Character Frontier

[Railway Street]

John gave an annoyed sigh and gently held Pancake in his hands.

"Omar is fine." he said, "When someone we were taking care of disappeared, he went out of his way to comfort me and James. He didn't have to do any of that...but he did. You don't get that act of kindness everyday."

He looked down.

"I don't know how I would be now if I didn't run into him. So I don't understand why James is suddenly getting suspicious."

Pancake leaped out of John's arm and went to Oswald's shoulders, purring.

James, meanwhile, was shocked that "Omar" had quickly vanished around the corner.

"...Weird." he said, "How did he leave that quickly?" He turned to Mari, "Did you see where he could've possibly went?"

edited 5th Oct '17 2:27:47 PM by Masterofchaos

[Southern Desert ~ Old Mine—Subterranean Shelter](Cynthia, Rin, remnant)

The one-armed bandit woman managed to get the pain in her trampled hand under control, wedging it between her knees to gain some sway over the pressure on it. She raised her eyes warily as Cynthia approached, but despite the other short-armed woman's thinly veiled threat, the bandit seemed unfazed. In fact she turned her head away and raised her hand, then mock cried, "Nursie, you're scaring me! Oh please, please, please, don't take away my pudding, I don't know what I'd do. Ohhh..."

When she turned her head back, she had a contemptuous smirk on her face. "Good luck with the authorities, honey." Then she glanced between Cynthia and Rin, "Either of you got a cigarette?"

Further into the poorly-lit shelter, Omar noticed a quiet wet squelch from beneath his boot, so he stepped aside and looked at the spot where he'd placed his foot. It was too dark to make out much color-wise, but he recognized the form of a human body, and could guess well enough as to what might be leaking out the backside of a stiff's head. The stiff in question was the mustachioed bandit from before— the one who'd taken delight in jamming the barrel of a rifle into Omar's backside. Omar gave him a jab in return, though mostly to check for movement. But it seemed the man wouldn't be waking up.

"Yeah," Omar murmured, "real pity."

He found the stairs shortly thereafter, though by that point it was dark enough outside that he could barely see the top, for what little light was thrown into the cave. Sound and touch were his allies then, and he had to be cautious; there was still one bandit that remained unaccounted for, and although Omar was prepared for some kind of attack, he'd failed to notice that the bandit corpse behind him was missing a rifle.

Without a further word, he mounted the stairs, moving upward with trepidatious steps before disappearing from sight.

Bed and Breakfast

Aubrey was glad to hear that Joseph's absence was due to him trying to get home and sincerely hoped that his continued absence was because he had been successful. "Thank you."

James smiled at Connie, fully agreeing with her sentiments about not being able to leave anyone locked in a cave. "It was not just Aubrey who wished to extend thanks, it was us as well, but now we had better be gone and let you get back to your ablutions."

Aubrey nodded. He was keen to get home and still somewhat embarrassed by the situation he was in.

With a chorus of farewells, Teri, Peggy, Kris, Karl and Wolfe filed out the door followed by Aubrey and James. They paused to quickly wave farewell to Amy who was busy with her phone on the porch.

Sophia, Finn and Gwion made their farewells and filed out after the party of Terra Novans. They paused on the porch and watched the Mad Bastards and Aubrey heading up the road chatting amongst themselves. Gwion dug out his vapouriser, took deep draw on it and smiled with contentment - it was nice to see a happy resolution.

From down the road came Aubrey's voice raised in surprise. "You've called yourselves what?!" Then he heard all their voices raised in song as they headed towards the train station; a familiar song from his early teens that gave him quite a pang of nostalgia - it was Rachel Platten's Fight Song.

As the others left, Kaitlyn hung back. She had noticed Davey's "casual" not looking and his preening followed by his "casual" return to meet her eyes and thought him an unrepentant flirt. Not that that bothered her. Not in the least. She likewise wasn't perturbed by the fact that he was clearly non-human - after all, she had been surgically sculpted to resemble an elf and had, at times, used skin and hair dyes to emulate different variants.

She met his eyes for a moment with a smile then said her farewell to Connie and Maya before heading off after her friends. As she opened the door, she said - ostensibly to her colleagues but in a voice that was designed to carry to any other listeners - "I guess we're now free to do our own thing."

Outside, she nodded acknowledgement to Amy then joined Sophia, Finn and Gwion in watching the "Mad Bastards" and Aubrey making their way towards the train station. She dug out her own vapouriser and puffed on it, glad that her companions were showing no signs of movement as yet - she wanted to see if anyone else would be joining them. Of course, it would be natural that they would continue to watch to ensure that those they had assisted made it safely to the train station, and here was as good a place to wait as any.

"Whaddya make of 'em?" Gwion's question was directed at the group at large.

Sophia made a thoughtful face as she dug out an enormous vapouriser with an industrial-strength box mod. "I think there's more to 'em than they're saying. They bear further investigating, at least."

Finn nodded. "They're a weird mob, to be sure."

Kaitlyn's mind was only half on the conversation as her enhanced hearing was alert to the sounds within the lobby she had just vacated, listening for the tell-tale approach of footsteps...

[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Main Hall)] (Connie, Davey, Rip, Maya, Finn, Gwion, Kaitlyn, Sophia)

Abluwhatnow? Connie thought, never breaking her smile.

"Well... like I said," she rolled her hand around in one final flourish, "you're welcome. Toodles!" With that, she pulled back into the bathroom and shut the door.

Davey, for his part, remained coolly silent while the large procession filed out of the building. The moment Kaitlyn stepped out, his mouth broke into a grin. Patting down the fur that had risen on the back of his neck, he glanced at the only other two people left in the room, first Rip—who looked practically comatose—then Maya.

"Are they?" he asked, reading her message. He hadn't really considered how long their venture should be taking beyond general ideas, like no more than a day. He walked over to the bag and curious metal box that had been left behind. "Well, Cynthia will have to come back if she ever expects to retrieve her things." He stared at them for a few absent seconds, his mind clearly having better places to be, before shaking his head and looking back at Maya.

"I don't know how much can be done beyond waiting," he said. "If you really want to go find them... you know the way. But it's late and I really should advise against such reckless behavior." Davey looked at the door, his voice softening into something that sounded only half-awake. "...I really should advise..."

The edges of his mouth tugged back into an uncontrollable smile, while his tail brushed against the floor, swaying in his excitement. He began moseying towards the door while unfastening the topmost button of his shirt, smiling at Maya with a dreamy, "If you'll excuse me..."

Behind him, at the other end of the room, the bathroom door opened once again, and again Connie stuck her head out. "Hey Dave!" She called, prompting him to look back. "I never got the chance to say— after hearing about what happened-"

"Connie!" Davey laughed, "That story is ancient history. It belongs to the past— its telling belongs to the past. We are children of the present, and it is high time I carved out something new."

She met him with a confused sort of smile, not entirely sure what he was up to, but nonetheless happy to see him in good spirits. "Okay. I just wanted to say... it's pretty remarkable. For you to be you after all that."

Davey turned around all the way, continuing to walk backwards towards the door. "Aw," he said, brushing his hands over his whiskers, "who else could I be?"

Off in the corner, Rip smiled.


[Railway Street (Outside Bed and Breakfast)] (Davey, Amy, Finn, Gwion, Kaitlyn, Sophia)

The door to the bed and breakfast opened softly, and out slipped Davey, looking about as self-possessed as his otterlike face could portray. He stood at the porch's edge and leaned against one of the supports for the balcony overhead, mostly gazing out at the street while shooting intermittent, smiling glances at those around him. At one person in particular.

Edited by Ryuhza on Feb 11th 2024 at 4:04:43 AM

Southern Desert ~ Old Mine (Cynthia; Rin; one-armed bandit)

Cynthia's red eye narrowed. "It irks me greatly when people don't take me seriously. Is it the face, hmmm? Well, anyway, thanks for the lovely idea, you fucking pig."

The first thing the young knight was aware of when she snapped back to her senses was the distinctly wrong sensation of squishy warmth enveloping her hand— "Odessa, why?!" The ireful red glow went out in an instant as the girl's eyes grew to saucers, horrifically transfixed upon the handful of viscera she was holding. Struck by a half-ton of guilt and mortified horror, Cynthia let out a bloodcurdling shriek as she stumbled away from the eviscerated, yet very much still alive, bandit.

"I'm so sorry," she very sincerely apologized after taking a moment to collect her faculties. Cynthia then attended to the woman by hastily stuffing organs back into the incision she had made during the bout of psychopathic blood lust she couldn't recall, before yanking out several healing feathers and applying them to the horrific injury. Then she allowed herself to slip back into distraught grief over her actions. "I don't know what— I don't know why— I don't— I'm sorry!" The young knight bawled before proceeding to curl up into a fetal position, madly apologizing on an endless loop to the woman she had almost (but would never actually be able to) murdered in cold blood.

Town ~ Railway Street Alleyway (Mari; James)

The red-haired woman shrugged and shook her head, "No, didn't quite catch where 'e went, but," Mari narrowed her eyes at the lone door in the alleyway before gesturing off towards the motorcycle, "unless 'e decided to go for a desert walk-a-bout like me and Oswald," she quipped before pointing at the door, "my money's on 'im being in there, unless your "friend" has taken t'the shadows."

She then headed towards the closed door and opened it, making her presence known to anyone inside with a brief "'Ello?"

[Town ~ Railway Street](Oswald, John, Pancake)

Oswald put his hands up and lowered his head, before lowering one hand down to rest across his chest in his typically theatrical way. "Of course; a stranger's kindness. I understand entirely, sir. As it so happens," he relaxed his arms and raised his head back up, shoulders now adorned with a particularly lively bundle of fur, "that same brand of kindness was visited upon me this very afternoon."

Holding up one hand to meet Pancake's ever-pettable head, he turned his own head towards James and Mari, the latter of whom he caught sight of only a moment before she vanished into the alley. With a thoughtful frown upon his jutting maw, he murmured, "Then the question becomes, why would your friend, the kind stranger, ignore you now? What invites this cold shoulder?"

Before much in the way of a theory could be stirred up, Oswald found himself glancing backwards at a small crowd of people that had emerged from a building on the opposite corner. They seemed to be heading for the train station and paying little to no mind to him, John, or Pancake, yet Oswald continued to watch, his frown replaced by an unsure smile.


[Railway Street (Northeast Alley)]("Omar", James, Mari)

The door opened into—as one might expect—what seemed to be a dark storage closet, though it was hard to tell for certain without a light on.

The moment Mari opened the closet, the alley's wooden gate began to quietly swing shut, pushed by a man who emerged from behind it. Just before it closed, the man looked out through the last little gap that was left, staring sternly at James. In the dark, he still did look remarkably like Omar, but at that range, it was abundantly clear that this man was not the stranger who had helped James and John. His face was a little narrower, his hair, though blonde, was slicked back rather than cut short, and his nasally voice carried a southern accent.

"You try anything, and she's dead," the Omar lookalike whispered. "You make any move to follow me, and she's dead. Anyone else finds out, and you tell 'em what I told you." He nodded down to his hand, where he carried a handgun, aimed squarely at James's chest. "Now get lost."

With that, he pulled back, shut the gate and latched the bolt into place, obscuring the alley from sight. Then he turned to face the door further down the alley, and the woman standing before it. He kept his handgun trained on her while getting a hold on the rifle that was slung around his shoulder with his free hand. "Yoo hoo," he called, holstering his handgun in the back of his pants to get a better grip on the rifle with both hands. "Move and I shoot." Keeping the barrel pointed at her at all times, the man began steadily marching towards her. "Do as I say, and you'll get out of this in fine fettle."

[Bed and Breakfast (Lobby)]

And so, everyone else was gone, leaving only Maya and Rip. Which felt a little awkward; the most talkative person in the group was outside, and her other peer just went back to the bathroom. She could just sit there and twiddle her thumbs, but that would just make things even more weird.

Looked like she had to swallow her pride and try to strike up a conversation.

...You don't look like much of a talker. she typed.

[Bed and Breakfast (Outside)]

"Mira, yo'll se casa mañana! Por favor don't preocuparse por mí!"

Amy was so into her conversation, she didn't seem to notice Sophia or the others looking or nodding at her, nor did she seem to hear Davey coming outside. She held the phone close to her ear, nodding at almost every word at the other end.

"Te amo demasiado, tío. Yo'll nos vemos pronto." After she hung up, she gave a small sigh. "Hombre..." she then turned around, now noticing Davey. "Oh! Hi Davey!" She then noticed the other people, then gave a wave. "Hello! I'm Amy! Nice to meet you!"

Translation: "Look, I'll be home tomorrow! Please don't worry about me! ...I love you too, uncle. I'll be home soon. Man..."

[Railway-Main Street]

John paused for a moment. It was strange...Omar didn't seem like the type of guy to blow them off like that after going out of his way to help.

So then why...?

"I'm...not sure." he said, "But I'm sure it can't be anything too bad. James and Mari should be back soon. Let's not try to worry."

Pancake was purring.

[Railway-Allyway]

Just as James thought; this wasn't Omar. To make matters worse, it seemed hat he was holding Mari hostage, and pointing a gun at his stomach.

No way he was just going to walk away from this, and at the same time, he didn't want to further put her in danger. So, for now, until he could think of another plan, he decided to go along with this stranger.

"Let's calm down here." he said, "Why the sudden violent response?"

edited 9th Oct '17 1:46:53 PM by Masterofchaos

Railway Street (Outside Bed and Breakfast)

The sound of something furry brushing against the floor, approaching soft but unhurried footfall, a distant opening door and a brief clear-but-incomprehensible converstation between Connie and Davey, then the building's exterior door opened and closed quietly.

Kaitlyn knew it was Davey even before he came into view and leaned against one of the balcony pillars. She smiled slightly and exhaled a cloud of Strawberries-and-Cream-scented vapour.

Sophia suppressed a grin. It didn't require any of the enhancements built into her eyes to spot that Kaitlyn was trying just a little too hard to look "casual" and that her body was just ever-so-slightly angled towards where the otter-like lifeform called Davey was standing, or that the aforementioned Davey had undone his top button and was favouring Kaitlyn with more attention than anyone else.

Sophia took a massive hit of rum-flavoured vapour and looked about to see if the others had noticed. Gwion's eyes met hers and she could see that he had noticed and was amused - she had known Gwion for over three decades and had got pretty good at reading his expression.

Finn was grinning like a maniac and glancing back and forth between Davey and Kaitlyn.

Gwion wasn't trying to listen in to Amy's conversation and it was in Spanish, of which he understood very little. He caught only "tomorrow", "please", "soon" and the exclamatory "man" - all very basic words that pretty much anyone would recognise.

When Amy finished her call and introduced herself properly, Gwion turned to face her. "Hi. Nice t' meecha, too. I'm Gwion."

Sophia, Finn and Kaitlyn introduced themselves in turn.

"You were one of the ones who rescued that poor bugger from the mine, weren't ya," said Finn.

edited 9th Oct '17 2:57:49 AM by Wolf1066

[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Main Hall)](Rip, Maya)

Rip didn't stir much when Maya approached him, at least not at first. He angled his head a bit and raised his lowered lids to read her message, then opened them wider, meeting the girl with a frank, incredulous stare. He spared no words.


[Bed and Breakfast (Porch)](Davey, Amy, Finn, Gwion, Kaitlyn, Sophia)

Davey closed his eyes and sighed quietly when Amy greeted him. It wasn't an annoyed sigh, or a disappointed sigh, but a sigh that resigned the idea of ever being able to understand or grasp a particular thing. In this case, that thing was Amy's penchant for excitedly greeting someone who she had just seen little more than a minute earlier.

"Evening, Amy," he smiled quietly, then drew in a slow, relaxed breath, tipping his head back. "And my, what an evening. I don't know what it is about the desert night that offers such a feeling of... of release."

He turned towards the street, eyes crossing with Kaitlyn's as he did so. "It's quiet," he tapped a short finger against the side of his head, "you can hear yourself think— at least when I'm not yammering on. It's remote... a place you can go where the rest of the world can't follow. Almost."

A cool evening breeze blew through the porch. Davey leaned back, puffing out his chest just a little bit. "It's not elaborate living, but out here, it feels like worries just roll right off the shoulders. I wonder if even a killer could escape the shadow of his misdeeds, or a lover the anguish his broken heart." A pause, then a cheeky smile, "...or a flinger, the chagrin of his more sordid affairs."

[Town ~ Railway/Main] (Oswald, John, Pancake)

The procession of people Oswald had been watching disappeared into the train station, but a wistful glimmer lingered in his shadowed gaze as he returned to face John.

"I should certainly hope so," he murmured, languidly tickling Pancake under the chin, "although..." He tilted his head to the side, looking past John to the alley entrance ahead, where James now stood by himself. "How far do you suppose the others intend to pursue your friend? If he has—as one might presume—no intention of sojourning on these streets, then I fear that following in with this endeavor further may like as not lead to a long winded chase— a chase where one active party is doomed to grow tired, and the other active party is... in so many words..." Oswald threw his arms out in a shrug, "riding a motorcycle."

"What do you think?" he asked John, after a few more seconds spent watching James, whom he then nodded towards, "Shall we relay the matter as it stands?"

edited 13th Oct '17 1:16:06 AM by Ryuhza

Town ~ Railway Street Alleyway (Mari; “Omar”; {James})

Mari gave an exasperated sigh. Of course he wasn't in the shed; how silly of her. With James on the other side of the gate, the other man was now alone with her, pointing his rifle at her. Unbeknownst to him was the fact that fighting her would be a rather futile endeavor.

"We simply mistook ya for someone else; no need t'shoot anyone," she said, raising one hand slowly above her head, keeping the other firmly on the door handle, "I'm not on the clock right now, and even if I was, I really don't care what kinda secretive business you’re up to that would warrant this kind o' warm reception," she snarked, "though, I am grateful you're not the "shoot first, ask questions later" type; fewer questions I'd 'ave to answer this way."

"Now, if you want," she said casually, "I can go, forget any of this ever 'appened, and take my new friend over there outta your 'air so you can get back t'whatever it is your up to." Still not moving from her spot, as per "Omar"'s orders, she continued "Or, I can be the worst spanner in the works you've ever 'ad the misfortune o'dealin' with; your call."

edited 13th Oct '17 12:55:49 PM by WillDeRegio

[Railway Street (Northeast Alley Area)](Lookalike, James, Mari)

James's attempts at reasoning only seemed to irritate the Omar lookalike. With a scowl, he raised his head slightly and barked, "What're you deaf? I said get lost!" back over to the other side of the fence.

Refocusing his attention on Mari, he stepped closer, "And I didn't tell you to talk Pepper, so can it. You do only as I say or I'll raise your spanner in the works to a bullet in the side." He jabbed his rifle at her with a sharp sound from his teeth, then grinned. "Hope y'ain't a bleeder."

The lookalike's expression fell back into a more serious manner as he came closer. He drew a line in the air with the barrel of his gun, gesturing towards the door. "In there; burlap bag of feed. Empty it out and put it over your head." He paused for a moment, then raised his gun to a ready position. "Do it, or I'll treat you to that bullet right now and get your friend outside to help me instead."

[Bed and Breakfast (Lobby)]

Maya furrowed her eyebrows.

Point proven. she wrote, resisting the urge to also add, Dick. Instead, she shrugged her arms. Fine, if you wanna sit her in silence all night, be my guest.

With that, she leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling.

[Bed and Breakfast (Porch)]

Amy nodded. "Well, it was mostly Connie who did most of the hard work, but yeah, we got him out of the cave! Sad he couldn't stay; we could've told stories! Oh well."

She looked down at her phone.

"Me and Maya have to leave too—but not tonight! We're gonna leave tomorrow morning. So I'm going to spend each moment with my new friends here before I leave!"

[Railway Street (Main Street-Alley)]

John nodded. "Yeah...we should see what's up at least." He walked slowly to near the alleyway, just enough so his fiance could hear him. "James? Mari? Everything ok back there?"

"Don't come over here!" James yelled, "Stay back!"

He turned his attention back to the Omar look alike. Nothing he said was intimating, though now at this point, he was just exhausted from everything. First a sandstorm, then zombies, then tanks, now some wannabe tough guy? God, can any of us get a damn break?

"I'm not going anywhere until I get Mari back." he then said calmly, "If you're as tough as you're acting, how about you come out instead of hiding behind a door, punk?"

edited 13th Oct '17 6:32:06 PM by Masterofchaos

Bed and Breakfast - Porch

On hearing Davey's musing on the possible restorative powers of the surroundings Sophia's mouth twitched briefly into a quirky smile before resuming a neutral expression. "That would probably depend on whether or not the killer carried on killing," here she thought of the earlier, avoidable and fatal, encounter out near the water tank and the later unprovoked attack at the fort, "or the flinger sought other sordid affairs while here..."

Kaitlyn caught Sophia's hint and gave a brief amused smile. She thought back on the time that had elapsed since her arrival which hadn't been, from her perspective, particularly worry-free - what with helping to clean up the aftermath of a bloody battle, interrogating a prisoner, riding a horse out into the desert, the zombie donkey and the whole issue with the so-called "Dead God" suddenly coming to "life".

True, it was peaceful enough now - Aubrey had ultimately been found and reunited with those who had been searching for them and there was time to relax and nothing in particular Kaitlyn had to do. It was nice to not feel the need to keep a hood over her head to hide her ears and features from those who might take exception and express their dislike in terms of violence. It was nice not having to stay alert for gangs or unpredictable drug-crazed citizens. The inhabitants of this place, like those of Capital City on the times she had gone there with Gwion, were clearly accustomed to having "unusual" visitors and one "elf", provided she didn't do anything to incur anyone's wrath, was not likely to provoke a hostile reaction.

"It is rather tranquil, right now," Kaitlyn said, directing a smile at Davey. "Dunno how effective it would be on those you mention, but I'm finding it preferable to last night and most of today."

Finn nodded thoughtfully at what Amy had to say. "Don't sell y'self short, now. Aubrey was most complimentary about the assistance you all rendered."

Gwion turned to Amy. "We've got to get home, ourselves," he gave a brief glance in Kaitlyn's direction and gave a slight smile, "but there's no hurry. It's been a busy day, so we might as well relax for the rest of the night and look at heading off in the morning."

[Old Mine]

Rin, though she was feeling better, was still suffering the effects of her injuries. She was tired. Cynthia was acting a bit strangely, it's true, but surely that wasn't such a big deal? She was a reasonably capable adult, and either way, Omar would assuredly be back soon. Her eyelids were heavy, and Rin shut her eyes, just for a moment. Just for one moment.

The sounds of literal gut-wrenching, of blood spilling and splattering, of horrified screaming roused her from her brief rest. For a split second, she though she might be back home, on yet another battlefield with her sisters. She scrambled to her feet as she remembered where she was, staggering over to Cynthia and their prisoner in time to see the latter's intestines being stuffed back into her body. The gore and the violence didn't really bother her, though it was hardly a welcome sight. What bothered her the most was how Cynthia reacted; she looked totally broken.

After a moment's hesitation, she rushed over to Cynthia, though she didn't really know what to say. "Hey, hey," she said, urging calm as she grasped the knight by her shoulders. "Take a deep breath, okay? Slow, deep breaths now." She glanced over at the prisoner, who now appeared to have been healed from her evisceration, and could not hide her bewilderment as she returned her gaze to Cynthia. "What the hell just happened?"

[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Main Hall)](Rip, Maya)

Rip held his stoic posture for a few seconds after Maya's dismissal, before sitting back and holding his arms out.

"What would you have me say?" he asked, smiling his faint amusement. "Maybe I'm just content, eh?"


[(Porch)](Davey, Amy, Finn, Gwion, Kaitlyn, Sophia)

"Hmm..." Davey hummed, nodding slowly at the responses from the others. "It must be the evening air, taking me places. Flashes," he waved a hand around his head, "imaginings. Moments that a person could be persuaded to live in, if you like."

He stepped down off the porch, letting his hand slide against the weathered wooden post he'd been leaning against. The sky above, though not entirely without the faintest glow of distant sunlight, was speckled with a vast blanket of stars. The moon lingered low off in the distance, shining almost full over the desert landscape. "Now there's a sight," he murmured, gazing up at it.

Perhaps it was something in the air; a particular scent, something that triggered memories from back when he stood taller and stepped lighter. And that thrill he felt when Kaitlyn matched his gaze, like finding an old friend once lost to a dream, though he wasn't sure if the 'friend' was Kaitlyn or the thrill. He didn't really know anything about her, at least not in words, but the energy he felt was unmistakable.

"Well, there's one thing I can say for certain," Davey finally looked back at the others, spreading his hands out over his head in a rainbow-like arc, "a sky like this is perfect for a midnight picnic. You get something from one of these local places, drive out into the desert where the flats reach for miles, find a clear patch, lay down a blanket, eat all you like, then lie back and watch space pass."

[Railway Street (Northeast Alley)](Lookalike, Mari)

The Omar lookalike groaned in ever-increasing irritation as James refused to back down. He clicked his teeth at Mari and nodded back towards the gate. "While you're at it sweet pea, why'oancha go ahead and tell your friend to piss off. Or," the man tilted his head this way and that, as though in careful deliberation, "I guess I could shoot him. Maybe in the leg. Kneecap? A proper fuck-off kneecap blast could do us just fine, I s'pose."


[(Near Alley)](Oswald, John, Pancake)

Oswald's brow knitted tightly at James's alarming response. He didn't say anything at first, but began surveying the situation, stepping away from John's side—though no nearer to James—to get a better angle on the alley, the surrounding buildings, their windows—especially open ones—and any other potential avenues for trouble.

About ten seconds later, he returned to John's side and tried to wave James closer, though the man seemed focused on talking to the wooden gate that led into the alley. Oswald reached back to his shoulders to find Pancake and scooped her into his arms. "John," he turned to face the man, petting the kitten in his arms even as a graveness shadowed his eyes, "would you be so kind as to call James over here?"

[Southern Desert ~ Cave](Omar)

Omar nearly lost his footing when a bloodcurdling scream began in mid-step. He reached for a wall to steady himself, breathing heavily for a moment as he glanced back down the stairway. For a moment, his mind entertained the idea that the one-armed bandit woman had somehow overtaken the other two, the wooden gunstock pressing into his shoulder reminded him of the truth. For all of his earlier bluster, it did little to set his mind at ease to know who was screaming.

He was almost at the top of the stairs by then, hoping that the sound was just as distracting to any potential ambushers as it had been to him. His eyes had adjusted to the dark, to the extent that he felt confident he wouldn't miss anyone pressed against a wall, or crouched in a corner, and as the open iron door frame came into view, he saw none. He held his breath, keeping quiet as a mouse as he passed through into the cave, ducking low to remain behind the large rocky formation between himself and the exterior. He waited for what felt like a minute, listening for any telltale sounds: breathing, scritching of boots against pebbles, the ruffling of clothes...

An eerie wind blew through, but aside from that, there was nothing. Omar kept his head on a swivel and inched towards the cave's opening. By all obvious measures there was no one around aside from himself. Omar found the spot where he had been ambushed before, where the bundle of supplies he had put together for Joseph still laid scattered on the ground. One moody sigh escaped his chest, but he grabbed a water bottle and turned back to the cave just the same. He took a few steps, then halted, struck by a sudden realization. He turned back around to be sure, but there was no doubt about it. His motorcycle was gone.


[Subterranean Shelter](Remnant, Cynthia, Rin)

Once her screaming had stopped and her breathing had lowered to still-high-but-speakable levels, the one-armed bandit spat out blood from the brief rupturing and growled, "spineless bitch. Gutless coward. Don't fucking try to fucking kill someone if you can't fffucking finish it."

She grasped weakly at a handful of scattered rock bits—likely concrete remains from the broken wall—and flung them at the curled-up, sobbing Cynthia, before falling back into a resigned state of breathing, and only breathing.

From upstairs, the sound of footsteps could be heard rapidly descending, and soon enough Omar had returned, water-bottle in hand. He carefully stepped around the corpse of one bandit and the near-corpse of the other and stood over Cynthia and Rin. He bit his lip looking at the former, though clearly had no idea what to say. To the latter, he said, "Water," and handed her the bottle, before stepping back and continuing, "I think the third one took my motorcycle. Could be miles gone by now."

Southern Desert ~ Old Mine (Cynthia; Rin; Omar, one-armed bandit)

The young knight struggled to calm herself as she stared up at Rin, "I don't— I don't know what came over me," she told her through sobs.

She took a tentative glance over at the bandit. "I wasn't trying to— trying to kill you—" she paused, quite clearly horrified at the implications of what she just said, "Odessa... I wasn't trying to kill you." She transfixed her stare on her blood stained hands, quietly crying at her actions.

The piece of rock that bounced off her head brought her back to her senses, more or less, and the normally talkative woman's silence was scaring her. Cynthia crawled over to the bandit's side, and while the woman's breathing reassure her that the bandit hadn't passed away on her, she still was very concerned.

"I'm sorry," she apologized to the woman before giving her a hug and wrapping her wing around the two of them, "I truly am. Please don't die on me, miss."

—-

Town ~ Railway Street Alleyway (Mari; Omar bandito; {James})

Mari swore.

Thanks to James inadvertently making himself a spanner in her own works, any funny business she was likely to try would result in him, who, unlike her, wasn't bullet proof, taking a bullet to the knee.

"Fine," she said through gritted teeth as she stopped holding the doorknob with a death grip, "I'll do what ya ask." She tilted her head in James' direction, "Oi, James, would ya be so kind as t'go back to make sure John and Oswald are okay for now? You don't 'ave to be worried 'bout me or anthin'," she shouted, before reaching for the bag of feed to empty out.

[Bed and Breakfast (Lobby)]

Maya blinked.

Well...stuff like 'hi, how are you?' she typed, Or maybe 'hey, is your friend still recording people? Or basically anything really. Unless you really are content just sitting there doing nothing.

She shrugged.

Well, I won't force you to say anything.

[Bed and Breakfast (Outside Porch)]

Amy rubbed the back of her head.

"Aww...thanks!" she said, "Since we aren't going anywhere tonight, would you guys like to stay for dinner or something? We can tell stories!"

She then tilted her head, "Well, if Davey doesn't mind it. I can't really make that decision." She put her phone in her purse. "But hopefully he'll be ok with it! I like getting to know people!"

[Railway street (Alley)]

Already, John knew something was horribly wrong. Very rarely did he hear his fiance speak like that, unless the situation was dire. Now he was hoping he wasn't doing anything risky. Nodding at Oswald, he took another step forward.

"James...?" he said, "H-hey, James, why don't you come back over here?"

Mari had dismissed him already, and he knew for sure he was just worrying John. As much as it pained him to do so, James put his gun in his holster and began to walk away, back to John, Oswald, and Pancake.

"It's not Omar." he said, turning to John and Oswald, "It;s not even close to Omar."

Pancake was still purring.

Bed and Breakfast - Porch

Kaitlyn listened as Davey waxed poetic about the evening and suggested a picnic out in the desert. While the idea of a picnic sounded good, she couldn't help think of her previous trip out into the desert - perched uncomfortably on a malevolent beast that clearly had had it in for her and had tried to kill her at least once. Davey did say "drive", so if there was some sort of motorised transport available - with nice comfortable seats and good suspension - then that was well and good but if it came to riding a horse...

She smiled. "I agree that it's a gorgeous night for looking at the stars." Thanks to the constant yellowish glow of the night sky in Hamilton, she only saw the stars on the rare occasion she left the confines of the city and ventured out into the rural areas - and then, it being the Waikato, there was a good possibility that it was too foggy or cloudy for star-gazing anyway. It was good to be somewhere with no light pollution and clear cloudless skies.

Gwion overheard what Amy was saying to Finn and turned to look at her. "It's been a busy and knackering day and I'm thinking that dinner would be a great idea. We've got no current plans of our own now that we've finished helping the 'Mad Bastards'." The more he thought about it, the more appropriate the name was.

Finn nodded. He was feeling hungry and the mention of dinner reminded him of how long it had been since he had last eaten.

[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Main Hall)](Rip, Maya)

Rip shrugged in return, "You looked well enough, and hell, I don't particularly care about whatever your friend chooses to record, so long as it isn't me, and now... hell, I don't particularly care about that either."

He leaned back in his chair once more, kicking his legs out into a cozy bliss. "You ever just let yourself relax, Mary?"


[(Porch)](Davey, Amy, Finn, Gwion, Kaitlyn, Sophia)

Davey found himself sighing again, this time at Amy's seeming disregard for what he'd just brought up. With a tight-mouthed, weasely smile, he cleared his throat.

"For clarity's sake, one doesn't actually need to wait until midnight to hold a midnight picnic. As long as the sky is dark and the stars are in sight, a- ah... less magical hour can do the job just as handily."

His ears picked up slightly as he caught wind of Gwion's interest in Amy's own proposal. He turned his eyes to Kaitlyn, but spoke loud enough for the rest to hear.

"If that sounds like a fun idea, there's plenty of room in the truck." He paused for a moment, before finally glancing at the others and giving a casual nod back to the large-bedded vehicle^* The truck is described in the first few paragraphs, parked a short ways down the sidewalk.

[Railway Street (Northeast Alley)](Lookalike, Mari)

"That's better, ain't it?" the Omar lookalike said, whistling out a relaxed sigh. "Just the two of us now, no distractions, no interruptions, and if he's got a brain on his shoulders," he picked up his voice, letting it carry over to anyone lingering past the alley gate, "no followin'!"

His eyes lingered on the sky for a few moments before settling back on Mari. "And you, don't dally. The sooner you do as I say, the sooner this is over for all of us."


[(Near Alley)](Oswald, John, Pancake)

Oswald continued to stare with a focused—if grave—intensity at James as the man finally came near. If not for the kitten in his arms, he might have looked intimidating.

"Ah, mystery solved," he said, glancing over to John when James revealed what he knew.

With one last pat, Oswald carefully held out Pancake, saying "John, if you would be so kind..." before turning his full attention to James, and continuing in a clear but quiet voice. "James, I'm very glad to see that you're in no immediate danger, but please, tell us what happened with this man. What's become of Mari?"

[Subterranean Shelter]

The first thing Rin did was stare at Cynthia in total disbelief. How she had survived for so long while being so naive and vulnerable was difficult for her to understand.

The second thing she did was offer a quick thanks to Omar for the water, which she then promptly drained, as though she'd been stranded in a desert for several days. "Much better. Thanks," she said, handing the empty bottle back to him.

Look over at Cynthia, she then rose to her feet with a sigh, much steadier now than she had been a few moments ago. "Okay, okay," she said, taking the young knight by the shoulders. "Enough of that now." Firmly - but gently - she managed to pry Cynthia away from their prisoner, and got her to stand up. Then, with an almost motherly air about her, she wiped some of Cynthia's tears from her cheeks. "Slow, deep breaths," she instructed. "Just stay focused on getting out of here, okay?"

Then, she turned to Omar. "Sorry about your bike," she said. "It's only a minor problem, though. I could carry us back to town, potentially," she said, nonchalantly, pausing only for a brief moment as she put and hand to her chin. "Although, I think we'd all prefer it if I wasn't carrying one person under each arm, with an unlucky third hanging off my ankle. We'll need something else, like a bench or something..."

[Southern Desert ~ Subterranean Shelter](Omar, Remnant, Cynthia, Rin)

"What the h-hell-" the one-armed bandit gasped, trying feebly to scoot away as Cynthia closed in.

"Oh no," she whined from within the strange knight's embrace. "Get off me— get her off me! Oh hell I can't do this!"

Omar stood back, wearing half frown and scratching lightly at the side of his face. He was just as perplexed by Cynthia's behavior as Rin was, though not particularly bothered by the bandit's distress.

To the quandary brought by his missing motorcycle and Rin's impressively wrought out limitations, Omar shifted his hand from the side of his head to covering his mouth. Before he'd tapped his finger two times, his eyes fell upon the bandit.

"Here's an idea," he murmured, jabbing two fingers in her direction, "why don't we just... leave her here?"

The bandit nodded, "now you're onto something."

"Don't get fucking wise." He turned towards Rin, "Weller was here with others earlier, right? Well, they found a man who had been imprisoned in the mine and set him free. I say we find his prison, dump her in there, and clue in the authorities once we get back to town."

He shrugged glancing over Cynthia—avoiding direct eye contact—then back to Rin. "Sound agreeable?"

[Bed and Breakfast (Lobby)]

Maya quirked an eyebrow.

Well, when Amy isn't around, I just play on my phone." she typed, "...I see your point. And my name is Maya, not Mary.

She smirked. Is this you're way of saying you don't wanna talk to me?

[Bed and Breakfast (Outside)]

Amy clasped her hands together excitedly. "Great! More company! That means more stories!"

She then looked around at everyone else. "Do guys need some more alone time out here, or are you ready to head inside?"

James gave a heavy sigh, his face solemn.

"Mari...he kidnapped her." he said, "He just snatched her and now he's holding her hostage. Don't know why; he just turned violent all of a sudden."

John gasped. "Then, we have to do something!" he reached for his gun, "If she's in danger-"

"We're just gonna make it worst. We need another strategy if we're gonna save her. If we just go like this, he'll probably shoot her."

Pancake looked curiously around her surroundings.

Sorry for the shortness. Writer's block.

edited 25th Oct '17 4:51:08 PM by Masterofchaos

[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Main Hall)] (Maya, Rip)

Ignoring her question, Rip pressed on, "Well sure, I know that Amaya, but it's interesting that you couldn't let it slide even once. Hell, I'm half surprised you actually caught it, being... what with the..." he raised a hand half to his ear, before waving off the thought with a grunt.

"Thing is, some things just aren't worth making a big stink out of. You know how many times I've been 'Rick Wilkins'? It can be fun, actually; being another person, if only by a few letters. You can imagine yourself with a whole new identity, and if you don't like it, there's always the comfort of being able to go back to being you, whenever."

He fell back into his chair, head resting in his two-hand hammock. He smiled. "Or maybe I'm just talking a whole lot of nonsense."

[Railway Street (Near Northeast Alley)](Oswald, James, John, Pancake)

Oswald seemed to listen intently to James's explanation, though between focused stares at the man, he—like Pancake—spent time examining the surroundings, particularly the ground and the buildings that made up each of the alley's walls. By the time John made his own call-to-arms, Oswald's fingers were wiggling restlessly through the air and his gaze was set upon a small stone, a few strides from where they stood.

Without so much as glancing back at the men, he went over to the stone and retrieved it, weighing it in his hand. As he walked back, he already seemed to be on the lookout for another, sharp eyes darting left and right.

"James, John," he said, keeping his voice at a level, quiet tone, "it seems we're left with only the choice to act covertly and, to that end, I have a plan."

For a moment he seemed to lose himself, his narrow pupils growing distant, then coming to focus on the ground before finally, with a deep breath, a slight shiver, and a shake of his head, he raised them back to James. He held out the stone he'd picked up, offering it to the man.

"James, do you think this individual would do anything drastic to Mari if you tried to make contact again?"

edited 28th Oct '17 11:22:38 PM by Ryuhza

Southern Desert ~ Old Mine (Cynthia; Rin; Omar, one-armed bandit)

Cynthia went from hugging the bandit to hugging Rin when the latter pulled her from the former. She released her embrace once she had calmed down. Backing off from Rin, her eyes lit up at Rin's conundrum. "I can fly, too. Sort of," she said, indicating her wing.

When Omar suggested leaving the bandit in some form of prison located elsewhere in the mine, Cynthia thought about it for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Town ~ Railway Street Alleyway (Mari; Omar bandito; {James})

Mari gave the lookalike a smirk and a lackadaisical shrug, "I'm sorry, my mind just went into the gutter just now… HIT THE DECK!" she bellowed, a flick of her wrist sending the bag of feed flying towards the gunman before tearing the shed door off it's hinges and hurling it hard at the motorcycle. Either way, at least the man wouldn't be leaving town in a hurry.

With an additional smirk, she began walking towards the gunman, sending forth her aura of intimidation, making herself appear to the gunman, and the gunman alone, as though she was a terrifying demon (which was arguably accurate).

Bed and Breakfast - Porch

Kaitlyn looked in the direction that Davey nodded and instantly recognised 'the truck' as the one that Rip had been using out in the desert when she, James and Kris had ventured out there. It brought back memories of the events of the day and she shuddered involuntarily. OK, it wasn't exactly brimming over with comfortable seats - the 'plenty of room' most likely referred to the rather utilitarian flat bed at the back of the truck - but it was an improvement over a horse in a number of obvious and important aspects. "I suppose that could work." Provided the evening's entertainments don't include zombie donkeys and scary artefacts, she mentally added.

Finn looked around at Davey's voice and then located the truck. It seemed like a workable proposition. "So what're we gonna take for food? I don't think anyone's in the mood for cookin' and I doubt this town has a feckin' Pizza Hut."

Sophia gave a light smile, Amy seemed positively over-brimming with enthusiasm and excitement. She turned to answer the woman's question. "I'm fine right here, thanks, but I think some one should at least head in and ask the others what they think of the idea of a not-quite-midnight desert picnic."

Gwion was showing every sign of being quite content to relax against the porch railing, looking at the clear sky and puffing on his vapouriser.

Kaitlyn shrugged. "I'd rather stay out here a while, if you don't mind.

Finn nodded agreement. "Too nice a night to be indoors. As the furry one has pointed out, it's a great time to be out enjoyin' not being in."