. But I'd never have made it this far if I couldn't take getting the shit kicked out of me now and then." He glanced at Rin and sighed. "I'm sorry you two had to get dragged into this... this possibly very futile endeavor. Getting shot up..." He looked at her bleeding sides with an understated curiosity, asking, "Did they only graze you, or are you really just that strong?"
Before he could quite get an answer, Cynthia brought his attention back to the earthy wreckage ahead of them. The dust had mostly settled, and the screams of the gunman on the other end had either ceased, or could no longer be heard.
"Well, that's a rough fit." He muttered. "Although, I wouldn't count us trapped just yet. That's not the real entrance to the mine after all."
this place needs me here
Attitude is prohibited
[Old Mine]
Rin was relieved that both of her companions were well enough to walk, and only partially because she hadn't been looking forward to carrying them around. She gingerly pressed a hand to her wounded side, winced, then looked at her palm. She was still bleeding, but the wounds seemed considerably less severe than they had mere moments ago. "Mostly the latter, I suppose," she told Omar. "I got sloppy and paid for it," she continued, flicking the blood off her hand. "They me tagged a few times, mostly just dumb luck on their part..." She shook her head. "I'm a little dizzy, but I'll be fine. Don't worry about it."
She looked around a took a moment to really consider the situation. The three of them were - to varying degrees - wounded, they were missing someone, and the way back out had collpased in front of them. The idea that they were trapped underground made her nauseous, so she quickly pushed the thought from her mind. "We have to look for Joseph," she said. "Even if it's unlikely that we find him, we should at least try and make sure he didn't get shot or crushed by rocks or something."
Not entirely dead.
Southern Desert ~ Abandoned Mines (Cynthia; Omar; Rin)
"Oh." It took a moment for the blood to drain from Cynthia's face, as the realization of what Omar said sank in. "Oh. Oh no... not again. I can't— I can't—" The young knight cast a worried glance down the tunnel, and her weariness faded away as adrenaline flooded her body. With Rin's additional concern adding more fuel to Cynthia's bonfire of dread, she blindly took off like a rocket, leaving behind a glowing orb behind to provide light for Omar and Rin.
She practically flew down the tunnel, her speed clearing yards per bound. He's gotta be there. Gotta stay positive. He's gotta be there. Gotta stay positive. Slamming into the back wall of the junction, she recovered quickly and charged frantically down the tunnel leading to the cave-in, and hopefully Joseph.
Realizing her temporary lack of vision would work against her, she tore the eye patch from her face, revealing a functional gray eye. She conjured another ball of light, a much steadier one this time, illuminating the tunnel. As she continued to speed ahead, she quickly reached the cave-in.
"No," Cynthia whispered softly. The ball of light turned red. "NO!" With a shriek of fury, the young knight, lacking her her weapon or any tools, slammed her unarmored fist into the rock. She then slammed the other fist into the rock, before repeating the process and picking up speed, desperately pummeling away at the obstruction with reckless abandon.
Both balls of light are synchronized; the one by Rin and Omar got brighter and turned red at the same time as Cynthia's
[Southern Desert ~ Old Mine] (Omar, Cynthia, Rin)
Omar wore a sideways frown—looking almost like a rodent with food stuffed in its cheek—as he listened to Rin. After a few silent seconds of subtle expression shifting, he nodded. "Fair enough. I guess I'd just like to imagine that he went through with my instructions in time, and if we find a bullet riddled corpse... Cynthia? Cynthi-"
He tried to raise his voice but his bruised lungs kept him in check. It hardly mattered; Cynthia was already barreling down the tunnel, and nothing short of a brick wall would stop her. Even then...
Sucking in what little air he could, Omar glanced sideways at Rin and managed a, "s'go," with a nod after the runaway knight, before setting off down the tunnel himself.
The distance to the cave-in wasn't far, though it could be treacherous to one without the clarity to see by. Regardless, Cynthia hadn't proceeded too far into the depths of her vehement rock assault before she was rejoined.
"Cynthia!" He warned, though the words came out in an odd, guttural way. "Cynthia, if he's trapped under there, what do you think banging on those rocks is going to accomplish? And damn it, what are you doing to your hands?"
this place needs me here
Attitude is prohibited
[Old Mine]
Cynthia's reaction to the possibility of something untoward having happened to Joseph was unexpected, to say the least. Rin took off after her with Omar, arriving to the unsettling sight of Cynthia madly slamming her fists into a wall of rocks. She grabbed Cynthia's arm, lightly, to try and dissuade her from doing any more punching. "Stop it!" she said. "That's not going to do anything! I don't know if there's a way through, but I do know that punching rocks isn't it! So just take breath and calm down!"
Rin looked at the wall herself, trying to see if the passage she'd opened up earlier could still be feasible. She wondered if Joseph was on the other side. On one hand, it would be nice to be able to confirm that he was alive and unharmed. But on the other hand, if he was still there, it would mean that he'd failed to get home...
Not entirely dead.
Southern Desert ~ Abandoned Mines (Cynthia; Omar; Rin)
At her companions' insistence, the young knight ceased her futile assault on the cave-in. Sides heaving, she leaned her shoulder on the rocks, her right hand mangled and bloodied. She cast a red and green eyed gaze at them, speaking incoherently as she broke down in tears.
Cynthia slid to the ground and curled up into a blubbering ball as she became overwhelmed by her emotions and her overtaxed body. The ominous red glows emanating from her returned to there default white as she lay on the ground.
Crazy Kiwi
Bed and Breakfast (Main Hall)
[Davey, Rip, Amy, Maya, Aubrey, Finn, Gwion, James, Kaitlyn, Karl, Kris, Peggy, Sophia, Teri, Wolfe]James was surprised to see that the man who addressed Aubrey was none other than the one they had encountered out in the desert. Before Aubrey could answer the question, James interjected. "Hullo, Rip. No, we won't be needing rooms, we have to be on our way soon." He turned at the sound of a voice identifying itself as David Harkness. It turned out to be the otter-like entity who had been outside. James had spent enough time in Capital City not to assume that he actually was an otter or even from Earth, despite the rather mundane-sounding name and the apparent use of English. He took the extended hand and shook it warmly. "Pleased to meet you, David. James Turner."
Sophia, Gwion, Kaitlyn and Finn all exchanged glances then Sophia turned to the man James had identified as "Rip". "We won't be staying, either, thanks. Just here for Aubrey to say thanks to those who helped him."
Kris was not particularly surprised that the people who had rescued Aubrey also seemed to know Rip - it was typical of the strange coincidences that seemed to keep cropping up.
Teri looked around the crowded space and said "Hi" to David Harkness.
Wolfe grinned as Amy corrected Aubrey about her name and, it seemed, Connie's. He had always thought that Aubrey's near-pathological aversion to diminutives - or perceived diminutives - would bite him in the arse one day, and this seemed to be that day. He gave a nod to her. "G'day, Amy. Thanks - and to you too, Maya - for helping and looking after our friend." He gave Maya the sign for "thanks", knowing that it, at least, was the same in both New Zealand and United States sign language.
Aubrey was sad to hear that Joseph had already left and that he had ventured back to that ghastly cave. Just Amy? he thought. Who would call a child merely Amy? That would be like just naming a child 'Tom'. "I'm sad to hear that, ahh, Amy. I had hoped to thank him personally for his help."
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Main Hall)] (Rip, Davey, Amy, Maya, Aubrey, Finn, Gwion, James, Kaitlyn, Karl, Kris, Peggy, Sophia, Teri, Wolfe)
Davey grinned, gladly shaking James's hand in return and saying, "All the same to you and yours, James."
Passing his gaze over the others—and meeting Teri's 'hi' with a cross between a wave and a casual salute—Davey asked, "are you sure? Margaret—Margaret Wiegand, that is—could certainly use the business. Though whether or not she has the accommodations..." he glanced back at the other end of the hall, as though sizing up the available rooms.
Rip gave the short, otter-like man an incredulous look and said flatly, "Davey."
Davey glanced at him for a moment, blinking once as though he couldn't understand what was wrong. Then it hit him. "Oh! Of course," he turned back to the small crowd, "forgive me, I'm sure you'd rather not spend your time being solicited by yours truly." He fished out an apologetic smile and waved them back towards Rip and the others, "As you were."
"Now what's this business about you helping these people?" Rip asked, looking at Amy and Maya, "And who's this 'Joseph' guy?" His eyebrows grew closer. "When did any of this happen?"
[Southern Desert ~ Old Mine] (Omar, Cynthia, Rin)
"Festering puttfick," Omar muttered as he caught a proper glimpse of Cynthia's hand. He put his own hand against his forehead, passing it through his short hair has he stepped back, looking around in queasy desperation.
"We need... need to settle this fast," he said quietly, almost to himself. Then, looking from Cynthia to Rin—distracted only for a moment by the light's change of color—he repeated, "We need to settle this now."
He went up to the face of the cave-in, avoiding the spots that glinted red, and called out loudly, "Weller! Are you over there?" He paused for a moment, ear turned towards the pile of rocks, but nothing could be heard aside from Cynthia's blubbering. Omar looked the cave-in up and down, took a deep breath that just barely masked a shudder, and tried again. "Joseph! If you're in there somewhere, say something!"
Another pause, absent of sound.
"Speak! Speak now or..." He turned to face Rin, then sighed and shook his head.
this place needs me here
[Bed and Breakfast (Lobby)]
To both Maya's shock and relief, someone else knew sign language. It felt nice to not have to rely on Amy for once—no disrespect to her, she cared for her very deeply. For once, she didn't have to keep pestering her friend to translate what she was saying.
No problem. she signed back, Make yourself comfortable before you leave.
"Don't worry!" Amy said, "If he ever comes back, I'll be sure to let him know you said that!" She then turned to a confused Rip. "Oh yeah! You didn't get to meet Joesph before he left. He's talking, walking lizard guy we met in a cave! He was very friendly too, though he was a little shy..." she frowned, "He couldn't stay, though, cause he had to find a way to go home. Hopefully we'll run into him again soon!"
Sorry for the shortness; writer's block x_x
Attitude is prohibited
[Old Mine]
Rin crouched down next to Cynthia and put a hand on her shoulder. "You're okay," she said, softly. "Just breathe. Relax."
Omar had had the same idea as her, and she watched as it yielded no results. She frowned deeply. This was going poorly. Still, they hadn't quite exhausted all avenues just yet. "Do you know any other way over there? Maybe this place has an alternate entrance or something?"
Not entirely dead.
[Southern Desert ~ Subterranean Shelter] (Omar & Guests, Cynthia, Rin)
The head honcho glowered for a moment as Rin and Cynthia shared quiet words, but he was all smiles—thin and snide—when they looked back at him.
"Here's what we'll do," he said, baring his teeth in a grin, "you call your friend-"
"I told you, these are the only two-" Omar began, but he could get no further before the mustachioed man was blaring into his ear.
"Don't be a knucklehead. I saw there were three with you. These two ladies and that big black lizard. And take a look Mr. motorcycle man, one of them is no-o-ot present. So," he rubbed Omar's head like an overly-aggressive older brother, then raised his eyes back to Rin, "you call your friend over, the three of you are gonna step out into this room and explain what you all are doin' here, and then you get to go."
The cigarette-filching woman pressed tightly against the wall, blowing smoke out the side of her mouth away from the hole in the wall. She watched her two partners attentively, likely waiting for some kind of signal.
"And you'll want your friend out here soon," the head honcho replied, "or we're going to end up resolving this in a different way." He raised the butt of his rifle while keeping the barrel stuck to Omar's backside, giving Rin and Cynthia a clear view of his proposition.
[Southern Desert ~ Old Mine] (Joseph)
Joseph felt a tingling in his gut when he heard the stranger's words. His voice was quiet, distant, but still audible enough to make out what he was saying. First he asked where the 'other one' was, presumably meaning Joe himself. When the man clarified that, yes, he was indeed talking about Joseph—or some other surprise resident lizard person—the tingling became tightening, or maybe a chill. Actually, Joe wasn't entirely sure how to describe it except to call it a strange, unpleasant feeling that he really didn't appreciate. The apprehension in his mind was plenty enough; he didn't need it elsewhere.
Hearing the man's demands, Joseph was unsure of how to proceed. His most instinctive response was to keep well hidden, but conscience wouldn't let him ignore the other three. Even without a clear picture of the room beyond the back of Rin and Cynthia's heads, there was little doubt in his mind that a stranger making unusual demands and thinly veiled threats was... well, a big threat. If his presence could stop something dire from occurring, then he had to be ready. Plus there was a chance, he reasoned, that one of the others had a much better plan of action than he did, and there was no possibility of knowing it if he isolated himself completely.
In the end, his motions reflected his thoughts. He kept low, stuck his head out a bit to see and keep some sort of liaison with Cynthia and Rin, then drew it back in a bit whenever his nerves got the better of him. He did this several times, like an overturned whack-a-mole machine. Whatever was soon to happen, he hoped that it would happen fast. And he hoped that it would never happen.
this place needs me here