Drummer Boy
[Small Valley]
So the explosives on the structure endanger the artifacts we're looking for, I take it.
Yeah, Cyrus said. It's bad.
"So, I'm seeing three options so far. Painstakingly try to sneak past the soldiers, peacefully ask them what their business is before deciding what to do about them, or just take them out, no questions asked."
Cyrus was quite strongly in favor of the second option—typical—but Kito was mostly undecided and wanted to hear about any possibilities the others had come up with.
"But you know what?" Kito scowled. "Before we go any further, no matter what path we take, we need to have a serious talk about our combat capabilities. This is what fucked us yesterday in the forest. We're learning about each others' abilities almost on the fly, and I don't like that."
[General Store (Tsadro, Arthur, Sophia, Finn, Wolfe, Vicky)]
So the people Tsadro stepped aside for were headed to the desert too... huh. And they wanted company.
The thought of extra people coming along was kind of stressing Arthur out, but...
After he put on the backpack, he started typing. <yeah, it's the suit. anyway... i was thinking about what you said last night about me not being able to speak, and it would probably be better if i had more people watching my back. since my team's tied up with something else, how about we talk to some folks like these guys over here and see if they're going in the same direction as us, make sure we get along?>
edited 6th Mar '16 5:12:34 PM by SnowyFoxes
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
[general store (Tsadro, Arthur, Sophie, Finn, Wolfe, Vicky)]
All of his belongings were in order. Well, yeah. He wasn't exactly one to misplace things. Tsadro nodded slightly, not realizing at first that this would probably look a little odd as Arthur did not appear to have said anything. <I agree,> he transmitted back. Tsadro had been trying to tell him about the importance of having people he trusted around him... had he already ascended to that status? Did Arthur actually trust him to such an extent after, oh... only twelve hours of knowing each other? Enough to add more strangers, evidently.
He took a step towards the large, light-haired man who just spoke of a desire to not tackle the desert alone. Flax, what an odd hair color. Oh, wait, that was probably some Gaean coloring. Tsadro realized only when he had to crane his neck upward that the man was probably a full head taller than him. "We're heading southwest to investigate a ruined temple," he said with his reedy islander accent, "care to join?"
Tsadro's only 5'5"/165 cm, so... pretty short. At least he makes up for it in muscle.
edited 6th Mar '16 11:43:08 AM by CrystalGlacia
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
Crazy Kiwi
Grand Hotel - Dining Hall —> Lobby —> Main Street - various stores.
After Nemaforte explained the meaning of her name, Yamiko seemed out of sorts. Zuri asked her what was up and Yamiko whispered something. As Kaitlyn was planning on venturing into the wilderness with Nemaforte, she felt utterly no qualms about listening in - after all, it might have some bearing on the expedition.Yamiko mentioned keeping an eye on Nemaforte and not being able to "read much" from her - presumably the telepathy she had mentioned - and spoke of others Kaitlyn didn't know. Zuri made a few suppositions and described Nemaforte as giving off an "evil vibe."
Kaitlyn filed away the information but wasn't terribly concerned - after her time in Utgard then subsequently hanging out with the sort of people that frequented Café Catacombs and The Shamrock, she had a pretty high tolerance for unusual and potentially dangerous people - and frankly her own friend, Sophia, seemed a greater threat than the diminutive, elfin, witch.
She watched as Yamiko left to check up on "Lupin" and get clothes and parasols. It wasn't as if Nemaforte was a direct threat to Yamiko or Zuri, anyway - they would be heading out with Gwion and the unusual looking aliens, not with her. Sure, they might be heading to get supplies together, but it wasn't like they'd be in close proximity for any length of time.
Elsewhere around the table, things seemed to be getting under way. The three-eyed hairy alien - "Follows-Many-Scents", was it? - announced his/her/its - Kaitlyn had no idea and didn't want to ask - intention to get provisions forthwith and made arrangements with the green-skinned alien to meet at the east end of Railway Street afterwards.
Peggy, seeing Scents preparing to head off, said, "OK, then, let's go. Anyone who's needing supplies can come with us." She followed as Scents departed towards the lobby, trusting that anyone else interested in going would follow along. Teri and Karl both fell in behind her.
Gwion looked around as people started departing. "I'm heading for the gun store, if anyone's interested in coming along."
Kaitlyn nodded; she figured she could do with something with a bit more firepower than her trusty 9mm Ruger. "Great idea, I'll come with. If we don't see you before, we'll see you at the east end of Railway Street."
Gwion and Kaitlyn headed towards the lobby without waiting to see who was following - they figured that anyone interested would catch up. James called out, "don't forget to get hats," at their retreating forms and they nodded acknowledgement.
James turned to the others. "it sounds like the east end of Railway Street is the rendezvous point if we get separated. Since we have a long way to go, I propose we get some horses. If anyone wishes to accompany me to the Livery Stable to organise transport, I'm quite willing to render any assistance you may need in choosing suitable mounts."
Kris nodded. "I'll come along with you."
now would be a good time for anyone who doesn't want horses, other than Scents, to chime in
While Gwion was passing through the lobby he noticed Rin in the company of another Hakodan super soldier he didn't recognise and another woman wearing what was clearly a dress uniform. Out of respect, he stopped and bowed. "Good morning, Rin."
Kaitlyn stopped, also recognising Rin. She had no idea who the other two were but one was wearing an identical uniform to Rin's and the other looked like an officer.
there should be time for pleasantries to be exchanged and for anyone desiring to go to the gun store with Gwion and Kaitlyn to catch up
General Store
Sophia, Finn, Wolfe, Tsadro, Arthur and VickySophia was quite surprised when the young woman who had just entered the store approached and started talking to her about her hair colour. She looked the new arrival over. The dark grey hair colour didn't seem natural - perhaps a dye job - and her round eyes made her look like she was shocked by what she was looking at, but she seemed friendly enough - if a little nervous. Her accent was obviously American, but Sophia couldn't narrow it down more than that.
"...Pickin' up stuff for the road I presume?"
Finn grinned and cut in before Sophia could answer. "Nah, for me. The road has no use for a' that stuff."
The veiled man approached Finn and looked up at him. "We're heading southwest to investigate a ruined temple, care to join?"
Finn quickly recalled the map he had seen of the area. "I think that's the way we're headin'." He turned to Wolfe. "Which way do your friends want to go?"
Wolfe turned his attention away from the unusual-looking woman talking to Sophia. "It doesn't really matter, as long as it's out into the desert."
Finn turned back to the veiled man. "Well, it seems we're heading the same way. There's meself," he indicated Sophia, "Alpha, here, 'n' a couple of others that're heading for the desert."
About then, the door opened and Peggy, Teri and Karl filed in. They spotted Wolfe and the others instantly and made their way towards them.
Finn indicated the new arrivals. "And there's the other two, now. I'm sure it would be good for us all to work together."
Teri looked about, noticing the Asian-looking bloke, the veiled and heavily-tattooed pale man talking with Finn and the oddly-dressed young woman talking with Sophia.
Finn called Peggy and Karl over and introduced them to Tsadro, "... 'n' I'm Finn. I don't believe I caught y'r name."
edited 6th Mar '16 10:48:59 AM by Wolf1066
[Hotel-Lobby-Dining Hall]
Once Omar left, John and James just looked at each other.
"...So...now what?" John asked.
"First, we should get some breakfast." James said, "And there was something I wanted to do yesterday, but we got lost, then the thing with Joseph, and then the storm, and then-"
"What did you want to do?"
James rubbed the back of his head. "...I wanted to stroll around the Frontier with you. That's the whole reason why I booked this vacation; I wanted to spend all the time I had with you. I-If you don't want to, we can just...uh..."
John smiled, and held James's hand. "I would love that. Spending time with you would be the best. But we should get something to eat first; all this running around made me even more hungry."
James chuckled as they went to the dining hall, "Same here, love. Same here. You sure you're going to be alright now?"
"I'll be fine. Don't worry too much about me. Let's just take Omar's advice and try to relax."
Pancake meowed.
They're coming back.
[general store (Tsadro, Arthur, Alpha/Sophia, Finn, Wolfe, Karl, Peggy)]
He gave each one a small nod of acknowledgement as they were introduced. "Tsadro Oriyand." He placed his right hand across his chest, then gave the four a low nod. "That's Arthur," he said, motioning to the boy with his whole hand. "Need anything else before we leave town?"
Alpha was the rough-looking woman with the dyed hair, Peggy was the younger woman with dark hair and a hat, Karl was the younger man with a ponytail and that same odd flaxen hair, and Finn was the older man he had just spoken to. Tsadro couldn't feel any aither in particular from any of them, but they were all armed in other ways, so... alright.
Actually, that reminded him of something odd. Arthur offhandedly said that they might not find anything too exciting in this lab, but then asked him if he wanted to obtain a weapon anyway...
There was going to be trouble in that lab, he knew it. A team capable of making passably human robots was surely also capable of installing turrets and building defense drones.
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
Drummer Boy
[General Store (Tsadro, Arthur, Alpha/Sophia, Finn, Wolfe, Karl, Peggy)]
Arthur turned holographic text back on and started typing again. There was a ping as the white text appeared. It was fairly easy to read in front of his teal suit.
<Hi, nice to meet you all, and before you ask, yeah, I'm mute>
These people reminded him of some of the folks Mia hung out with in Brazil. Arthur never got to know them very well. They thought he was a wet blanket. If his mom ever saw them in public, she'd grab him and Caroline by the arms with that iron Mom Grip and cross the street and give them a ten-minute lecture about not associating with such hooligans. Sorry Mom, it's an emergency. And these guys seemed all right so far. Then again, they'd said about... ten to twenty words so far.
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
Attitude is prohibited
[Grand Hotel] (Lobby)
Hana did not particularly feel like going anywhere, especially since the nicest bar in town still had a hole in it, and so she and her bodyguards had been availing themselves of the comfortable seats in the lobby. Rin was trying hard not to show how incredibly bored she was, and that was about when Gwion and Kaitlyn showed up. She seemed happy to see them.
"Gwion! Kaitlyn! Good morning." She said, reciprocating the bow. "I was hoping to run into you again. Let me introduce you..." She motioned to her fellow black-clad supersoldier. "This is Maya, a sister of mine, like Hoshi and Miyuki."
Maya stood up and bowed politely. "Hello," she said, with a small smile. And that was all she said.
"And this is Hana. I think Hoshi said she might have mentioned her to you, at some point? She's our commander and... Well..." She hesitated. "Our... Mentor, I suppose." She seemed a bit embarrassed.
Hana stood up. "My soldiers speak quite highly of you, Mr. Gwion. It's nice to finally meet you." She gave a very slight bow. "And Ms... Kaitlyn, yes? Rin mentioned you in her report on that disturbance last night."
"So," said Rin, looking to Gwion and Kaitlyn. "Where are you two headed?"
[Main Street]
The man watched as Rip left very abruptly. "That was odd." He murmured.
He seemed to be the quiet type, and although here were still people around him, the conversations just seemed to be happening around him, and not really involving him.
So, for the time being, he just sat there, and waited.
[Small Valley]
Hoshi and Miyuki exchanged a glance.
"I suppose that would be pretty handy..." Considered Hoshi. "If there's gonna be more weird ghosty-things or skeletons rising up outta the ground, we're probably gonna need some help with the magic crap," she said. "And... OH! Hey, guys, I just had a crazy idea! Hear me out, okay?"
Her bright and enthusiastic attitude appeared to have made a full recovery - at least temporarily - from the frightful sights past the valley. "So, how about this: You make, like, a basket or something out of rocks or whatever," she said, pointing at Brin. "And everyone gets inside it. Then Miyuki and I can pick it up and just carry it through the air! All the way to the... The... The thing, there, y'know? The structure. That way, we avoid all the weird ground, weird plants and probably-hostile soldiers!"
A moment passed. Miyuki looked over at her compatriot, and flatly asked "What about the birds? Or what if the the soldiers spot us? If we're attacked in mid-air, we might have to drop the basket."
"Oh..." Hoshi seemed pretty disappointed. "Never mind then, I guess."
edited 6th Mar '16 10:54:13 PM by Blackfire667
Not entirely dead.
Paladin of Light
Without hesitation Kaito turned to Recon at the sound of his query and gave a firm nod. "Yes I have had experience as an instructor. I've trained several squads of new recruits in the past. But this is only my third one-on-one training experience. There hasn't been any real need for one-on-one instruction in the UGN, at least in my experience. Training is usually done in groups after all." The young agent replied calmly, "It may be unorthodox, but it's doable."
Kaito's gaze shifted to the ladies and addressed them; first at Trinity then down to Chisa. "It won't be hard to find a place outside of town to train, but yet we don't want to attract too much attention. So we'll just go slightly north of town and find a nice place to start up. Will that be satisfactory?" he asked them both calmly. The young agent's eyes looked down at Chisa with an air of a teacher gazing upon their newest student, both with high hopes for them and personal confidence in his own teachings. He would try not to be too harsh in starting things off, but he'd be sure she gets things right before continuing on, no matter how long or how short it would take.
Small Valley
The descriptions given by Hoshi and Miyuki matched what Blair had found - mostly. He had not picked up on any sort of wildlife. “Any flora or fauna you saw there, we should take as hostile, or at least not benign,” Blair said. “Mostly because it isn’t alive.”
Kito laid out three options. The one Blair preferred was the second - approaching the soldiers and speaking to them. But he had his own reasons for that. In order to attain his own goals, he needed the magic booby traps to be disabled, and the simplest, least risky way to do that would be to convince the men who held the button - presumably - that it would be a good idea.
He decided to sell his take on the options by appealing to most of them.
“Let’s not neglect the fact that many of us here are magically inclined,” Blair pointed out. “Having the soldiers remove the magic barrier would be extremely beneficial. I suggest we try talking to them. After we get through whatever hell has in store for us between here and there, of course.”
As for learning of the team’s capabilities… given that Blair still did not consider them a team, he was reticent to go into exactly what his magic could do. He had given a basic explanation the night before, and that was really all he wanted to say, unless - as his personal plan suggested - revealing more got them closer to the Dead God. And then, of course, there was Roscoe. That was a topic that did not need belaboring upon.
“Roscoe has very little to offer in terms of defensive capabilities,” Blair said, which earned him a glare from Roscoe despite its being true. In human form, and being as small as she was, Roscoe was extremely non-threatening. It was amusing, then, that in her true form she would probably have rivaled the Dead God in terms of power. “She can resurrect me, but that only comes about in the case that I am dead, and it requires magic.” He shrugged a bit.
“I’m brilliant with a bow and arrow, but not so much with other weapons, and I don’t do well hand-to-hand. I rely mostly on my magic.” He raised an eyebrow. “Which, of course, puts me in a fairly awkward position at the moment. As far as what my magic can do, it would take too long to explain it. Just assume that if it can be done, I can do it.”
That was far from the truth, especially since he had depowered himself, but it was the easiest way to provide an explanation without actually providing an explanation.
Friendly Neighborhood Lich
Hotel - Sagebrush Suite (Yamiko)
As Yamiko headed up to the third floor, she thought of what sort of things she might need, and began making a list in her head. Sleeping bags, a tent, water and non-perishable food, perhaps a change of clothes, weapons for self-defense if we have any...
She thought this all the way into the suite and off into her bedroom off the right hall... but when she got in there, she saw that her bed was occupied. This teenage girl had curly light brown hair, darkly shadowed eyes, pointed facial features, and a scrawny build. Yamiko couldn't believe her eyes.
"Amanda..." She rushed over to her classmate's side. Like Lupin, she was in a very deep sleep. "You are locked in a nightmare too? I wish you would wake up... I think the Dead God would be of great interest to you, and your powers would be useful for combat. Wake up, fellow child of the darkness. Wake up..."
"Yamiko? Is that you?"
It was a deep and whispery male voice with a British accent, coming from behind her. The source was unmistakable, and Yamiko was even more surprised. When she turned around, her eyes grew wide, and she immediately jumped off the bed and ran to him, catching him in her embrace - and making him fall backward.
"Lupin! You're awa-oof!" She landed with her forearms sandwiched between the carpeted floor and Lupin's back, and her sternum pressing right into his. It took a while for them to gather their composure and stand back up.
"How in the world did you get here?" Lupin asked her, adjusting his glasses.
"I... I dunno," Yamiko replied. "I just kinda... woke up here this morning, without a clue where I was. And you... wait, don't tell me...!!"
She read something in Lupin's mind so shocking that she stumbled backward and landed on the bed, right next to Amanda's feet. A bit shocked himself, Lupin hurried over to her and helped her to her feet. "I had... quite the nightmare. It was..." He just couldn't explain it, for the very thought of it made him wince and clutch the side of his head. "Well, I don't think I can exactly explain. Anyway, it seems someone was expecting the rest of our group in this hotel, although not all of us were here. Initially, it was just Zuri and me... wait, have you seen Zuri?"
"Yeah," Yamiko affirmed. "We met right here in this suite while you were still asleep. You were in as deep a sleep as Amanda is now. Wait..." She paused, for a thought had just occurred to her. "The others - are they here too?"
Immediately, Lupin turned around and ran through the bathroom back to his own bedroom, and saw that it too was occupied by a sleeping person - specifically a young man like himself, only with slightly darker and almost tanned skin, and long straight black hair, and quite short judging by where his feet were. "Merlin's here too!" he announced, his shout sounding more like a raspy growl.
Yamiko gasped and covered her mouth, then left the bedroom and ran across the common room to the other hallway, checking the bedrooms there. Zuri's bed was empty, but the one in the other bedroom contained two occupants - a boy and a girl, both Japanese, brother and sister in fact. A pair of blue-framed glasses lay on the girl's side of the table. With her findings, she met Lupin in the common room.
"Ari and Gon are both in bed," Yamiko reported, "but I don't see Vicky in there."
"Hmm, that's strange," Lupin wondered. "Looks like we're missing one."
Hotel - Dining Hall -> Lobby (Zuri, Iraal, Scents, Nemaforte, Annie, Gregory, Gwion, Kaitlyn, Mad Bastards)
The group was just now splitting up into groups to go shopping. Peggy, Teri, and Karl led one group to the general store; Gwion and Kaitlyn led another group to the gun store, and James and Kris were heading to the stable. Iraal and Scents prompty split up, the latter heading to the general store, the former waiting at the edge of town.
Nemaforte looked at Annie and Gregory. "Hmm, knowing you maybe are more than I on which supplies to get, so I shall go to the stable first. On Orenya, dragons are the main transport animal, as our horses are delicate and unruly. I need to see how humans tame horses, and how their horses are different. Maybe meet me at the stable when you finish?" And with that, she gave them a wink, adjusted her hat, and followed James and Kris out the door.
Zuri, meanwhile, was already set on going to the general store, so she instead followed Peggy, Teri, Karl, and Scents out the door. But once she emerged into the lobby, she saw some familiar faces - a woman in a military uniform, and a black jumpsuit-clad soldier. No, make that two black jumpsuit-clad soldiers. Apparently Gwion and Kaitlyn knew this other soldier, whose name was Rin. Following their lead, Zuri took a bow as she passed them.
"Good morning, Hana and Maya... and Rin," Zuri greeted. She was going to say more, but then she noticed her group heading off through the front door without her. "...Umm, bye!" And she ran across the lobby after them.
General Store (Vicky, Alpha, Finn, Wolfe, Tsadro, Arthur)
The tall blonde man, whose accent sounded very Irish, answered Vicky's question for her. "Nah, for me. The road has no use for a' that stuff." Vicky laughed in response. And then, he and the veiled man started talking about investigating a ruined temple in the desert. They were joined by a few others, soon completely ignoring her. As the conversation continued, she began to wonder what that temple they were talking about was like...
And then another group walked in the door. Two older women, a man with braided hair, a pale white-haired woman with white hair... A pale white-haired woman with white hair?
"Zuri?" Vicky asked, gazing in wonder at the latter. And then she grew excited and ran over to her. "Zuri! Oh my gosh, you're actually here! The others and I have been wondering where you've gone last night! Uhm... where are we?"
"It seems to be some sort of alternate dimension, this Western town at the intersection of worlds," Zuri explained. "Anyway, there's a lot to explain, but basically..."
Zuri spent the next few minutes filling Vicky in on everything she and Yamiko and Lupin had been up to since last evening, while the two looked around the store and picked up some basic provisions, enough for all four of them plus one more, just in case.
Livery Stable (Nemaforte, James, Kris)
Anyone else who wants to join these three to look at horses can jump in at any time.
Once Nemaforte left the hotel with James and Kris, she had to take her sunglasses out of her bag and put them on. Their lenses were oval-shaped and dull purple in hue, and instead of hooking behind her ears, they reached all the way behind her head like a pair of goggles. After all, since she came from a place of eternal night, her eyes were particulary sensitive to sunlight. As was her skin, which was why she also put on a pair of long white gloves to cover her arms.
Once they got to the stable, though, Nemaforte was distracted by a couple of horses that stood nearby. "Very big these horses are," she commented, walking up to a black one that was standing in the shade of an awning. "Much bigger than on Orenya - and they walk on the edges of their toes? It seems not stable. Strange because these are heavier builded."
Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.
[Hotel -> Stables (Iraal, James, Kris, Nemaforte)]
"I would not forget the hat," Iraal said, mostly to herself, as Scents left.
She stood up and beckoned to the robot. "Come with me, Lament." As she began to walk out, though, a thought struck her, and she began moving with much more speed - if not actually running - in the direction of the stables. The robot moved along in her wake, keeping pace surprisingly well to the eyes of an unfamiliar observer.
As she reached the others there, she called out to them. "I just realized: I don't have any means of transportation, and I'll need to get some. Though I would prefer not to get the living kind."
[General Store (Teri, Scents, Vicky, Alpha, Finn, Wolfe, Tsadro, Arthur, Peggy, Karl)]
Scents padded along out of the hotel and towards the store, which she had remembered to remember the previous day. She didn't actually know what supplies she needed, since the doc was right: they had enough for the both of them for several days. But it couldn't hurt, either.
She grumbled a little to herself as she made her way down the street. Even with the climate-control of her suit, it was hot, especially for a vayen. Maybe she would need to pick up some more water, if just that.
As she entered the store and looked around (...cramped), several of the others from the hotel followed her in. Her ears stuck up as a young human woman with grey hair greeted Zuri, to all appearances as a friend. Prophet's neck, another one? How many are there?
She noticed that - Teri, she thought - seemed to be hanging back a little as the others went forward, and approached her. "Hey, I was thinking we should probably get to know a little about each other before going out."
PAINKILLER
[Town ~ Main Street] (Amy, Maya, Large Stranger, Samuel)
Samuel grinned. "Well I'll be. A wrecked plane, huh? We're on the same page there."
His smile dissipated as he considered there was something more amiss within it. "Wish I could help ya on that. I mean, you could go to my jet and scavenge for parts. It caught fire, but I'm sure there's some stuff worth pickin' apart. I got no use for it anymore, but if you gotta go home, then..."
He looked away from them, as he saw a figure approach them. "Irina?"
Irina had wrapped her black headscarf around her head again, but loosened her desert gear. As she caught sight of Samuel, she broke into a jog.
Samuel shouted her name again as she met with him—in the form of a large embrace. She then gave him the Xenian greeting, which consisted of her bringing their foreheads together. Samuel, however, urged her away with a kind shove.
Irina then realized the two sets of eyes on her. She stepped back a couple paces, and said more steadily, "You're all right?"
He brushed imaginary dust off his shoulder before saying, "Yeah, luckily. Had a couple hiccups yesterday, but, I'm good." He nodded his head to say, never better.
"I heard Todd's posse was looking for you two after they lost contact—I got worried. And I just thought for a second that he..." She sighed, and stopped. "We can talk over breakfast. I'm staying at this hotel of sorts, and... I have a couple people you need to meet."
He formed a coy smile. "Are they related to a man named Rip by any chance?"
Irina's eyes widened. "Yes. Did you run into him?"
He nodded. He wanted to mention that something strange occured with him, but it was his dilemma. Samuel already has to deal with his own. "Say, how about you go ahead and go back? I'll catch up." Samuel shrugged, hinting at Amy and Maya.
"If you have unfinished business, then I can wait a moment." Irina stayed within earshot, but faced away.
He turned back to the girls. "So, I can point you towards the crash site, if you're interested."
Life is hard, that's why no one survives.
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast] (Davey)
"All right," Davey said, a demure smile sneaking it's way into existence at the corners of his fuzzy mouth, "then I'll see you soon."
She had told him 'go ahead', but Davey remained at the top of the stairs until Irina had nearly left the building. He watched her descend, idly shifting his weight and adjusting his grip on the bundle of clothes he held beneath his arm. He waited until she came to the step where his head was level with hers, then closed his eyes. He kept them closed until he heard the front door open and shut.
Samuel.
Slowly, he reopened them, and let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He took a moment to steady himself, then, marched down the stairs, one step at a time.
Before heading to the bathroom, Davey followed his nose through a door on the right side of the main hall, leading into the dining room. A reasonably long table—big enough to seat eight with leg room—took precedence in the room's center, leaving only a bit of space for folks to ease around it's sides. The wooden table was already adorned with a white table cloth and four red tablemats, each set with a fork, spoon, and a knife. Aside from that, however, there were no dishes, and no sign of food yet. The smell dominated the air: spices, cooked meat, something bready. It grew stronger as he moved further into the room, towards an open door frame which, as he recalled—or could at least deduce—led to the kitchen proper.
With one arm behind his back and his tail making slow sweeps from left to right, Davey strolled casually towards the frame. He put on a smile in anticipation as sounds of cookware clattering and feet shuffling reached his ears. It seemed like an awful lot of noise for just one person to be making, but perhaps such was simply the rush of having to prepare breakfast for four guests, especially if business really had been so slow, leaving Margaret was out of practice.
He was two steps away from the door frame when—think of the devil—Margaret herself stepped into view, shuffling through a cupboard. She pulled out a few tall glasses, set them down on the counter, glanced at the short weasel-looking critter standing in the door frame, looked back in the cupboard for more glasses, then glanced at Davey again and nearly jumped.
"Aiee!" she shrieked, nearly knocking over the glasses she'd brought out as she turned towards Davey. "Dah-" she stammered, still not quite ready to use her words. "D-Deh- David!?" She stared incredulously at his sudden appearance. "What are you doing here?"
Davey's smile faded. "Top of the morning, Margaret." He said. His voice remained level and pleasant, though not, perhaps, without a hint of something insidious tinkering deep within. "I suppose I should be happy that you didn't ask whether or not it was me this time. That could be a step in the right direction, but not if you're going to replace it with aimless screaming."
"Oh don't give me any of that." The old woman wasted no time in recovering from her shock. "Sneaking in here like a r- a ghost and then acting as if I'm the one who's done something wrong." She glared at him for a moment, then shook her head, "And what's more, you didn't answer my question."
For a moment or two, Davey considered simply turning around and leaving without a further word in the matter. He'd only seen Margaret a scant few times and already he had grown terribly sick of all the bickering. And yet, the power to make it end was not out of his hands.
"It's the morning." he said, tipping his head slightly, "I thought I'd come down to say 'good morning', and see how things are."
"Breakfast isn't ready if that's what you're after." she replied, eyeing Davey suspiciously.
"I didn't think it was. But I'd be lying if I said that that delectable scent isn't at least part of what drew me here. It smells great, Margaret, it really does."
"Well..." Margaret began, but she was cut off by a somewhat fainter and distinctly masculine voice from somewhere else within the kitchen.
"Thanks!" the voice said, and only then did it occur to Davey that the sounds of kitchenware clattering and feet shuffling hadn't entirely ceased when Margaret had stopped to talk to him.
He tipped his head further, trying to sneak a casual glance into the kitchen. "You've got a helping hand in there? Who is that, Rip?" It didn't sound like Rip—the voice was too young, too enthusiastic—but that was the first and only idea that Davey could come up with.
Margaret stared sternly at him for a few moments, seeming unwilling to answer. But the few moments passed, and she sighed, glancing towards the owner of the voice and waving them closer. A few moments after that, a young man stepped into the door frame. He looked fairly well dressed, wearing clothes not entirely dissimilar to Davey's own, though they looked a little bit less well kempt. His lightly tousled hair—which was either dark brown or black—seemed as though it had been neatly combed at one point. Most striking was the young man's mustache, which was extremely bushy and turned up slightly at the ends. It looked very out of place on such a young face; only a few steps above a teenager plastering on a fake mustache to pass for someone older. Davey almost wanted to say something about it, but couldn't think of what, so he just stared and idly put a small paw-like hand to his own whiskers.
"Hi!" the young man said, looking and sounding almost disconcertingly rosy, "I'm Duncan, I'm ah- uh-"
Davey blinked in confusion. "Ss...sorry? Have you been here this entire time?"
"No," Margaret answered, groaning lightly, "Duncan works at a farm a short walk south of town. He sometimes assists me in the upkeep around here."
"Yeah," Duncan nodded, "that. Cleaning and cooking and stuff. Even brought some milk from the farm; goat and cow both, in case any of you have a preference or anything."
"Ah... hmm." Davey nodded slowly in approval. "A real milkman. Finally, to have my needs tended to as a," he put on a bit of a snooty voice, "milk cognoscente."
"Adorable." Margaret said with a dead eyed stare set on Davey. "Duncan, I think you'd better get on those eggs."
"Oh, right! Right right!" The young man took a step back in the kitchen, then stepped again towards the door frame just as quickly to stick his head out and say, "Oh, uh- nice meeting you David."
Davey smiled, "You too milkman."
Margaret sighed, stepping further out of the kitchen and forcing Davey to back up at the same time. "All right, all right, as nice as it is to see you David, I'm afraid I can't have you around here while we're cooking. Don't take this the wrong way, but you really are a walking mass of hair waiting to get mixed in with the food. And well, look at you; you're filthy besides. Who knows how much dirt you've already tracked in here."
"Well, when you put it so tenderly..." Davey murmured, all but rolling his eyes. "Don't worry, I'm not here to stay. I was just dropping by. Politely. And we might have another guest with us for breakfast."
The old woman didn't look too pleased at the news.
"Margaret?"
Her eyebrows raised slightly.
"Are we ever going to get anywhere with this?"
She frowned, but not angrily or sternly. She frowned thoughtfully, while her watery, bespectacled eyes rummaged around the room. Her mouth moved a few times before she was finally ready with an answer.
"Well... maybe not so much, but that shouldn't keep you from trying. I don't know. Do, though. Do keep trying."
Davey's own eyes began to wander in thought. He gave himself a few seconds, then nodded. "See you at breakfast."
The morning was off to a strange start already, but Davey couldn't let that bother him. On his way to the bathroom, his thoughts turned back to Irina and her friend, Samuel. He tried to picture the man, but had nothing to go off of beyond that he was resourceful enough to survive crashing in a desert, that he was Irina's friend, and that he might be apprehensive around Davey himself. Davey could think of several reasons why he would be. He only hoped it was something he could manage. Something he had control over.
this place needs me here
Crazy Kiwi
Grand Hotel - Lobby
[Rin, Maya, Hana, Kaitlyn and Gwion]Gwion bowed to Hana. "A pleasure to meet you, Hana. Your soldiers are a credit to you and it has been an honour to have fought alongside them on occasions."
Kaitlyn grinned and commented to Hana, "Gwion has spoken highly of your soldiers often enough, too." She turned to answer Rin. "We're heading up into the wilderness to help keep an eye on a couple of expeditions, so we're about to go and get some more firepower."
Just then, Zuri came through the lobby, following a trio of the Mad Bastards and Follows-Many-Scents, and obviously recognised Hana and Maya. She briefly bowed and greeted them before saying a hurried farewell and vanishing out the door after the others.
"There goes some of them now," said Kaitlyn.
General Store
[Tsadro, Arthur, Vicky, Zuri, Scents, Sophia, Finn, Teri, Peggy, Karl and Wolfe]Tsadro introduced himself and the young man in his company and asked if Finn needed to get anything else before heading off.
Finn gave Tsadro a wry smile. "Apparently, we need hats - on account of all this weather we've been havin' - 'n' I suspect we're going to need some form of transport. Do you have your own transport, or will you be needing to find some as well?"
Karl was surprised to see the letters hovering in front of the young man referred to as Arthur. The only time he had seen similar technology, it had been used for advertising purposes in Capital City - it was good to see it being used for something worthwhile and practical.
Wolfe noticed that Scents had entered, followed by one of the women who had been sitting at Iraal's table - one of his future travelling companions, he gathered. The woman recognised the girl who had been talking to Sophia and they started chatting together.
Peggy, Karl and the colourful Irishman were talking with the guy in the veil and the young man - presumably organising their expedition to the desert. Perfect!
Scents approached Teri and suggested they get to know more about each other before departing.
Teri turned to Scents and smiled. "Sure. What do you want to know?"
To Wolfe, it looked like everything was well in hand: Finn had purchased equipment for himself and Kaitlyn, travelling companions had been found for the desert team and the temple sounded promising - what they were looking for may well be hidden in or near it.
Sophia looked around. The strange young woman who had spoken to her was now talking with one of the women in the green-skinned alien's group - they clearly knew each other quite well - and everyone seemed to be occupied. "I'm going to find this place that sells hats," she announced, "and hopefully find Gwion and Kaitlyn." It occurred to her that, when venturing out into the desert, it might pay to have something with a bit more range than a couple of pistols.
Wolfe caught up with Sophia as she reached the door. "I'll come along, I want to go to the gun store before we leave."
Livery Stable
[Nemaforte, Iraal, Student's Lament, Kris and James]James had been quite surprised to hear Nemaforte's description of horses in the dining room and her further comments on seeing the horses at the Livery Stable had him wondering exactly what the horses on her planet must look like.
"I assure you, these horses are quite stable," he said with a smile, "and just the thing to be using on uneven terrain, such as we are likely to encounter in the mountains.
Just then Iraal caught up and hailed them. "I just realized: I don't have any means of transportation, and I'll need to get some. Though I would prefer not to get the living kind."
Kris shook her head sadly. "Sorry, I very much doubt they have any non-living transportation here and if the mountains are anything like the ones we have at home, some of the trails would probably be too rugged for a motorbike."
James nodded. "There's no guarantee that horses would get us where we want to go, but they should at least get us most of the way at a reasonable speed."
He looked over some of the horses on offer for rental. His group numbered only six - Kris and himself, Kaitlyn, Nemaforte and the two self-styled superheroes. Wolfe's team would require horses too, and there were eight in that group including Katya and Gwion, the two American women and Iraal and Scents. No, wait. Scents said she can't ride a horse. So, seven, then. Whether Peggy, Karl and Gwion's other two friends would need horses or not - and whether or not they'd found a team to join - he had no idea.
Sharing horses would be out of the question, he reasoned, as they would need every advantage on whatever terrain they encountered. Overloaded horses would not be a good idea.
Zeke's Hunting and Fishing Store
[Wolfe and Sophia]As Sophia followed Wolfe into the shade of the store, she mused that he was quite spry for an old bugger as he had set quite a brisk pace down the road. Doubtless the habit of a lifetime - he didn't seem the sort to have ever dawdled.
She headed straight for the racks of rifles and shotguns towards the rear of the shop. There was quite a variety of actions but all of them quite old-fashioned; not a decent semi-auto in the place.
Wolfe browsed the gun racks himself, looking at what was on offer. His eyes latched onto a beautiful single shot "falling block" rifle in .22 Long Rifle with a walnut stock. He picked it up, feeling how light it was and a grin spread slowly across his face.
Sophia turned to Wolfe, holding a couple of lever action rifles. "What do you recommend? The forty-four-forty or the thirty-thirty?"
I have no idea where Annie, Gregory or Katya will have gone, so I haven't been able to include them in the locations
[general store- Tsadro, Arthur, Sophia, Finn, Peggy, Karl, Wolfe, Vicky, Zuri, Scents, Teri]
What kind of smile was that? But... yes, hats would be good against the sun. At least Tsadro came prepared. He smoothed his veil, making sure the cap was still dangling over his wedding necklace, ready to slip back over his head once they went outside. Part of him wondered how Arthur's helmet did against strong sunlight. Did it get hot, or could he draw some sort of shade over the top?
"Of what sort? It's an hour's walk from town. We can obtain some, if you insist."
Please, don't let it be an animal... he hated riding animals. No Tefurean would ride an animal.
Tsadro actually flips the cap of his veil off his head when he's indoors.
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
[Main Street]
Amy blinked, a little surprised.
"You want our help?" she asked, smiling, "Oh, sure thing! Just show us where it is and we'll take a look! Maya and I will do everything we can to help."
She figured that they still had some time to kill since their plane still wasn't working. Hopefully it was only minor repairs; she really didn't want to stay away from home another day.
But, for the time being, she decided to know her temporary traveling companions. First, she turned to Irina, who she assumed was Samuel's closest friend.
"So, you're Irina?" she said, "That's a really pretty name."
This is so short, I'm sorry. x_x
edited 12th Aug '16 12:00:25 AM by Masterofchaos
Crazy Kiwi
General Store
[Tsadro, Arthur, Finn, Peggy and Karl]Tsadro volunteered that the destination was only about an hour's walk from town. It occurred to Finn that an hour's walk in full sun with little to no shade and over uneven terrain wouldn't be pleasant and the inkling of a fiendish idea started to form in his mind. "What sort depends on how many are goin'. How many are in your group?"
Finn looked around at the others; six so far, including Sophia, so it could work - provided there weren't too many others in the party.
edited 8th Mar '16 7:43:31 PM by Wolf1066
Hotel Entry Way - Outside - Chisa, Trinity, Kaito, Recon
Trinity looked to Recon who had asked if Kaito had any experience training, a question she was curious about as well. His answer was satisfactory and she was certain she could trust him to teach Chisa. Not to mention the way Chisa seemed to take a liking to him it would make it even easier. "Sounds good. I would rather go in Kaito's direction. I've had enough sand for a lifetime really." she said with a distorted sounding chuckle. Chisa nodded as well and followed everyone out the doors of the hotel and outside in the town. The breeze brushed her red hair around and she smiled at the sun beaming down. Trinity was enjoying it as well. "Once we reach our training grounds, I will try and contact Lotus. If you wish to speak with her, well I'll find a way for all of you to." she said as they walked on.
"Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie?"
Attitude is prohibited
[Hotel] (Lobby)
Maya gave Zuri and the others a brief nod of recognition. Rin did the same, though she didn't actually know any of them, having only encountered them very briefly. Hana ignored them entirely; her attention was elsewhere.
"I see..." Said Rin. "Quite the varied group you're assembling. Do you always travel with such interesting company?" She smiled. "Oh, Hoshi and Miyuki are out there too, on an expedition of their own, as I understand it. What are you heading out to find?"
"Also," said Hana, pointing to Gwion's cybernetic arm. "Where did you get that? It has... Rather a lot of character." She chuckled, quietly.
Not entirely dead.
[general store- Tsadro, Arthur, Finn, Peggy, Karl]
Tsadro blinked for the first time since walking into the store, his stare hardening.
Well... he'd give him that. In Finn's defense, an hour's walk at high noon over rough terrain wasn't the same thing for both a Rivari and a human. But, goodness, why was he asking again how many people were coming? Tsadro indicated only himself and Arthur, surely Finn knew he'd indicate if there were more.
He looked at Arthur for a second, as though mentally checking off the only other person in their section of the party. "The two of us, and you four. Your point?"
edited 9th Mar '16 9:31:49 PM by CrystalGlacia
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
Crazy Kiwi
Grand Hotel - Lobby
[Hana, Rin, Maya, Kaitlyn and Gwion]Kaitlyn shrugged. "We're not looking for much more than something to do and a bit of money for our pains. The group I'm going with is apparently trying to find a group of people who're up in the bush somewhere and Gwion's going with another group heading elsewhere in the mountains on their own mission. Then there's another group - the ones who went past looking like a travelling Camping-and-Army-Surplus store - who've divided up and are going along with the groups into the mountains. I'm not sure what they're looking for but they were keen to split up in order to widen their search area. As to the 'interesting company': looking as we do, we don't often get invited to accompany any other kind." She thought of what Rin said about the others out in the wilderness; both names were known to her from stories Gwion had told. "It would be interesting to meet up with Hoshi and Miyuki out there somewhere, if our paths cross."
Gwion turned his arm to show the gouges and crude plastic - and, in places, duct tape - patches and flexed the scratched black metal fingers. "Well, I got most of it as part of an insurance claim when I lost my arm." He was about to make a comment about it being 'State of the Ark' technology at the time, but realised that Hana probably wouldn't get the reference or the pun. "The hand came from a completely different arm that the previous owner no longer needed, and the rest of the 'character' happened over the course of the years. It works - after a fashion - and it hasn't given me anywhere near the problems I've had with my previous eyes, so I've never bothered getting it replaced with a newer model."
He looked at the digital watch that was fixed to his left wrist by dint of a couple of self-tapping screws passing through short stubs of the watch strap and into the plastic casing of the arm itself. "It's been lovely meeting you and seeing Rin again, but I guess we'd better get a move on."
Will give Hana/Rin/Maya a chance to respond or say farewell then have Gwion and Kaitlyn move on.
General Store:
[Tsadro, Arthur, Peggy, Karl and Finn]Finn nodded, pleased to hear that they didn't have a large group waiting off to the side somewhere. "In that case, I've got a plan for getting us something a bit more modern than what they're likely to have on offer around here. Dunno about you, but I've never been on a horse in me life and I don't fancy having to learn as I go."
He looked at the gear he had purchased for himself and Kaitlyn. "I've got a couple more things I've got to buy elsewhere before we go, so how about we meet you in front of the saloon on the main street - The Tipsy Toad, I think it was - in, say, fifteen minutes?"
Eat my dust!
Hotel Entry Way - Outside - Chisa, Trinity, Kaito, Recon
Recon nodded, thankful that the agent was able to show such confidence in his abilities.
"Least you have experience. Glad to know she's in capable hands then," he said, before turning to Trinity.
"Fair enough, I guess trying to find a place north isn't the worst thing either," was his only comment as he stepped outside with Trinity. "Was planning on searching the desert a little while we were there though," he added, almost as an afterthought. "It seriously doesn't sit right with me that there's an active hostile still out there and possibly nearby. I'm not in the habit of letting my enemies live for too long, you see.
"SAID CLOUD TO THE CARTOON PONIES AND UNICORNS WITH PICTURES OF FLOWERS ON THEIR ASSES. A DURR HURR HURR." ~Game Spazzer
[General Store (Teri and Scents)]
Scents moved her ears a bit uncertainly. She wasn't sure why Teri thought she wanted to know something specific. "You know... get to know each other? We're going to be heading out into the wilderness together, doing the same job. Where I'm from it's best not to do that sort of thing as total strangers, yeah?"
She took a moment to look around the store at the others present. Definitely a colorful bunch... but for some reason they all looked human, even though they didn't all smell that way. And they probably weren't all from here, so that couldn't be it. Weird.
After a moment, she looked at Teri's gun. "I've never seen a gun like that before. No offense, but it looks kind of old-fashioned."
[Stables (Nemaforte, Iraal, Student's Lament, Kris and James)]
Iraal folded her arms, looking annoyed. "Look, zer, I have a rather full list of life skills. I'm not sure I want to take the time to learn how to ride a horse."
Her instinct was to conclude the matter as settled and turn away - but there was still the matter of transportation of some sort. Looking around, she gave Nemaforte a curious glance, then cocked her head thoughtfully.
"I suppose I could always try to contact someone back home for help..."
Friendly Neighborhood Lich
Sagebrush Suite -> Lobby/Main Street (Yamiko, Lupin)
For the next few minutes, Yamiko was telling Lupin all about what had happened that morning - specifically, about how she and Zuri encountered a large group of people planning on crossing the desert to eventually reach three different locations, and about how they were currently getting supplies for the road. She also mentioned this strange artifact called the Dead God...
"...it seems to have some sort of evil presence, since Zuri couldn't go near it with her astral projection," Yamiko was saying. "However, at first we thought it might have been causing you to stay locked in that nightmare, but apparently that's not the case."
"I suppose it still could be possible," Lupin pondered. "In fact, I have to wonder if this Dead God has anything to do with the mysterious Nightfright. It's always seemed apprehensive, especially after we got our powers."
"Hmm, yes, I remember having a similar sort of nightmare two nights ago... that one Merlin and Zuri had to work together to wake me up from while Dr. Savant was on his day off. Anyway, we should probably head out now before it gets too late. I found a bunch of food and other supplies and put them into Amanda's backpack here-" and then she flung said backpack, which was purple with a butterfly on it, onto her back, "and I got parasols for Zuri and myself."
"And I found something also important," Lupin remarked, taking out his cell phone. "A cell phone tower, in this very suite's coat closet. I have just activated it, so not only should we all get reception now, but the SMILE system should work too, meaning we can contact the others back home."
He and Yamiko exchanged smirks of satisfaction, and then headed out of the suite and downstairs into the lobby. Once there, Lupin caught a glimpse of Hana and Maya, the two military personnel he and Zuri met last night, but he didn't have time nor the care to greet them again. So instead the two headed right through the lobby and out the door.
"So which stores do we need to go to?" Lupin asked Yamiko.
"Well, Zuri was going to the general store, so that leaves the stable and the gun store. I did bring those pistols Warren gave us, for we might need them in a place like this, but I might head to the gun store to see if there's anything else suitable. So that leaves you to go horse shopping." She finished with a little giggle, while Lupin playfully rolled his eyes.
General Store (Zuri, Vicky, Tsadro, Arthur, Scents, Finn, Teri, Peggy, Karl)
Just when Zuri finished paying for the supplies, the cell phone inside her bag started to ring.
"Wha-?" Vicky wondered. "But I thought there was no reception here!" Then she took out her phone, and saw bars on it. "Huh, apparently there is reception now. Weird..."
"Hello?" Zuri asked into the phone. "... Oh, yes. Did you get everything from the suite? ... Oh really!? He did? ... Oh. Yeah. Sure thing." And then she hung up. "That was Yamiko," she told Vicky. "Apparently Lupin has woken up, and he's with her now. She's headed off to the gun store and Lupin to the stables, so that leaves us to pick up supplies for one more."
Vicky looked at the large rucksack that held all their supplies. "Well, this looks big. I think I better carry it. Do my powers still work here?" To test this theory out, she held her hand out over the heavy sack on the floor. After moving around a bit, it rose up into the air, over head, and then behind her, while she slipped her arms inside the handles. "Piece of ca- whoa!" As she released the rucksack, she stumbled backwards and fell onto it. "No worries. I got it. I think it'll be better once I'm on a horse."
Just then, she heard the pink and green-haired woman she was talking to earlier mention something about a hat store. She remembered she wanted to go there too, so she ran out to follow her and Wolfe. "We'll meet at the edge of town when we're all done, 'kay?" she called out to Zuri as she headed out the door, leaning forward with the oversized rucksack on her back.
Meanwhile, Zuri picked up an extra set of supplies, including a jar of lighter fuel and some flint rocks, and stuffed them into a smaller rucksack that her not-quite-as-fit body could hanle better. And that's when she noticed Scents talking to Teri a bit. She decided to head over and listen in. Scents was currently remarking about how Teri's gun seemed old-fashioned.
"Pardon my intrusion," Zuri said to them, "but since this is a Wild West town, I'd say old fashioned would be the norm in a place like this. After some thought, I kind of like it this way actually, even though I've never held a gun before. Not even in a video game, which I've never been too fond of. But anyway, you do at least seem dressed from the occasion. Where are you and the other Mad Bastards from anyway?"
Main Street -> Millie's Millinery (Vicky)
Once outside, Vicky ran after Sophia and Wolfe, but with the heavy rucksack on her back, she had a hard time catching up to them. Eventually she saw them reach a set of buildings, but instead of the millinery, they entered a hunting and fishing store. "Wait!" she called after them, panting. "You're going into the wrong... store..." They didn't seem to hear her. Sighing, she entered the millinery next door instead, as she was more interested in a hat than a gun.
Once inside, she dropped the rucksack on the floor and looked around. The store had a multitude of standard ten-gallon hats, as would be expected in a Wild West town, but also some more wide-brimmed hats and even some with a flap down the back for shading one's neck (if one had short hair). The ten-gallon hats interested her the most, as they seemed to fit the setting the best.
After looking around a bit, she saw a hat that seemed to scream right out at her. A light blue one, perfectly matching her jacket in colour, and made of woven straw, which she saw to be lighter and more breathable than something like suede or leather. It even had ties around the bottom so she could secure it in case of high wind. "How much for this one, please?" she asked at the counter.
Zeke's Hunting and Fishing Store (Yamiko, Sophia, Wolfe)
Yamiko had to admit that she looked a bit out of place in here - amongst the couple of older Western-looking guys, a little half-Asian woman in a fancy lolita dress and the sort of backpack a sixth-grade girl would wear looked out of place indeed, especially in a gun store. But then she saw someone with pink and green hair, and while she at least had a more fitting outfit, Yamiko now felt as if she wasn't the only one who looked out of place.
For a while, she just observed them, for while she did own a pistol, she didn't know much about guns beyond that. She was especially confused when the woman mentioned something about a "forty-four-forty" and a "thirty-thirty". For comparison purposes, she took out her own pistol, which, though small, was more modern-looking than anything in this store.
"Hmm, I'm thinking something like an AK-47 or a sub-machine gun to pair with this little thing," she mentioned to the owner and the two people standing next to her, "but I bet you never even heard of those, never mind even carry them, don't you? Frankly, rifles aren't my type, though. Do you carry any revolvers by any chance?"
Then she turned to Sophia and Wolfe. "Hmm, you two look like you might know more about guns than I do. What do you think would pair well with a small pistol? Also, you're one of the Mad Bastards, aren't you?" This last part was directed at Wolfe. "I was just meeting your company back at the hotel. The name's Yamiko, and I'm here with three of my own companions."
Livery Stable (Lupin, Nemaforte, Iraal, James, Kris)
I just realized I happened to place the two Brits in the same location.
While out in the sun, Lupin held a black umbrella above him, and wore a pair of sunglasses, black like everything else on him save for his hair and skin. Once he reached the stable, he was surprised to see a familiar face: Iraal, the hairless green-skinned xenoarchaeologist that he and Zuri met last night. There was also a guy in a tri-corner hat, and a young woman who looked almost like a happier and more simply-dressed version of Yamiko. And a short witch with large triangular ears and skin paler than his own, examining one of the horses with wonder.
"Hmm, right you are I trust," Nemaforte told James, just as Iraal arrived. She had to laugh at the orl's mention of non-living transportation, for the only such thing she was familiar with was a train, of which there was only one here, and all it stopped at was the town and the... other worlds. "These horses do not look to be fit for climb mountains. I would suggest we ride the horses across the desert, then climb up the mountains ourselves with our gear. From what I saw last night, the gatherings are not too far up the slopes. And with people there, trails through the forest are bound to be flat and smooth."
And then Lupin arrived, and re-folded his umbrella once he got under the awning. While listening to the conversation, there was something peculiar about the way the witch and the tri-corner hat guy spoke. The former carried a very alien accent, as if she spoke a language from a completely different planet. The latter spoke in a British accent, just like he did.
"Pardon me - you are one of the Mad Bastards I presume?" Lupin asked James. "And I also presume you are originally from England, just like I am. Funny how that happens. Anyway, you probably met Yamiko, my girlf- I mean, my friend/classmate - she was the redhead in the frilly red and black dress. And hello again, Iraal. Now, regarding transport, might I suggest a wagon of some sort? It would be good for those of us who cannot ride horses, and also for holding our belongings. We'd have to leave it at the foot of the mountains once we get there, but the desert looks like it would be more flat, and I would rather not travel on foot in the sun on a hot day. Yamiko told me that you folks are headed out in three groups - one to somewhere in the desert, one to the mountains, and one near the mountains to find the Dead God. My proposition is that the two mountain groups travel together initially and take one big wagon to hold supplies and such. One of my classmates who is with us can use telekinesis, so with some help, she might even be able to help the wagon up the mountain a ways. The desert group could use a smaller wagon, since they wouldn't even be going to the mountains.
"What is a wagon?" Nemaforte asked. "And who are you? My name is Nemaforte."
"I'm Lupin," he introduced. "Lupin Merrimac. And a wagon is a covered cart of sorts that one can ride in."
"You mean with wheels?" Nemaforte asked. Lupin nodded in response. "Yes, I think wagon would be a good plan. And I too can use little bit of telekinesis."
Lupin raised his eyebrows. "Oh really?"
"But not enough to move something so large. And your aura... it is so dark, and so... thick. These two have one more bright and colourful," she indicated James and Kris. "And that one gives off a formal and intellectual air," she indicated Iraal. "The metallic being... no aura at all. Seeming it is not living."
"Oh, that thing looks like a robot of some sort," Lupin replied, looking at the so-called "Student's Lament" that accompanied Iraal. "And heh, you sound like my friend Merlin. He can also read auras - but I'm afraid he's not here. Well, not really, anyway."
Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.
Hotel - Entry Hall - Kaito Chisa Recon Trinity
Recon shrugged his shoulders. He was never one to make plans, just execute them.
"Sounds good enough. As for where he can train her, you don't get much more open and even than a desert, provided you can handle the sand. Think the sandstorm from yesterday is mostly gone too."
He looked at the direction of the desert, then suddenly raised his head as if remembering something. He turned to Kaito.
"Have you done any time as a drill instructor? Or...any kind of instructor, for that matter?" he asked tentatively.
edited 5th Mar '16 11:48:08 PM by gameknight102xx
"SAID CLOUD TO THE CARTOON PONIES AND UNICORNS WITH PICTURES OF FLOWERS ON THEIR ASSES. A DURR HURR HURR." ~Game Spazzer