Crazy Kiwi
Grand Hotel - Presidential Suite
James turned to Todd. "We trap and fish more than we hunt but, yes, remaining unseen, unheard and - more importantly - unsmelled when tracking game is vital for us. Teri, here, is an excellent shot - a natural. The day after Wolfe taught her to use his 'twenty-two', she bagged a brace of hare."Teri laughed, remembering that day and the look of utter disbelief on Aubrey's face. "It helps if the gun's a 'tack driver'. And, of course, we forage. When I first arrived on Terra Nova I had no idea of what was edible, but James taught me what parts of which plants to harvest."
Peggy looked at Vic. He had had to pick through rubbish to find something to eat? No wonder he had been an ideal candidate to be recruited by dissidents. Even at her most low, when she had first found herself mysteriously transported from Liverpool to Terra Nova and was lost and alone, she had never had to resort to living off other people's discarded food. She couldn't imagine being that desperate that that would become her life. Of course now, much older and more experienced, she could find food amongst the "weeds" of someone's garden - and they'd probably thank her to get rid of them.
Karl was old enough to remember what it had been like during what Wolfe referred to as "The Great Depression". The high unemployment, desperation and poverty. His family had been more fortunate than others but they had still been hit hard and their food supply had been low at times - even though his father had been a butcher. They had still never been reduced to the level of begging or foraging through garbage.
Wolfe could remember standing outside work while having a cigarette and seeing people foraging through the bins. One day a man had found a half-eaten McDonalds burger and had reacted like he'd discovered a three-course meal. Wolfe had hoped that he would never be reduced to that level.
Kris wondered what sort of dystopic hell had to exist for humans to go without food. In her own time, due to the extensive amount of automation, the most common "job" was "consumer" - in order to keep the economy running in the wake of losing most of the paid workforce, every adult was paid a regular stipend on which to live and spend according to their own tastes. The concept of being so poor that you couldn't afford even the basic necessities was alien to Kris. On Terra Nova, there was always plenty of paid work to go around, if you weren't picky.
[Hotel-Lobby]
James blinked. Out of all the responses he expected, Joseph not knowing what he was was not one of them. And if another alien couldn't even tell what he was, who could? Certainly not him, that was for sure.
This vacation was getting more and more strange.
"Well, that's easy!" John said, "He's a lizard from Washington! It's simple!"
He paused for a moment, then glanced away awkwardly.
"...I think."
James sighed then gently pulled John to the side. "Let's not go into this. We're probably making him feel uncomfortable."
"S-Sorry."
James smiled. "Besides, it doesn't really matter; we're still going to make sure he gets food and shelter. It's the best we can do for him."
Pancake purred.
Attitude is prohibited
[Grand Hotel] (Lobby) (Hana, Maya, Scents, etc)
"Hm?" Hana took the room key from the girl behind the desk and turned around. "Ah, yes, you look familiar. You were there to witness that slovenly drunkard accost me with his pseudo-philosophical nonsense, right? Dreadful business, that." She sighed and shook her head. "An easy way to spoil a vacation, too. Much like this weather. Still..." She paused, briefly, and looked Scents up and down, curiously eyeing both her physiology and her armour. "Perhaps not all is lost... Ah, but where are my manners? This is Maya, my associate." She said, gesturing to her.
Maya bowed politely and gave a halfhearted smile. She said nothing.
[Over The Mountains] (Hoshi, Molag)
Frustrated and a bit confused, Hoshi didn't even notice the strange structure in the distance. She was preoccupied with her murderous intentions towards Molag, and perhaps more pressingly, the missiles he kept launching at her. She charged straight towards the latest volley, and then with just a few instants to spare, dove sharply towards the ground. Picking up speed, she hurtled towards the sandy earth for a moment, and then pulled upwards into a wide, U-like trajectory that would take her directly to Molag.
Taking advantage of the momentum she'd picked up in the dive, it only took a small amount of extra effort to reach about 900kph. Vague hints of a Mach cone started forming around her as she aimed another high-speed kick at Molag's neck. Even if she missed again, as disappointing as that would be, she planned to take the opportunity to reclaim her weapon from Molag's eye.
[The Fort] (Rin, Gwion, Sophia, Henry, Kaitlyn, Finn, etc)
Rin helped with the clean-up, albeit rather reluctantly. While she may have had the physique of a normal, reasonably athletic eighteen-to-twentysomething, with the way she helped it became abundantly clear that she was far from normal. She grabbed the corpse of one of the invaders - a fully grown man, easily 300 pounds - by the front of its vest and lifted it clear off the ground with one hand. Then she picked up a second ex-invader, another grown man, with her other hand and easily carried them both over to wherever it was their bodies were being stored, tossing them away like they were so much litter.
She did this only a few more times, taking the earliest opportunity to seek shelter from the sandstorm instead. She didn't seem at all tired, though, and despite all the bodies she'd handled, and the few she'd created, there wasn't a single speck of blood anywhere on her.
[Forest] (Miyuki, Brin, The Black and Teal, Kito, Cyrus, etc)
Brin didn't say anything, and so Miyuki had trouble gauging her reaction. She had her back to Maude, and so didn't see her reaction at all.
"I'm not going to insist on an attack," she said, keeping her voice low. "But something has to be done. If you don't act, then I will." She said. "I'll contact Hoshi and get her to forfeit. Then she and I will leave, and you will have to consider the consequences of keeping promises you make with criminals." She motioned to Cloudsplitter. "Half the rations, and a few other things, wasn't it?"
Not entirely dead.
Paladin of Light
Rail Siding - Stalker, Kaito, Jeanette/Crew, Chisa
Kaito went between dodging Stalker's scythe to trying to deliver some of his own strikes with his blade. Several times the blades clashed and produced sparks as they pushed against one another. From underneath his visor, the blonde agent narrowed his eyes; headquarters hadn't been joking when they told him that Stalker was strong—but he had to have a weakness somewhere.
The crashing sound of the tank literally dropping off the side of the rail car made Kaito jump away from Stalker just in time for the tank to just barely be able to pass between them—that was too close. Taking this ample opportunity to hopefully surprise his opponent once the tank passed by, Kaito produced his pistol and held it level, the auto lock-on system pinpointed where Stalker had been just moments before. But as he came to realize that the assassin was not there, Kaito's eyes widened in shock and fear. Where had he gone, but more importantly where would he reappear?
PAINKILLER
[Town ~ Bed & Breakfast (Shared Room)](Connie, Davey, Irina)
Irina sighed. She hoped she had the benefit of doubt on her side for this. "Just, hear me out. You have to try to believe me here."
She recounted, "According to Xenian Scripture, the god of darkness, Tenebraeum, was jealous of God's creations. He created three monsters to destroy those things. The most sinister, Garganteum, the one who stalks in sandstorms, is the one I'm worried about." Her eyes went for a window. "Of course, people think he's a story so that people will stay inside during sandstorms, but... I believe I have seen him. I've been weary of sandstorms since."
She then said to Connie, "Raiders and scavengers like creeping in storms. People caught outside are usually shot and robbed. Ever since my country's famine, they've been more common and dangerous."
"Now, if you don't believe me, I just advise you to be weary yourself."
[Grand Hotel - Presidential Suite]
After Todd stopped, he dug in to finish his meal. It was much needed laughter, after a day like his. Maybe it was the wine and beer taking a toll on him— he could safely admit he was a lightweight compared to Samuel, who out-drunk even the toughest Sergeant.
Vic noted the Terra Novan's silence. He felt a bit embarrassed, as he believed they thought he didn't try hard enough to find food. The way Teri and Wolfe explained their habits reinforced it. He mumbled, "There's not a lot of food in Serenica. Especially for those like me."
Samuel nodded. "Yeah, Famine's been terrible. If you got a pension or a job, you're all right except for those damn prices."
Todd swallowed especially hard. "I guess it's why they made up the Gardens of Eden." Vic just nodded solemnly.
edited 21st Nov '15 5:04:36 PM by electronic-tragedy
Life is hard, that's why no one survives.
Drummer Boy
[Forest]
Coward! Kito bared his fangs at Miyuki. The hairs on his back were standing up.
Don't even react. I swear, you're even more of a Fenrir than I am, Cyrus said bitterly. If this is the attitude they're going to take, they're useless to us as allies anyway. Good riddance, I say.
Kito lowered his lips again and turned back to Cyrus. Brin didn't respond. What do you think's going to happen?
I don't know, but we have to be ready for anything. Cyrus stood up and dusted himself off. And let's be more careful this time.
[Hotel Lobby (Tsadro, Arthur)]
<if you don't really don't mind paying... thanks, I really appreciate it.>
Arthur took a moment to scan the notes he frantically tapped out on the way to the hotel. Holy shit, he had so many questions. <so if you're not totally sure of your origins, what -do- you know about your species' history?>
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
[Grand Hotel (Lobby)]
Iraal's large eyes widened further. "You don't know what species you are?" Her head turned in James and John's direction. "He doesn't know what species he is? How could that even be possible?"
She immediately began running possibilities through her mind - there was no shortage of them. Not all of them were very plausible, or indeed had any real-world evidence to support them, but probabilities were apparently a very different thing through the Gates.
"What are you?" she asked, looking so obviously curious that it would be easily identifiable to a human even with the subtle differences between that species and orl. "An orphan or foundling or some kind? Or is something stranger? Are you - "
She finally noticed the large, flashing text being sent by her social interaction software. "Oh, yes. You are - you were going to head up to your room now. I am sorry for keeping you," she recited.
—-
Scents smacked the side of her jaw with her tongue. Oh great, she's posh. She had already guessed from Maya's look that Hana might be upper-class of some sort, but that wasn't necessarily a problem. She didn't get on well with people who acted conspicuous about it. Except the doc, maybe, but she was just oblivious and neurally divergent.
Still, best get on with it.
"Right. I'm Follows-Many-Scents," she said, offering a nod. She noticed the way Hana was looking at her. "And I'm a vayen. V-A-Y-E-N," she added to clarify.
...at least I hope that's what it's about.
[Town ~ Bed & Breakfast (Shared Room)](Connie, Davey, Irina)
"But... in this town?" Connie asked, tilting her head a bit and knitting her brow even more than usual. "I mean, like, enough people come here that they can run a hotel, right? So if there were these raider scavenger guys creeping around all the time, don't you think there would be warnings?" She glanced from Irina to Davey, then shrugged, "I mean, shouldn't there be warnings? A sign or something? I didn't see anything like that."
Davey took a moment to pull a pair of oddly-proportioned tan slacks out of his bag and fold them over his arm. Then he turned his small, otter-like head to Irina. It was difficult to avoid immediately saying something about how a person could easily 'see' a lot of things out in the middle of a sandstorm, especially under the influence of any number of substances, but he managed to hold his tongue well enough.
"This Garganteum..." he asked instead, keeping as serious a face as a creature like he could possibly have, "when you saw it, did it... do anything? Did it see you?"
[Town ~ Grand Hotel (Lobby)](Joseph, Iraal, James, John, Pancake)
"Oh, he- ...hehehheh, it's, no, no, it's okay." Joe said to John with his teeth nearly locked together in an uncomfortable grin. "It's just, you know, it's- it's probably more complicated than that. That's all."
His own large eyes widened at Iraal's surprise. He paused, fiddling with his claws and twitching his tail nervously while he waited for the orl to become a little less excited. It was always hard trying to explain his condition to others. It was hardly the first and doubtfully the last time it had come up, but Joseph never felt that he'd been able to provide anyone with a satisfying set of answers. For every question that he could answer, an unanswerable question was lying in wait beyond. Most everything that they wanted to know, he wanted to know too. He wanted to know badly.
"Yeah, I know, I know," he nodded, "It's weird; I said it was weird, and yeah, it's weird. But I'm not an orphan or anything like that, it's just... I used to know, but now I don't." he took a deep breath, "It's like, you wake up one day, you look in the mirror, and that there isn't in the big book of species or whatever. The closest you'll get is..." he gestured limply at John, "a lizard from Washington."
Joseph let the rest of his breath out in a sigh, and added in a quiet mutter,"...a giant talking lizard from Washington."
this place needs me here
[Over The Mountains —> Mountaintop] (Hoshi, Molag)
A solid hit, and one that hurt more than Morag expected. With a shudder, he shrank back into his natural krogan form. He landed on the mountaintop with a thud, though his barriers and sheer durability meant he was basically unharmed. Still, he was ready for another battle... until he noticed a flock of birds heading up from the Valley of the Dead God. They weren't very large, about the size of sparrows, but they flapped with an unnatural synchronicity, exactly in tune with the pulsing of the Dead God itself. That was when Morag put his arms up and yelled, "I yield, I submit, you win!"
He only intended to mention what the birds were if Hoshi spared him. Otherwise she could find out for herself. Then he sent a message to the Queen of Diamonds. Flock incoming.
[Forest] (Miyuki, Brin, The Black and Teal, Kito, Cyrus, etc)
"You've got a point," Brin said, before noticing Morag's fall. "But if they keep their promises..."
"We will," the Queen of Diamonds said. "Dammit, you bastards finally..." a notification beeped on her cybereye. "Flock?!" The Black and Teal looked around at each other. "New plan! We are out of here." The group began to slip away — heading first to the mountain to retrieve Morag, after which they'd be anywhere the flock wasn't.
[Hotel-Lobby]
James listened to Joseph's words, and he suddenly realized something—something he felt stupid enough for not noticing in the first place.
...He's a human being, isn't he?
Now almost everything made sense; his behavior, the way he dressed, Pancake being fine with him, the fact that he was from Washington...how did he missed all that? Now he had even more questions, but he knew that this poor kid probably couldn't answer half of them.
"No, we're sorry." John said, "We took so much of your time. James, we should really head to our room; I really need to shower."
"Huh?" James said, snapping out of it, "Oh. Yeah. It was nice meeting you, Iraal." He turned and headed towards to the elevator, making sure Joseph and John were able to keep up.
Pancake perched herself onto John's shoulder, still purring.
[hotel lobby > hotel room 106 (Tsadro, Arthur)]
<Rivari are in a unique position- we don't die. Our oldest members are thought to be the earliest ones of our kind. There's the solution, right? Ask them where they came from.> He let this soak a bit, busying himself with his money. <Except, their earliest memories depict the same life event as all Rivari, without exception- the moment they swore their first oath of servitude to their first master thousands of years ago, a human hunter-gatherer.>
Tsadro cast a quick glance around the room as he headed up to another clerk at the counter, noting that he and Arthur were probably the least odd of the bunch compared to the lizard-man and aliens, and that they seemed to be too busy with their own conversations to regard the two men with much notice, let alone hostility. The clerk greeted them with a 'good evening', and he set about purchasing a bed for the night. While the clerk handled his money, Tsadro slipped on a pair of white leather gloves to protect against the metal in the key. Granted, he supposed it was going to do little more than be a little unpleasant, but why not avoid that if he could? Key in hand, the two headed off as he continued speaking.
<It is difficult to speak of Rivari as a whole without mentioning that we are functionally no more than high-value economic assets for other species.> He was still as businesslike as ever, having long since decided this to be fact. <As a people, Rivari have no claims to a homeland, no society, culture, or heritage. Our mental health is dependent on carrying out an oath of servitude to a non-Rivari. When that oath is sworn, we lose all memories of encounters with other Rivari, and we forget our names.>
It didn't take them long at all to find their room, and Tsadro unlocked and opened the door. <With no knowledge of family, social connections, or commonalities, there's no opportunity for rebellion, cultural identity, or society to brew. Just drifters.>
edited 23rd Nov '15 11:45:09 PM by CrystalGlacia
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
Crazy Kiwi
Northwestern Desert - Fort (Mess Hall)
Sergeant Carson looked around the Mess Hall, noting a distressing shortage of blue uniforms. The large hall had seemed oddly "empty" ever since the troop complement had been reduced to a skeleton crew of only one platoon and now half of his squad - unarmed and unprepared - had been cut down in a cowardly unprovoked attack.The invaders had been strange, wearing unusual uniforms of strangely-patterned fabric and bearing futuristic weapons, and their motives were even harder to fathom. Why would anyone attack the fort?
He looked over at the newcomers who had risked their own lives to protect the fort. A woman with strangely patterned hair, tattooed arms and more metal inserted into her flesh than he ever thought possible, who had fought with a ferocity bordering on the animalistic; a middle-aged man with a red eye and an unusual artificial arm that somehow moved like a real one, who seemed to be as spry as a twenty-five-year old, and a tall man with neatly trimmed hair and beard. He had been told that they were two privates and a Lieutenant Colonel from Colonel Roosevelt's cavalry but they wore no recognisable uniform and carried futuristic weapons. Then there was the young woman with turquoise hair, form-fitting leather clothes and a sword - he had seen her fly and had watched her after the fight, picking up two corpses at a time like they were stuffed with feathers.
Their actions had thrown the invaders into confusion and bought time for half of his squad to escape the slaughter and the old guy had reportedly pushed the Lieutenant out of the line of fire.
Then there were those who arrived after the battle was over: a young woman with inhumanly green eyes and slightly pointed ears and a tall man with a mane of hair and outlandishly colourful clothes that had arrived in a strange vehicle that flew a couple of feet off the ground with no wheels to support it and no horse to draw it. Interestingly, these two clearly knew the two "privates" but didn't seem to know their "commanding officer" at all. Nevertheless, they had joined in as if clearing up dead bodies was an everyday occurrence. Next was an elderly woman wearing a black bandanna and a young man with orange eyes that had arrived in a strange vehicle that was bigger than any horseless carriage or "gas buggy" he had ever seen. Oddly enough, they seemed to know the couple from the flying vehicle but no one else.
Sergeant Carson wandered over to Gwion. "Let's be honest here, y'all aren't from General Roosevelt's cavalry, are ya." To his surprise, Gwion didn't react with alarm - he just shook his head. "Not that that matters, o'course, I'm mighty obliged for the help you gave - wherever you're from."
"Glad we could help," said Gwion.
Sophia nodded. "I wish we had been able to do more."
Finn turned to face the Sergeant. "I t'ought there'd be more soldiers here than this."
The Sergeant shook his head. "The fort's served its purpose, we're just here to keep the flag flyin' and make sure everything's in order in case there's a need to bring the fort up to full strength in a hurry. We're not really equipped or staffed to deal with an invasion - especially not if the enemy somehow appear right in the middle of the quadrangle."
Kaitlyn noticed that the soldiers still had their rifles slung over their shoulders and figured it was a wise move in case more invaders suddenly materialised.
Grand Hotel - Presidential Suite
At the mention of the famine, all of the Terra Novans nodded solemnly. They could certainly understand that.Kris shook her head sadly. "So is Serenica all desert? No forests or fertile temperate zones at all?"
Once again, Karl felt extremely glad that God had sent him to Terra Nova - for all its obvious faults - rather than some inhospitable place, and thought a quick prayer of thanksgiving.
Wolfe looked at Todd. "So, these tales of a 'Garden of Eden', they're used by the cultists to foment discord and bolster support for their cause?"
sorry it's such a short one for the Terra Novans but the post for the fort's taken a lot out of me.
[Grand Hotel (Lobby)]
"Transformation of some kind? I was right!" Iraal exclaimed, somewhat louder than she had meant to. She considered that statement, and decided an edit for clarity was needed: "Though I considered it among many other possibilities, so that's not that... anyway.
She bowed slightly from the waist in farewell, then moved away, determined to make sure she would stop violating the unwritten rules of social tact by continuing to harass the group with questions. She spared a moment to glance in Scents' direction and decided not to bother her, instead moving to stand silently by the luggage-robot.
I wonder how good the connectivity in this place is...
Rail Siding - Jeanette and crew, Chisa, Stalker, Kaito
The slashes at Stalker were mostly blocked but some struck Stalker hard as he momentarily got distracted from the tanks rolling down from their ramps. It rumbled the ground and almost got him to stumble but in an instance he disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. Stalker appeared again behind the blonde boy while Kaito was trying to find him and sent a strong kick aiming for his back.
Meanwhile in the tank, Chisa braced herself as the vehicle rolled off of its carrier. She wanted to see what was going on, wondering who was fighting Stalker, but knew it was much too dangerous. Suddenly a garbled message went through her systems. "zzz-child? Child you the-zzz? I think I found-zzz- you. Don't worr- I'm coming to save you." The message said and Chisa looked up in surprise. Who was that? Was it the one outside the tanks fighting?
"Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?"
[Town ~ Grand Hotel (Lobby —> Elevator)](Joseph, James, John, Pancake)
Joseph found himself turning his large pair of eyes back to Iraal, again surprised by her excitement. She seemed really into figuring him out, at least as soon as he had presented himself as a puzzle to be solved, if only partially. Joseph T. Weller, 100 pieces, fun for the whole family. Warning: puzzle pieces may change shape and will no longer be compatible with the original pieces, and the puzzle will become unsolvable. He almost couldn't help but smile at the thought. But he could, and he didn't.
"Yeah well, call it whatever... " he said with a loose shrug. It seemed as though nothing else was left to be said. Iraal had bowed her goodbye, and James was heading off towards the elevators. Joseph felt pretty glum all of a sudden. Worse, he felt like he'd been acting a little glum too, and that was something other people could see. He almost wanted to apologize to Iraal for his glumness; for its sharp contrast with her enthusiasm. But she had already turned her attention elsewhere, and James and John would be waiting for him. So he said nothing, left only to stare glumly after the alien, then to turn that glum stare at the two men and their small cat.
It wasn't as if he wanted to feel so down either. At least, he was pretty sure he didn't want to in some weird subconscious way. But he couldn't very well help it. From the moment Iraal had asked what species he was, it was as though a hole had been poked in his shield... or maybe his blanket, covered in star-ships and meteors, letting the cold air of reality seep in. It got his mind thinking, which was never a good thing whenever it was a bad thing. And it was almost always a bad thing whenever it wasn't a good thing. In that case, thinking about the reality of his situation, what he was, where he was, how he'd gotten there, and all that he'd left behind every step of the way... it wasn't a good thing.
Joseph did his best to push those thoughts aside—which was more like making a tiny bit of room for other thoughts to squeeze through—and trailed after John and James. When he got close enough, he glanced at the two men, a sheepish smile creeping onto his face.
"...I uh... don't suppose either of you wanted to know about that earlier, did you?"
this place needs me here
[Hotel-Elevator]
"About your look?" John asked, "I'll admit, I was thrown a little off guard when I first saw you, but once I got to know you a little more it didn't matter too much to me anymore."
James shrugged. "I was a little nervous around you, but you turned out to be alright." He chuckled, "Sides, if John and Pancake are comfortable around you, you can't be bad."
Now that he knew that Joseph wasn't the only odd looking 'person' in this place, he felt a little more at ease. Though he wondered what an alien and vayen would want to go to an old Frontier anyway—especially during a really bad sandstorm. And he wondered what else he was going to see during all this.
As they stepped into the elevator, John held Pancake in his arms and rubbed her chin. "I bet you're hungry after being out all day, aren't you girl?"
His eyes then widened.
"Oh shit! I forgot about food!" He looked apologetically at Joseph, "I'm so, so sorry. I really did mean to get you something to eat but then all of that happened and..."
PAINKILLER
[Grand Hotel - Presidential Suite]
As Samuel chewed, he explained, "We do got good farming places, but they're all full of holes because of the war. Some still can make food, not a lot, though."
Todd nodded and added, "Serenica is mostly arid, yes. The middle parts and east mostly are desert. It's safe to assume the Gardens of Eden are what drive cultists to do what they do. Maybe they're so full of that dark magic, heat, and hunger that they actually believe it."
Vic pushed aside his plate as he had finished early. He tried a bit of the wine before grimacing in disgust. "Uh, Commander, what are you going to do about it?"
"I can't do shit about shitty farmlands, kid."
The boy pressed, "You're pretty close to the King, though. What are you doing about the famine?"
Todd went silent. He stared at his plate, as if it would give him an easy answer. I've been keeping the truth at bay. I need to keep it that way until the moment's right. "...Confidential at the moment," he finally said. Vic feigned to make a gesture of acknowledgement. There was a silence between the three for a moment.
The Colonel set down his utensils. He raised his glass. "Hey, I'd like to propose another toast: To the great food after a long-ass day, and our new allies, no—friends, the Terra Novans."
The blond man raised his as well. "Roger that, Colonel."
Vic saw the gesture and followed. "Uh, right. OK."
Town ~ Bed & Breakfast (Shared Room)](Connie, Davey, Irina)
Irina rubbed the back of her neck. "Hm. Well, perhaps not this town. At least, I hope." She certainly didn't feel bad vibes about the town when she first arrived, just in the desert. The fact that Davey and the others didn't rob her was good enough. And, maybe the fact that her hovercycle wasn't stolen too.
She sucked in a breath and closed her eyes for a moment. "I was out, caught in a storm with other scavengers. We managed to find a dip in the ground to shield us from the wind. Then, I remember a roar. It was a bit like a guttural whine. We stayed still, silent. Then... We felt its footsteps.
"Around 50 meters away, this hulking silhouette was walking in the direction of the wind. We thought we were seeing things, hearing things, feeling things. But I remember those eyes and teeth..." She shuddered a bit. "It was a big jet-black beast, perhaps the size of that big hotel. The weird thing was that I felt it come and go, like a bad vibe. It wasn't fear."
Irina found herself rubbing her arms. "Sounds like a ghost story, I know. But a lot of people I've met has seen it or lost someone to it. At least heed my warning."
Life is hard, that's why no one survives.
Mr ship
[Fort-Mess Hall]
Henry walked into the mess hall hoping that everyone to find everyone in there to figure out what the hell just happened. He saw Gwion talking to one of the soldiers, a sergeant telling him the truth.
"Well wait a second I lied about them." He started getting the sergeant's attention after he was done talking to one of the newer people. "But I wasn't lying about myself. I did infact serve as the Lieutenant Colonel of Roosevelt's Calvary. I remembered the old uniforms and decided to take a chance and bluff my way in. There's something strange going on here and it's not just intruders appearing from nowhere. This base shouldn't be here it should be in Texas."
Eat my dust!
[Rail Siding - Jeanette and crew, Chisa, Stalker, Kaito]
A young man's voice, loud and clear, rang out in the middle of the fray. The sandstorm made it hard to pinpoint its location.
"Behind you blondie!" it shouted.
edited 23rd Nov '15 7:48:59 PM by gameknight102xx
"SAID CLOUD TO THE CARTOON PONIES AND UNICORNS WITH PICTURES OF FLOWERS ON THEIR ASSES. A DURR HURR HURR." ~Game Spazzer
Paladin of Light
Rail Siding - Jeanette and Crew, Stalker, Chisa, Unknown Person
Hearing a voice suddenly calling out to Kaito to look behind him, the young agent spun on his toes to find a foot flying nearly about to hit him; which it did, and squarely in the solar plexus.
Letting out a grunt of pain as he was kicked away and down to the dirt, Kaito lost his grip on both his sword and his pistol as he rolled back. Great, not only was he struggling to get a full breath in, but he had lost both his main weapons as well. With a wince and a kick of his feet, he was upright again, but a bit hunched over still from the powerful kick. He wiped his mouth, finding a trace of blood leaving a mark on his glove. That kick hurt a lot more than he had originally thought.
Taking account of his weapons, they had landed an equal distance away from his position, but he was now stuck fighting with nothing but his fists. That is until he could find an opportunity to get closer to one of them. So he held up his fists in a defensive boxer's pose and glared directly at Stalker, calmly trying to keep his wits about him and be ready for anything that Stalker might do next.
Besides, who was it that had warned him to turn around? He could neither see nor hear anyone else nearby other than himself and Stalker. Just who was it?
Crazy Kiwi
Grand Hotel - Presidential Suite
It seemed to James that Todd took rather too long before answering Vic's question. It had been a straightforward enough question and a straightforward answer - so why the lengthy delay? There was certainly something going on.In response to Samuel's toast, James raised his own glass and said, "and to our new-found Serenican friends and a relaxing evening." Kris, Teri, Peggy, Karl and Wolfe all raised their glasses in salute.
Teri took a sip of her wine. "We definitely need a better way to refer to ourselves than 'Terra Novans' - I mean, it's just where we come from, it doesn't really name us. I don't even like what our planet was named. I reckon the 'Not-Chaos-Hunters' might have a point about needing a proper group name."
"You mean like 'The Time Team'," said Karl with a grin. The others laughed.
Peggy smiled. "I know Wolfe was only joking about that, but doesn't it seem that it's getting more and more accurate? Every time there's something that needs to be done, especially if it involves going through strange portals to alien worlds, the Council calls on you - well, I suppose it's "us", now."
James looked thoughtfully at Teri then Peggy. "You both raise valid points. We are called upon whenever the Council needs our skills or our experience in visiting other worlds, so it would pay to give our group a proper name rather than just 'the people from Terra Nova'."
Wolfe nodded. "I've always been partial to calling ourselves the Fukawi Tribe. We could turn up on a world like this, approach the first person we see and say, 'we're the Fukawi'."
"I've been wondering that since we got here," said Peggy.
Kris turned to Samuel. "We did think of coming up with a name based on the first few letters of our surnames but wound up with horribly convoluted names like 'Mowabatuwosch', so that didn't last long. Just imagine what it would sound like if we got another two or three people in our group."
Teri swallowed a mouthful of her meal. "It's gotta be something simple 'n' easy to say."
"So long as it doesn't come across too Enid Blyton-y," said Wolfe, "like 'The Splendid Six' or such. It's gotta be something we can call ourselves without sounding like complete and utter twats."
Drummer Boy
[Hotel Room 106 (Tsadro, Arthur)]
<thanks again, Tsadro, this place looks pretty nice>
The room's decor heavily reminded Arthur of history textbook pictures of Earth in days long past, but just as he completed the thought, he was thinking about private school again and he wasn't so happy anymore. Why do I keep doing that to myself?
His brain hadn't fully processed everything Tsadro just said (and there was definitely lots to think about) so he decided to get out of his outer suit first. After a bit of tapping and swiping on the touchscreen, several quiet clicking noises could be heard as the latches holding the suit's individual components together undid themselves. Arthur popped the touchscreen out of the holder attached to the suit and carefully laid it on the desk. Then he removed his helmet, shook off the arm and leg pieces, and separated the front and back halves of the torso. He was wearing a skintight, full-body dull orange and grayish teal suit with thin armored plates that hardly impeded his movement at all. The Greek letter psi was stamped on his left breastplate. There was another tablet holder strapped to his arm. He popped the device into it, did something else with the touchscreen, and shook it around to make sure the device was secure. His physique definitely suggested "nerdy college student who exclusively consumes coffee while pulling all-nighters" more than it did "soldier qualified to do literally anything wearing that goddman suit." Arthur was certainly tired enough to make a beeline for the bed and flop on it (and he immediately did so, with a huge sigh, after abandoning his suit on the floor), but going by his appearance alone, he should have collapsed of exhaustion hours ago.
With another sigh, he pulled himself into an upright position so he could more easily use his tablet. <this might be too personal and i'm sorry if it is, but how do you feel about that being the way things are? i'm asking because i don't want to be some presumptuous armchair liberal and accidentally say something dumb later> Arthur almost wanted to say he kind of wanted to try being Rivari for a while but he didn't want the team reading something like that. He wouldn't mind talking about it with a couple of them, but the entire team... nah.
[Forest]
"We're not letting you leave until you tell us what this 'flock' is, and don't play dumb, the wolf heard you!" he yelled. He didn't even care that the timbre of his voice had unconsciously shifted to the feminine range that he hated so much and yet was far too accustomed to. Right now that was the least of his worries.
As quickly as his cold, shaking fingers could allow, Cyrus had his rifle at the ready and pointing at the Queen of Diamonds. Kito's reaction time was far better; he was sprinting, planning to leap and sink his teeth somewhere into her and slow her down for the few, precious seconds it would take him and Cyrus to concentrate and put up a decent magic barrier together.
I wonder if it's something we should be working together to fight against...
Just when I thought you were finally acting like a Fenrir. There's no way these dirtbags aren't going to just try to save their own skins. I bet they're just going to leave her here. If she gives us bad information or doesn't talk at all, she's going down with us.
edited 29th Nov '15 1:35:40 AM by SnowyFoxes
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
[Town ~ Bed & Breakfast (Shared Room)](Connie, Davey, Irina)
Davey was silent for a few moments after Irina's little story had concluded.
"A hotel?" Connie repeated, eyebrows raised and eyes wide. "This thing was as big as a hotel? ...damn."
Davey glanced at her, then at Irina, then down into his bag. The corners of his mouth twitched—causing his whiskers to twitch as well—but it was a few seconds, a short digging, and the pulling out of a tan sports coat—which matched the slacks laid over his arm—before he actually spoke, by which time Connie herself had begun to stare expectantly.
"Well... consider your warning well-heeded." he said, offering Irina a smile. He carried the coat and slacks over to the closet and stepped inside, saying, "At the very least—'scuse me for a moment," he slid the closet door shut, and continued to speak from within, "from what you've told us, it seems like this monstrosity has a very big presence. Even in this sandstorm, I can't fathom that a second hotel could crawl into town and escape our notice. And I don't plan on leaving town. If I stick close to the buildings lining the streets, that gives me a good number of spots to duck my head in if things get a little too spooky out there. Adding that all up, I think I've got a pretty nifty safety bubble there, wouldn't you say?"
The closet door slid open again and Davey stepped back out, now dressed in a little tan suit which sat somewhere between smart and adorable, depending on the viewer. It didn't help that the fur near the base of his tail was looking frizzier than normal. Even Connie, who had known Davey for several months, had to tighten her mouth slightly to suppress a stemming smile. If Davey noticed, he was choosing not to show it.
"As for right now," he continued, glancing at the door that lead to the balcony, "I'm not feeling any 'bad vibes'. Well, nothing beyond what's normal for someone planning to head out into a sandstorm. Connie?"
"Hrm??" Connie flinched slightly, as though she'd been caught dozing in class. Davey gave her a meaningful look. "Oh... uh," she shrugged, "no, no bad vibes here. Well, I thought there was a monster in the closet a moment ago, but..."
Davey pointed and winked, then turned his little brown eyes back to Irina. He spoke in a low tone that struck sincere, asking, "And what about you, Irina? ...Do you sense anything?"
[Town ~ Grand Hotel (Elevator)](Joseph, James, John, Pancake)
"Oh, well... thanks." Joseph said, glancing between the two men. He wasn't sure if they had fully understood what he was asking about, but it hardly mattered. Trying to clarify would just make things more complicated, awkward, or just plain weird. Scenarios to avoid.
Once inside the elevator, he stepped away from the door to avoid getting his tail caught. This wasn't his first rodeo with a hotel elevator. Or his second. Or his third. Even since becoming a man-sized lizard dude, he'd been to more than a few hotels. But he rarely lasted a whole night.
Fortunately, John's food kabumble pulled Joseph back to the there-and-then. He shook his head, giving the air a light swat with his hand, and said, "don't sweat it. You might be surprised by how long a... well, a guy like me can go without food. I mean, I can't give you the exact numbers, but when push comes to shove..." his voice trailed off, and his gaze grew distant for a moment. In another, he was back. He shrugged and smiled, "well anyway, who's complaining? I'll eat when I can."
this place needs me here
[THE FORT - MESS HALL]
First, there was the notion that the fort recently described as 'deserted' was not so in the least. But now, Chris and Tana both looked two and from at the variety of characters.
There was, of course, Kaitlyn and Finn, whom apparently had found their friend, since he seemed to match their description pretty well.
However, there was always the men in the blue uniforms. Chris could only guess they were from decades ago, possibly centuries. Finding his voice, he spoke up to these uniformed men.
"Uh... E-excuse us, we apologize in advance, but...how long have you occupied-"
"This base shouldn't be here it should be in Texas."
Tana chuckled at the revelation. "I guess that makes this the Alamo, then."
edited 24th Nov '15 6:17:05 AM by TroPartner
[Town ~ Bed & Breakfast (Shared Room)](Connie, Davey, Irina)
Davey had rolled his sleeves back down and was in the middle of fastening a necktie around his collar. He stopped, and his smile faded.
Turning his dark, inquisitive little eyes to Irina, he asked, "Sorry? I'm not sure I understand. Are you saying that folks are going to be waiting out there, in the middle of the sandstorm, for someone like myself to step outside so..." he pointed his hand like a gun, "so they can pop me?"
"Don't think they mentioned that in the travel guide." murmured Connie, leaning against the wall.
Davey finished fastening his tie, then shook his head slightly and, sounding as though he wasn't sure whether to laugh or be nervous, asked, "...Why?"
[Town ~ Grand Hotel (Lobby)](Joseph, Iraal, James, John, Pancake)
Joseph's lizard-like snout wrinkled ever-so-slightly when Pancake bopped it. He turned his head and fixed the kitten with a faux-annoyed look, bopping her square on the head in return. Then he smiled and gave her a nice scratching between the ears.
He did give a discreet, and slightly more genuine annoyed look to James when he used Joseph's need to 'freshen up' as an excuse for leaving for their room. Well say it out loud, why don't you? Not that it was a huge deal; according to Iraal, they probably wouldn't even be seeing each other again. Still, between Scents sniffing out his discordance, and now the freshening up comment, he could imagine himself being sealed in memory as that smelly lizard guy, and that... well, that would suck.
When Iraal nailed him with the species question, his eyes suddenly grew distracted by everything that wasn't Iraal.
"Uhhh..." he sang, looking at a tiny discolored splotch on the floor, "that's a good question. This sounds... I mean, I'm sure this sounds weird, It's just, I actually don't really... I don't really know, anymore." His eyes managed to muscle their way up from the floor to Iraal's feet, then after a few scouting glances, made the jump to her head. He shrugged, glancing at John and James, then back to Iraal, "Honestly, your guess is as good as mine."
this place needs me here