Friendly Neighborhood Lich
General Store (Zuri, Teri, Scents)
Zuri let out a snicker as Scents explained where she was from. She seemed very uncomfortable explaining the whole thing - and understandably, because a couple of Earthlings likely wouldn't know about the seemingly advanced technology on her home planet - and that of other planets she's been to. She was also rather surprised that neither she nor Teri seemed to believe in ghosts. Suddenly she felt very awkward in this conversation.
"Actually, many people on my Earth don't believe in the afterlife either. I suppose you can say I'm one of the few who do. At least throughout history, there have been many instances of ghosts haunting places, and although no scientific evidence fully supports their existence, there are strange goings-on with electric fields or odd sound waves that can evoke things like that. For example, in one of our recent classes, we learned about hauntings, and we learned about how there's a certain frequency of sound that is outside a human's hearing range that evokes a sense of dread in them, and can even make them hallucinate. I suppose it could be a spiritual component that would cause them to see the ghost's form or something."
After speaking, Zuri took a brief look at her cell phone, and sent a text message to Yamiko, Lupin, and Vicky asking where they were.
Zeke's Hunting and Fishing Store (Yamiko, Wolfe, Sophia)
Yamiko laughed at how Wolfe got the Clue reference, even though Sophia didn't seem to. "Well then if you say so. I suppose a third gun wouldn't hurt for me just in case. Then each of us will have three weapons each, since Lupin has a taser."
And with that, she started talking with the store owner about which kind of revolver to get, specifying that she wanted one that uses the same ammo as the 40-40 she got for Lupin. She thought it kind of funny that she was keeping the bigger guns for herself while Lupin got the smaller ones, despite being a (slightly) bigger person.
Livery Stable (Lupin, Vicky, Nemaforte, Iraal, James, Kris)
There was some talk about how the cultists Iraal was mentioning did not have anything to do with the Dead God, and how James and Kris planned to leave the group despite the Dead God group still needing the wagon. It was Nemaforte who stepped forward to answer the latter.
"I can tell you, how about I buy the remaining of the wagon from you," she said to James, "so we can use it while you both leave off? I don't have that many coins left, but perhaps I would able to pay you in herbs as well. I have many from my home planet Orenya. Some for medicine, some for poison, some too for altering the mind."
"Yes, Iraal," she continued, "that is where I am from. Different it is from this world. Magic is plenty, and the sun does not move in the sky. I am from Zurem, the dark side of Orenya. There grow more herbs, where on the light side, Rumia, grow a large array of fruits. Much trade there is between Rumia and Zurem. Herbalism is popular where I am from, and all over we are feelable to the aural energies moving around all life." During this part she struggled to find the right words to say. "We speak our own langitone, if this one is seeming outside in my voice."
She paused, then turned back to James and Lupin and Vicky. "When we leave, if you like I can offer a sample." She started reaching into her bag.
"Did you say 'altering the mind'?" Lupin asked the short elfin witch. "So you're essentially an alien drug dealer, then."
Next to him, Vicky giggled. "But wow, you're from another planet? That's so awesome! And you said they use magic all the time there? Is that why you're dressed like a witch? What sort of magic can you use? Does it differ between Roomy and Zurim as well?"
"That's Rumia," Nemaforte clarified, as she withdrew a bottle containing a redddish powder, "and Zurem. And I am dressed like which what? Magic it can take many forms, and... pardon me..." She was starting to feel a bit light-headed from the heat, and withdrew a bottle of water from her bag, adding a pinch of the red powder to it. "Dranmiket. Cooling powder. I use this all the time when travel to Rumia, as the heat min bathers me. The taste is very sweet, so I recommend just a pinch in this much water. However, I would not use it direct before high activity, as it can over-exhaust you. Needing I am of some right now, as my hat feels hot."
"That's because it's black," Vicky explained, "and black absorbs heat from sunlight. Right, Lupin?"
"That is an unfortunate side effect," said the skinny man wearing nothing but black. "Anyway, James, I suppose this means you need to get more horses for you and that lady over there. Seems we have no more use for you, so to speak."
Meanwhile, Nemaforte was drinking the water with the "cooling powder", and a grimace spread on her face. "Tastes like candy, is too sweet for me. Oh well."
edited 17th Mar '16 7:03:55 PM by ladytanuki
Come, my child of the devil. Your mother is calling you. Hear my call in Hell's grand hall, where all our dreams come true.
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Main Hall)] (Davey, Irina, Samuel)
Davey looked away, his smile turning somewhat coy. "Yes, well, it was a good long while ago, and..." I hardly earned it. It was a pity prize. he wanted to say. There it was; that reminder. Stupid vanity to mention it in the first place, and now the memories were at his door, threatening to break it down. "...just, don't think too much of it."
He clasped his small, paw-like hands together, adjusting his grip uneasily. It took a few moments—and years of practice before—to clear his mind and refocus on the rest of what Samuel had to say. He'd returned just in time for Irina to inform the man of Rip's personal loss.
"Ah... yes..." Davey murmured, nodding once. His tone had become notably more somber. "Thank you, Irina." he turned his eyes back up to Samuel, "You could say it's been a trying time. The loss has... beaten down on his spirit, to say the least. And while I hope he can eventually find a way to move forward, I don't expect it'll happen today or tomorrow. In the meantime, well... if he ever shows back up," Davey tapped the side of his head, "try to keep that in mind."
When Irina asked about Connie, it took Davey a second for his brain to register what he'd heard, and another second to climb out of the solemn little pit he'd dug into. "Connie- right right. I'm fairly certain she's awake right now, but as for getting up," he turned his head slightly, peering up the stairs with one eye, "...short of something dragging her out of bed, I think that all depends on when she decides to admit that she's awake. Until then-"
The sound of an engine roaring to life somewhere very nearby cut Davey’s words short. He’d heard the same sound enough times to recognize it immediately. It was their truck, parked just outside, starting up.
“Uh…” he tilted his head to the side, looking past Irina and Samuel to the door, “excuse me for a moment.”
After giving the two what could be taken as a polite smile, Davey stepped around them in an accelerated but not-quite-hurried manner, then opened the door—letting in the sound of the engine pervade through the entire room—and stepped out, closing it behind himself.
Only a few seconds later, the door to the shared bedroom opened up, and another set of feet could be heard tromping around the second floor. The footsteps made their way towards the front balcony then halted. As the sound of the engine began growing fainter, the footsteps started up again, until Connie—in the midst of fastening her hair into a low bun—appeared at the upstairs balcony, looking down at Irina and Samuel.
"What was all that shit about?"
[Town ~ Railway Street] (Davey)
Once there was a good solid wall between himself and his guests, Davey sped up, hurrying to the truck as it began to pull away.
“Hey! Oi! Rip!” he called out, but the truck kept moving, speeding up slowly to outmatch Davey’s brisk pace. Davey groaned—or ‘’growled’’—took a moment to look around, checking for any potential “witnesses”, and then barreled into a full on run after the truck as it crossed the Main Street intersection.
"Riiip! Wait!" he shouted, leaning further and further into his sprint, until he was nearly falling forward in his mad dash. While he too crossed the intersection, he tried positioning himself in view of the driver side mirror, waving his arms as he ran. The truck didn't slow, though it hadn't sped up very much either, which was good, since Davey had just about lost his balance after his arm-waving stunt. He had to use his hand-like paws to keep from tripping completely. Using both hands and legs in tandem did actually propel him slightly faster, though his dignity was loathed to admit it. He silently prayed that no one on Main Street—at least nobody that he knew or cared to know—should notice him bounding after a truck on all fours, then proceeded in doing just that.
Before long—though well after he and the truck had crossed the intersection—Davey closed the gap to his target and made a leap for the back of the truck, finding fast footing atop the rear bumper. Thankfully, the flap that served as the entrance to the truck's covered bed was only partway sealed, which left him just enough room to slither through. After a bit of a struggle with the motion of the car, the bumps in the roads, and the general laws of gravity, he landed on his back inside the canvas-covered truck bed, which looked about the same as when he'd left it give or take a sprinkling of sand. Having no intention to go on an impromptu road trip, Davey rolled to his feet and marched to the small window separating the bed from the front seats. As expected, Rip was at the helm, head facing forward, seemingly oblivious to the world behind him. That is, until Davey caught sight of the man's eyes in the rear-view mirror. They locked with his own, but only for only a hair of a moment before turning back to the road ahead, acting like he hadn't seen anything.
Heaving an exasperated sigh, Davey yanked the window open.
"Rip, we need to talk."
The man glanced behind him and raised his eyebrows in a show of surprise even more half-assed than the rest of his feigned ignorance. "Davey? What are you doing back there?"
"Trying to get you to slow the hell down; now slow the hell down." he retorted, then began climbing through the window. "I guess I'm silent and invisible unless I'm right next to you."
Rip, not slowing down, frowned in confusion. "And why do you want me to slow down?"
Davey made it through the window, toppling into the passenger seat with a grunt of surprise. He straightened himself out, rubbing his head. "Maybe you'd know that if you'd slowed down and asked me."
"Yeah, and maybe I'd know if you'd sped up and told me. You're halfway there, so... come on, why don't you just..." he shrugged, leaving the rest to Davey.
"Stop. The truck. ...and I will."
Rip met Davey with a dubious stare, but as he blinked, he applied the brakes, bringing the already slow-moving vehicle to a halt. By then, they had traveled a about block east on Railway Street. The man grabbed the gearshift, put the truck into park, then went further, killing the engine and taking the keys out of the ignition for good measure. Then he set them on the small dashboard, and stared expectantly at Davey.
"Rip, I haven't seen you since we got here. You barely spoke to me during the ride over. Hell, you barely spoke to me about this trip!" Davey's dark little eyes searched the man's expression for any sign of an answer. "What are we doing here Rip? What are you doing here?"
Rip closed his eyes for a moment. "We're taking a break. Visiting relatives. We haven't spoken because I haven't had much to discuss with you."
"Have- ...haven't you?" Davey asked, his whiskery face scrunching up in disbelief, "What about taking off in the truck? In my truck, Rip. Mine."
"Oh, I'm sorry, were you planning on driving it somewhere?" the man asked. His voice was so deadpan that it almost came off sounding like a genuine question.
"Hey, maybe I was. The least you could have done was give me or Connie a heads up, maybe offer up some idea of when we might see you again, if ever. Come on man, you've been shutting me out. Why? Clue me in."
The man sighed. "Listen, Davey, I did give Connie a heads up, and I would have given one to you too if you'd been conscious. You might not have seen me last night, but I saw you. Might want to consider how you got home."
Davey nodded, "Oh yes, that's right, that's what I figured. Must've been awfully 'cute', you carrying your little critter friend home, tucking him into bed." he covered his head in his hands and groaned, "Just tell me no one was awake to see it."
The man muttered something exasperated-sounding under his breath, then answered, "Connie was, but the other one was asleep, I'm pretty sure."
Davey let his hands slide back off his head. "Good... I hope so. Letting Connie see that is bad enough. And anyway, that still doesn't excuse the fact that we're in a tiny town in the middle of a desert, yet you've done a spectacular job of avoiding me! ...in my conscious state."
"I'm in the room right next door. I didn't hear you knocking."
"You've got three of us crammed together in the other room. If that doesn't say 'private private, leave me alone' I don't know what does. Not to mention this 'I'm sleeping, don't come in' Mickey Mouse bullcrap while you're out here driving around."
Rip fixed Davey with another stare, his mouth twisting into a half frown. "Davey, if you want to spend some time together, we can. We can talk, we can chat, discuss the future and all our little plans. Tonight. Tonight we'll do that, all right? But now, I'd like to take a drive, out into..." he waved a hand at the windshield and the street beyond, "the desert. Way out into nature. North, I think. I'll be back; don't worry. I'll be back tonight. Maybe I can stir up a few of the ol' stories for that Irina girl, how does that sound?"
Davey looked about as unconvinced as he'd ever looked, particularly at Rip's "don't worry". He shifted around in his chair so that he faced the man directly while his back rested against the door and his tail occupied the leg space. "Why not..." he began, hesitating for a moment and looking down at his hands. "Why not just be straight with me? I know something is going on- Rip." he stared at the man, "I know something is going on. I've got a pretty good idea of what. I'd wager that it's more than you expect."
Rip just scoffed and began to shake his head.
"Have you checked your socks lately? Sometimes I get rocks stuck in mine."
Rip's smile disappeared. His gaze became piercing. He stared at Davey for several very long seconds. Davey stared back, though he couldn't help but feel just a little bit unnerved underneath it all.
"Don't you have guests to attend to?" the man said, finally. Davey didn't respond immediately, and Rip began to lean towards him. He reached his arm out. He opened the door. He muttered, "I'll be back later."
Before long, Davey was by himself again, trying hard not to inhale a new cloud of old dust that the truck had stirred up. He narrowed his eyes, blinking away the specks that tried to get through. Soon, he could no longer see the truck. Not bothering to heave a sigh, Davey turned around and began marching back to the Main Street intersection, and, eventually, the bed and breakfast.
[Main Street/Railway street]
Amy was pacing back and forth in front of the Bed and Breakfast, while Maya was sitting on the ground, playing games on her phone. It was only a few minutes, but for them, waiting for Irina and Samuel felt like forever. Amy was about to head in and see just what on earth they were doing before she saw something dart after a truck—on all fours. Maya could feel a gust of wind hit her, which made her look up from her phone. They blinked, now confused. It was almost like watching some kind of sitcom.
"What the hell was that?" Amy said and signed.
How should I know? Maya signed.
Both girls began to walk away from the Bed and Breakfast, just in time to see a familair face walk down the road by himself. Amy's eyes widened, and she gave a big smile.
"Davey!" Amy said, Without any warning, she lifted him and pressed him against her cheek, as if he was some kind of stuffed animal. "Oh my goodness, you're ok! And you're still so adorable!"
Maya blinked again, then signed, Why were you chasing after a truck? What on earth was that all about?
[Main Street-Railway Street]
Ever since they left the Hotel, John had been mostly quiet, to James's concern. It seemed that his strolling idea wasn't cheering his fiance up, so after a few more minutes of walking, he gently pulled him to the side.
"John?" he asked, "Are you ok? Do you want to go back?"
John shook his head, gently scratching Pancake between the ears, "No, no; I'm sorry. This is very nice. I was just...being dumb. That's all."
James shook his head. "If you're still upset, I want to be there for you. Just let me know and I'll-"
"-It isn't about what happened today." John interrupted, "I'm worried about going back home. I...I want to stay here a little longer. I don't want..." He stopped himself, then forced a smile, "Ah, it's stupid. Let's just take Omar's advice and try to relax ok?"
James frowned. "John..."
Both of their thoughts got interrupted when they saw a truck go past them, and an otter (rather well dressed) chasing after it on all fours. For a minute, they just stared, unsure if they saw what they actually saw. Then, James cleared his throat.
"...We should keep going." James said, slinging an arm around John's shoulder.
"Yeah. Let's."
Without another word, they started to walk away, hoping to find a store or a restaurant to stop in. All this walking was starting to wear them down.
edited 19th Mar '16 8:52:36 AM by Masterofchaos
Giant alien spiders are no joke.
Northern Desert
Why am I doing this? Hazel wondered as she watched blood drip from her arm and fall onto the thirsty earth. She wondered if there was something about the place that compelled her to do...unwise things. She then wondered what the problem was with the brand of necromancy she was using. It wasn't like she was trying to resurrect someone. She was simply re-purposing some dead bodies that nobody would ever care about. It didn't carry the risk that resurrection did.
Right?
"Whatever." Hazel shrugged. Chances are the worst thing that could happen would be that the resulting necromantic spawn would collapse into a pile of mutated, undead flesh, which could be easily disposed of via egregious applications of fire.
She eyed the OKC-3S bayonet held in her right hand, the edge beaded with blood. She thought about what she would do with the decomposing corpses she had The obvious way to do it would be to simply raise the dead burro and ride it that way, dominated by her will. It wouldn't require a ritual to pull it off; Hazel could probably just figure it out via intuition, since she already knew the basics and the idea behind raising the undead. Riding a donkey without a saddle would be kind of rough on the donkey, but the thing was already dead, so Hazel didn't really care.
Hazel also toyed with the idea of just fucking around and see what the most horrible monster she could create would be like. She also thought about seeing if she could make a spawn that could fly, but it's energy consumption would be massive in order to sustain itself and carry her. No, she thought. It would be too impractical, and a burden once it got hungry.
She felt a little rueful that she went through all of the trouble of cutting herself and using one of her salt sachets just to raise a burro without any of the interesting 'augmentations'. There wasn't even any need to raise the other one; she'd only need one.
With a sigh, she completed the ritual, using her blood, the salt sprinkled all over the corpse of the burro, and released her own focused power.
The burro stumbled up, shaking like it was a just-born foal taking it's first steps, if said foal was also having a grand-mal seizure. The surrounding temperature felt like it dropped 30 degrees. Hazel could hear sounds of joints cracking, wet flesh, and the sound of a thousand maggots chewing, as she watched her magic alter and repair the corpse to working condition. Muscle tone was suddenly lost and then regained in other places. Eyes opened in places where eyes should not be. Its mouth opened and out fell a long, tentacle-like tongue that looked diseased, and where the muzzle was, twisted to look more like a elongated, bony orifice.
When it was finally done, the result was a bit smaller than it used to be, but looked bizarrely muscular. It looked like an equine. It was shaped like one. It still retained most of the characteristics of the original burro. But it was pretty clear to anyone that it very, very, much wasn't right anymore.
Hazel approached her newly created spawn, which stood relatively still after the ritual was complete. It didn't smell like death, but rather had a sort of chemical, sterile odor to it. Instead, it had an aura of Corruption and death to it. Hazel suddenly felt a little squicked out over her creation. Do I really intend to ride this thing? It was dead, and gross. Hazel cast upon the zombie-burrow a small sterilizing spell (which also conveniently killed all of the surrounding flies, which was getting to Hazel's nerves.), before she mentally commanded it to crouch down so she could easily mount herself on its back.
With a curt mental command, it stood back up with little difficulty. Hazel adjusted the straps of her patrol pack so that its weight rested on the creature rather than on her back, to give her some relief from the weight. She also took a moment to clean her bayonet and sheath it, along with her wound with a moist towelette, and heal herself with a small healing spell. She commanded it to walk forward, and the creature obeyed without question. It responded to her every command, though more via magical domination than mental link. Keeping herself balanced on its back wasn't too hard, she found. Eventually, she urged it faster and faster until they were at a good, sustainable speed where she didn't feel like she was going to tip over, but they were making good time.
As Hazel road the back of her new zombie companion, towards the mountains, she realized that she was getting really hungry. Which was strange considering the awful smell of where she found the corpses in the first place, and the appearance of her own mount.
edited 18th Mar '16 1:16:11 AM by Tehpillowstar
"Life is eternal; and love is immortal; and death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight." - R. W. Raymond
PAINKILLER
[Main Street - Railway Street]
At first, Irina and Samuel allowed Davey to check on the goings-on, that is, until Irina saw the truck drive away and Davey going full speed after it.
Irina bolted out first, and her friend came next. They both peered down the street. All that remained was a cloud of dust. Connie's voice sounded from above.
Irina thought for a moment. She responding upwards, "I think Rip took your truck. Davey went for him." She then looked to Samuel, who peered down the road. "I can go take the bike down there. Won't be long."
Samuel grabbed her shoulder. "He'll be back, Iri." She looked to him again for more reassurance. He nodded slowly.
Soon enough, Davey returned on foot, alone. The desert girl should've noticed the two girls from earlier, but it was too late. They ran up to meet him.
She bolted towards the girl and her friend. "Amy, Amy, no! Put him down, he's not a toy," she ordered. Her sprint allowed the wind to yank out her headscarf, and her dark hair opened up to flow in it. When Amy didn't react as fast as she wanted, she yanked Davey out of her hands. She set him aside.
Samuel was chuckling by himself, though he hid it underneath a hand. Irina bared her teeth at him. She instead asked, "Is everything all right, Davey?"
Life is hard, that's why no one survives.
[outside tipsy toad - Tsadro, Arthur]
<I knew something wasn't right- about this military, that is. Based on how you've spoken of your country, I wouldn't be surprised to find some 'enemies of the state' in your team as well.> He looked away.
That would certainly explain why his team was in such disorder, if everyone was apparently some kind of cast-off that the country wanted to dispose of. But a young-ish, homeless boy who can't speak breaking the law for survival, being sent on a purge disguised as a deadly fool's errand? Arthur definitely wasn't telling the whole story of this homeless situation and guessed that he would have said so if his country's government had a skewed sense of what kinds of person are considered fit for culling, but Tsadro couldn't see any legitimate reason to ask for more information in that respect. It wasn't like those details were going to help them on this mission.
<Did anybody notice something off about this, sending a recruit who can't speak and several others with aspects considered undesirable on a combat mission? Was it kept hidden, or are fool's errands like those done often enough to convince others to not speak out lest they be included?>
edited 18th Mar '16 11:44:25 PM by CrystalGlacia
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
Crazy Kiwi
Livery Stable
[Iraal, Nemaforte, Vicky, Lupin, Kris and James]When Iraal mentioned still needing the wagon, James nodded. "As will Teri, Wolfe and the many others accompanying you. The wagon and pack horse are not conditional on myself and Kris being part of the group. Once I determine who - if anyone - will be accompanying us on our trek, I will make other arrangements."
He turned to Nemaforte. "Thank you for your kind offer, but there is really no need for you to pay extra as members of my group will be making use of the wagon as much as anyone else."
Kris listened with interest to Nemaforte's description of her own world, magic and herbalism. As a Wiccan, she was quite familiar with herbal medicines - but her own experience of magic was not as indisputable as it seemed it was on Nemaforte's world. On Terra Nova, as on Earth, whether or not magic - or "magick" - actually worked was a matter of subjective opinion with believers on one side and sceptics on the other. Herbalism, on the other hand, at least had some credibility. It certainly sounded like Nemaforte had some pretty potent concoctions on hand.
For his part, James' scepticism about supernatural matters was tempered by his experiences in Capital City, where he had seen first hand that the rules of other universes - including "half-way places" like the Capital City and here - permitted things beyond the rules of his own universe. Herbalism, well, that was a matter of naturally-occurring chemicals and was easily proved by experimentation.
Zeke's Hunting and Fishing Store
[Yamiko, Kaitlyn, Sophia, Finn, Gwion and Wolfe]Kaitlyn looked at what the others had selected. Wolfe's collection of .22's excepted, the flavour of the day seemed to be "lever action in .30-30" - even the blue-and-brass contraption that Finn had chosen fitted that description. Seeing the benefit of using the same calibre rounds as Finn so they could share ammunition if one ran out - as they could with the 9mm ammunition for their pistols - she also chose herself a six-shot lever action in .30-30 calibre.
Zeke brought out an array of pistols chambered for .44-40 and displayed them for Yamiko. Most were similar in style and design to the famous Colt Single Action Army
or "Peacemaker" but one caught Wolfe's eye and he stepped forward to talk to Yamiko.
"If I were to choose one, I'd go for that Smith and Wesson Number 3 Frontier. The Colts and Remingtons are all very fine firearms but they're slow to load and unload - one at a time through the side gate - but that one's a 'top-break' model that ejects all the spent brass at once and is quick to reload."
Zeke gave Wolfe the once-over, "'round here, someone wants a quick reload, they carry a second gun."
Gwion came over and looked at the cost of ammunition then turned to Yamiko. "I see you've got a thirty-thirty, there. There's a good discount for buying a hundred rounds compared with just a box or two, so would you like to throw in with us when buying the ammo? If we got three hundred rounds, that'd give the five of us sixty each and cost each of us significantly less than buying three boxes."
Sophia nodded. "Then you'd be able to afford more ammo for the other guns."
General Store
[Zuri, Scents, Teri, Peggy and Karl]Teri nodded at Zuri's comments. "But it seems - from what your friend was able to do with that huge bundle of stuff - that on your world at least, there's some real evidence for paranormal things. On our world, that sort of stuff - bending spoons and moving pencils with your mind 'n' things - is eventually proved to be trickery; nothing but a clever bit of stage magic. I don't doubt you've got real ghosts 'n' such where you come from - I've seen too much strange stuff in Capital City to doubt you - it's just that on our world, the dead stay dead and don't talk afterwards."
Peggy looked at her watch, set to the local time before they boarded the train the previous day, and looked back and forth at Zuri and Scents. "The morning's wearing on. Has everyone got what they need in the way of equipment and supplies?"
edited 18th Mar '16 1:30:52 PM by Wolf1066
Drummer Boy
[Outside Tipsy Toad (Tsadro, Arthur)]
Again, Arthur passed Tsadro the tablet instead of hitting enter.
<we weren't the first experiment, but we might be the longest-lived test subjects. the military higher-ups definitely know about it because it was their idea, others may have caught wind of it, spread rumors. but i don't really know what anyone else thinks of all this. we haven't been allowed to interact with other soldiers. for their own safety/ keeping their morale up. the alliance is definitely fucked up. super fucked up. as far as i know, there's only one true patriot among us, and nymue is an avowed communist, but we didn't get fucked over for particularly being criminals/ political dissidents, though it definitely doesn't help. they consider us to be in a place on the physical disability/ mental illness/ mental disorder spectrum that makes us "functional" enough to be forced to do things but not as valuable as people who pass all their physical and mental health evals, so all the unit psi's formed so far got sent places no one would volunteer their "good" troops for. we do shit that's really dangerous, but doesn't really require special skills. like going to abandoned hellhole planets and retrieving lab reports.>
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
[General Store (Scents, Teri, Zuri, Peggy, Karl)]
Scents swiveled her ears, then pointed them forward in Teri's direction. She said nothing, but inside she felt a certain silent admiration for the human woman. She was very good at answering questions in such a way that other people told her more about themselves than she did about herself. And she did it all in a way that made it seem like she wasn't even trying to deflect attention or anything.
Zuri hadn't really answered her question either, she noticed. But first, to clear something up.
"Oh, I totally believe in an afterlife," she said. "Different bunches of the Faith don't agree about the details, but there's obviously gotta be one. I just don't really speak with anyone in it on a usual basis. And ghosts are just stories, except for a couple of weird Splinters."
She turned enough so that one eye looked at Peggy and Karl as they approached. "I'm ready to move out whenever. Wanted to come along and check to be sure, but I don't think they even have any supplies I'd need. The doc's packed the robot pretty well."
She's indeed ready to move out whenever anyone wants.
[Stables (Iraal, Nemaforte, Lupin, Vicky, Kris and James)]
Iraal looked at Nemaforte with open curiosity. Living civilizations were not her speciality, or indeed particularly her interest. But that did not change that the alien woman had just reeled off a summary of information that suggested a very interesting origin, much more so than the number of odd pre-starflight Earths that she had otherwise run into so far. She took mental notes. Sun does not move - light and dark sides - tidally locked planet? But then, how could such an orllike species evolve? The conditions are completely different. She frowned. Could this 'aural magic' be involved? That's hard to theorize about. It could also explain why her translation is being disrupted.
"What I would give to be able to link with your brain," she said quietly to herself.
She turned to regard all of them, though she kept some of her focus on Nemaforte. "I am ready to depart now, once the rest of you agree on your travel arrangements," she stated. "As I said previously, I would be fine with you accompanying us, Nemaforte."
And that would be actively welcome, now that she had some questions to ask.
[outside tipsy toad - Tsadro, Arthur]
The lack of capitalization and punctuation, in conjunction with the length, really cut into how fast he could read the response.
Regardless... it all fit. Mental illness running through the team, a person who couldn't speak in a combat position, coming here at all, the lack of self-confidence, from essentially being told that he's only fit to be expended. He recalled Arthur mentioning a family earlier... he knew how important family was to humans, something likely happened to them, and the homelessness followed.
"That explains your team's disorder. Not only the disability aspect, your government's indicated they see you as expendable for it." Tsadro passed the tablet back to him.
Wait... planets? They managed to get to space? He had been suspecting that... maybe he was Gaean. Yeah, on second thought, 'Arthur' sounded like a Gaean name, and he was pale like one, too.
He adjusted his veil, pulling the cap more securely onto his head. "One last personal question. How did you come to be the leader?"
edited 19th Mar '16 4:10:37 PM by CrystalGlacia
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
Drummer Boy
[Outside Tipsy Toad (Tsadro, Arthur)]
<the officers forced me into it because i did the best in the mental health evals, and since i performed ok in training, they didn't see any reason to reconsider.>
Arthur gave Tsadro the tablet again. It was a shitty way to get promoted and he knew it. He'd never been one to seek out leadership positions, either. So there it was. The secret was out. His promotion was little more than a sham. Just like the team's existence. Yippee.
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
[Town ~ Railway/Main Street] (Davey, Amy, Irina, Maya)
Davey heard voices. He heard footsteps coming his way. He saw figures. He saw arms, legs, and bodies between them. But he was too deeply entrenched in his own thoughts; ideas, plans, and worries over what had just transpired between Rip and himself. Before his mind had registered any of the mad warning signs that he'd sensed moments earlier, he found himself hoisted into the arms of Amy. She was snuggling him, he realized—to his growing horror—as if he were the most pathetic of house cats. He was slightly taken aback at how easily she had lifted him up, though that could have simply been because he wasn't used to that happening. He wasn't used to that happening ever. At least, not at the size he was now. For a brief moment, the shock of it even made him regret losing weight.
"Hello Amy, hello Maya." Davey managed after a few moments. His voice seemed delicately collected; almost too collected for the circumstance. There was a slight edge to his calmness that bespoke something more volatile beneath the surface. "The view up here is lovely, but I miss the earth. Mind setting a guy back on his feet?"
Before Amy was able to comply— before she was able to respond at all, Davey heard another voice calling the girl's name. The voice was still rather new to him, but Davey made no mistake in recognizing it's owner. All it took was a few words, and just like that, the situation had turned into a bad dream.
When he really thought about it, if Davey had to undergo the particular form of humiliation that he was enduring at that very moment, suffering it in front of two teenage girls wasn't that bad, especially with one as the perpetrator. He didn't care terribly what they thought about him, whether they thought he was a little bundle of cuteness or whatever. He hardly knew the two and wasn't actively seeking respect from either. Hell, in the case of such a loose cannon as Amy, seeking to maintain his well held dignity seemed like a pointless effort. No, the hugging in and of itself was not a big deal; not in front of these girls. But he'd been so good about preserving his composure around Irina up until then. Now he just hung there limply, letting his tail drag across the ground as he was yanked from one set of arms into another, much like the toy that he was so emphatically not.
Worse still, as he was set back down, stomach was still turning, he noticed Samuel not too far away witnessing the entire ordeal, and Connie above him, now standing out on the balcony over the bed and breakfast's entrance. She was gritting her teeth slightly in a pained sort of way. She knew enough about Davey to have some inkling of how he was feeling just then.
Pity, he thought. Pity. Always pity. Pity was what he got more than anything else. Pity was what he wanted least of all. Pity made his blood boil. Pity was for the weak and helpless. For those who couldn't fend for themselves. For those with delicate nerves. You did not admire who you pitied. You did not pity who you admired. Davey did not want pity. But he couldn't blow up. Even with Amy cuddling him like a puppy, Irina coddling him like a child, Connie pitying him from afar, and Samuel finding the whole thing to be a big bucket of chuckles. The only that might have an ounce of respect for him in that moment was Maya, but Davey couldn't get a good enough read on her to tell. But then, why would she?
He looked around at them all for a moment longer, then dusted himself off and declared, "I'm fine. That was just Rip—a friend of mine," he added, glancing at Maya. "He's going off for a drive, and he... he simply forgot something important. But enough about that, we'll see him later tonight. Breakfast must be on the table by now, lets head back inside." Before making a move towards the bed and breakfast, he sucked in his breath, then turned towards Amy and Maya. "Are you girls hungry?"
[Northern Desert]
By fickle coincidence or the will of the world, a new sound stirred it's way into life within earshot of Hazel and her resuscitated mount. It began as a faint hum, mixing in with and almost indiscernible from the wind and the hot ringing of the desert. Slowly, it grew in magnitude while lessening it's distance, and the hum became clearer, harsher. It made its presence known, and gave itself a shape.
A truck rolled across the desert, still distant for the time being, but on pace to intersect with Hazel's path. Before too much longer—with the truck being a truck and Hazel's zombie burrow being what it was—the truck ended up close enough for it's driver to be visible.
At first, Rip Wilkis seemed to take no notice of the person on burrowback, so focused was he on the road—or lack of road, rather—straight ahead. But perhaps that had simply been a front, for as he drew very near, he began to slow the truck and roll down his window. However, it wasn't until his window was near half way rolled down that he, seeming oddly reluctant, looked directly at her. What was at first a very typically hard business stare changed in an instant. As soon as he saw her twisted steed, his eyebrows first knitted sharply together, then flew up, and his eyes grew almost comically wide. Without ever once opening his mouth, Rip turned his head away quickly and stepped on the gas.
And so, the truck roared off again, even faster than it had arrived.
the color today
[Main Street/Railway Street]
For a brief moment, Amy looked confused—and sort of hurt—when Irina came and snatched Davey away. She reacted like Amy was going to squeeze him to death or something. What on earth was the big deal? All she wanted to do was express her relief that her "rescuer" was safe, and that the storm didn't bury him. What was the harm in a hug? A hug never hurt anyone. It's just a hug, after all.
The feeling left as quickly as it came, though, when Davey offered breakfast. "Oh! We would love to have breakfast! I don't think me and Maya ate since we came to the Frontier last night."
Maya nodded, though she could see that none of this was pleasing for Davey. Running on all fours after a truck, then getting lifted like a teddy bear, then coddled like a toddler, and then getting laughed at...she couldn't imagine how humiliating this all could've been. She wanted to sign something, but she decided not to rub salt in the wound.
Something else then came to Amy's mind. "Oh! By the way, did you get to the bar safely last night? We were worried that you got caught up in the storm so I just...thought I asked."
Maya smirked. She means she's been worried about you all night.
"Hey, I would've felt bad if something happened to him because of us!" Amy shot Maya a quick glare, before clearing her throat. "ANYWAY, was the bar open when you got there?"
edited 26th Mar '16 9:55:21 PM by Masterofchaos
Attitude is prohibited
[Small Valley]
Hoshi looked between Roscoe and Blair a few times, then after a moment or two, turned to Miyuki. "So, was she saying that I'm extremely approachable, or extremely unapproachable?"
Miyuki looked at her, but declined to say anything.
"Never mind," said Hoshi, with a small sigh. "Anyway, since we're all being honest and stuff," she cleared her throat. "You've all seen a lot of what Miyuki and I can do. Flight, and all that. Plus, I kicked that scaly monster's ass! Remember that? That was pretty cool." Evidently, she was quite proud of having defeated a dragon, even if the battle hadn't ended with a kill. "So that should give you a vague idea of what we can do. We're probably the strongest, fastest, most resilient ones here!" She said. "Uh... Unless you can do better with magic, or whatever. That's all new to us, so we don't really... Y'know..." She shrugged.
"OH! Also, these?" She pointed to her black, leathery body-suit. "Not just because we look great in 'em!"
Miyuki rolled her eyes.
"They're bulletproof!" Continues Hoshi. "Well, mostly. Depends on the size of the bullet. But yeah, that about sums us up, I think."
Miyuki waits for a few seconds, then speaks up. "Neither of us are diplomats, so neither of us should go meet them." She looked over at Brin, then at Suela. "I think it should be one of you." Then, over at Roscoe. "If something goes wrong, they have slightly more defensive options than you do. Brin, especially."
She shakes her head. "I don't know who would be the better negotiator, though. But regardless of who goes, Hoshi and I will more than likely be able to protect them from any harm..."
Not entirely dead.
Giant alien spiders are no joke.
Northern Desert
Hazel thought about the MREs stashed in her patrol pack. She could stop and eat any time she felt like it, but she didn't want to just sit in the sun and eat breakfast (or brunch as it looked like) next to the cholla. She looked around for a bunch of rocks or something similar for shade, but this portion of the desert was flat as far as she could tell.
Her mind wandered away from MREs to foods she sorely missed, and hadn't had in months. Galbi, steamed rice, kimchi spicy and sour, bibimbap in an oven-baked stone bowl, spicy fish stew, sweet hotteok fresh from the griddle...A bitter sense of nostalgia and homesickness overwhelmed Hazel. A soft bed. The smell of rain on warm earth. A long, hot, 40 minute shower. Mild days without scorching sun. The feeling of wearing clothes that are really truly clean, not just less dirty. Perhaps not for the first time, Hazel wanted to go home. Away from Iraq. Away from this strange place. For a moment, she felt like she was going to cry.
The burro slowed down and tensed a bit. Hazel began to hear a hum in the distance. She turned around and saw a dust cloud in the distance growing larger. She squinted, and eventually saw a truck, going full speed towards her. In reflex, she willed her mount to step out of the way.
She saw the truck slow down in its approach, and felt apprehensive in two ways: On one hand, she hoped that the driver would offer aid and perhaps directions. On the other hand, this was a situation with some seriously dangerous unknowns. The approaching truck may not be a friendly. Instead, she pulled her rifle up to her shoulder and watched the approaching truck through her scope.
As the truck slowed down and pulled up to her position, she thought that the truck would stop for her. She watched as the window rolled down, the man stuck his head to gape at her with an expression that changed so quickly it was almost hilarious, then blasted off, leaving Hazel to choke on the dust.
"Hey!" Hazel called out, her voice trailing. She watched the truck drive off into the distance. "Goddamnit.," she muttered to herself. She considered chasing after the truck, or turning around and follow the truck's tracks to where it came from, possible civilization. She decided against both options, since if the guy driving the truck didn't stop for her, clearly he wouldn't be interested in giving her the time of day, and who knows how long he could have been driving. It could be hundreds of miles. No, the mountains were a probable safer bet than the possibility of being led into a goose chase in the desert.
Hazel sighed. "Carl," she said down to her zombie burro steed, who she did not name until this point. "I blame you for this."
edited 19th Mar '16 8:43:13 PM by Tehpillowstar
"Life is eternal; and love is immortal; and death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight." - R. W. Raymond
[outside tipsy toad - Tsadro, Arthur]
He didn't actually take the tablet, it was short enough for him to just crane his neck over, read it, nod, and go back to where he was. As Arthur fit the tablet back into the holder on his arm, he gained that faraway look in his eyes, again. Tearing himself up, probably.
Why was he expecting to hear that he had earned this position, or that there was an actual reason why he had become a captain, or... fuck it. This was a level of corruption he normally associated with... pre-Personhood Mialor, or those Rivari 'protection' policies Porint tried. He'd heard enough.
Tsadro turned to face Arthur, waiting to speak until Arthur made eye contact. "You've done more to fix your situation than most humans would so much as dream of trying. That is why I am helping you." He said the next sentence slowly, for emphasis. "Because I refuse to believe a group of humans would go to the trouble of taking initiative just to destroy themselves.
"Think back to the moment the plan to defect was put into action. I can't imagine that's easy to do, I'm sure you needed the cooperation of your entire team to pull it off. You can mend your team the same way- make everyone believe that eschewing a government that views you as expendable is worth making the most of your situation."
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
PAINKILLER
[Main Street - Railroad Street -> Bed & Breakfast]
It seemed to Irina right off that she hadn't helped at all. She felt she made it all the more worse. Davey played it off, pretending not to let it bother him, but she could feel otherwise. Then, in that moment, she realized that she had made a connection with him. She stepped off, and gave him and the girls distance.
I had been Rip, and it occurred to Irina that the two girls had met Davey beforehand. It only added to her distaste to the whole situation. Was it the fact that she could feel Davey's emotions now? Or was it that her help only ruined it further?
She latched onto one thing mentioned. "Oh yes, breakfast. I'll go ahead," she said quickly.
Samuel had collected himself and pretended not to have done anything wrong. A quick surge of anger boiled in Irina's stomach, then ran straight into her fist. She delivered a punch into his chest as she walked past him. She didn't hit him too hard, as her energy in every aspect was running on an empty stomach.
It was light for his experience, so he only recoiled emotionally. "Hey, what was that about?"
"Forget it," she said. She let out a stillborn breath as she continued on. "I'm too hungry."
Samuel considered his actions, but heard his internal rumbles of hunger. "Ah, me too." He turned and followed Irina, leaving the girls and Davey behind outside.
Life is hard, that's why no one survives.
Drummer Boy
[Outside Tipsy Toad (Tsadro, Arthur)]
God, it felt so good to have someone... believe in him, for once. Believe in the team. Though Arthur had to wonder if Tsadro would feel the same if he'd witnessed any more of the mess that'd been going on lately.
Well, they had worked together before. They'd been doing great for a little while, before they reached Earth. If they did it before, they could do it again. It was taking a while to get back to where they were, yeah, but it wasn't impossible. It wasn't too late yet.
He took a deep breath. Okay. He was thinking about the situation in a balanced manner. He had to hold on to that.
<thank you. i really appreciate everything you've said and done.> This time he just went ahead and sent it. Kind of sucked how text couldn't really convey how much he really meant it, but he figured Tsadro would know.
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
[outside tipsy toad - Tsadro, Arthur]
Good. Now, let's try to lighten the mood a bit.
<It is only right. You're still young- you've done better than House Oriyn, even. I still like them... but the Chiefs made attempting to repeat the mistakes of their grandparents into an art form.> His expression loosened to something one could have called a half-smile, shaking his head. <I'd shout at them, mistaking them for their grandparent in the process, probably in the same room where I scolded their grandparent, they'd stare at me like I've lost my mind, then take the hint and learn their lesson. Until their child assumes power and the story repeats.
<You expressed interest in trying to be a Rivari for a while last night, yes? I can't think of anything in human experience that compares to that kind of deja-vu.>
edited 21st Mar '16 6:34:01 AM by CrystalGlacia
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
[Town ~ Railway Street → Bed and Breakfast (Exterior)] (Davey, Amy, Maya)
Something in Irina’s voice just before she left gave Davey pause. He could never quite choose one side of the fence when it came to believing things like giving off bad vibes, but maybe there had been some traces of resentfulness in his own voice that he hadn’t intended to let out. In any case, Davey found himself glancing after Irina as she walked away. Only after noticing her missing headscarf did it occur to him that he hadn’t once looked at her during the little manhandling ordeal, probably owing to some instinctual fear that he’d crack up. But he hadn’t cracked up. And it was important not to push people away; he knew that. He knew it well. He was upset— or had been upset—but that was fleeting. What he did ‘’while’’ he was upset could last much, much longer.
“I’ll see you inside.” He called, just missing the socking of Samuel. The words were a good start, perhaps enough to get her attention, but not enough to make himself ‘’clear’’. Before she had completely disappeared into the building, Davey added a quick (and perhaps ‘’slightly’’ more friendly than sincere), “And thank you.”
With that itch taken care of, he turned his whiskery face back to Amy and Maya.
“All night?” He repeated, then smiled in a bit of a wheedling way, “well isn’t that sweet? Here, walk with me.”
He began walking the remaining distance to the bed and breakfast, waving the girls along beside him. “You two needn’t have worried, I outlasted the storm itself. And yes, the bar was open; I had a wonderful time. Lots of friendly guys and gals in that place, I do believe the waitress and I really hit it off. Perhaps I should have invited the two of you to come along, although, you weren’t quite dressed for the weather, were you? Oh,” he held up one short little finger, “and don’t you two get any ideas about ‘’my’’ traipsing through that weather being your fault. I would have been out in that storm with or without you. It was just happy coincidence that ran us into each other. You see, I wanted to go to that bar, and when David Harkness sets his mind to doing something, it gets done, or he dies trying, and I haven’t died yet, so what does that tell you, huh?”
[Northern Desert] (Rip, Hazel)
Rip put on the brakes again. He'd sped nearly half a mile away after catching sight of the malformed thing the person had been riding. Taking some time to finally think about what he'd seen, he found himself very very unsure what to think. All he knew was that he had not been ready to see it.
He put the truck into park and let his hands slide off the steering wheel. He let himself breathe. Maybe the stranger's mount was just a species he'd never heard of, very unusual to his eyes but commonplace to it's rider. He'd scarcely been to half of everywhere in the world, there was only so much he could know about. Perhaps he'd seen things that weren't really there; something warped in his mind by the desert heat. Perhaps he'd overreacted.
Can't pass up any opportunities. He thought to himself, letting the thought roll through his mind again and again. Desert traveler like that, might know where to head. Can't pass up any opportunities. Need it gone.
Rip glanced at the driver-side mirror, then finished rolling down the window and stuck his head out, looking back at what he'd driven past. Squinting, he could still make out the shape of the desert traveler and the strange creature that they rode upon.
"Okay." he murmured to himself, solidifying his decision in front of the world. "Fine."
He withdrew back into the truck and put it back into drive. The truck first continued forward, getting further and further away, but before long it turned, arching in a wide U as Rip rerouted his path back to the stranger.
This time, when the truck approached, slowed, and stopped, the window was already rolled down. It's driver wasted little time gawking.
"I didn't mean to tear off like that." Rip began, only looking at Hazel and her ride out of the corner of his eye. "You wouldn't believe it but uh... I thought I saw a wild bear about the size of a building just right behind you, but looking back," he smiled and nodded, "I think I was probably wrong."
edited 21st Mar '16 3:01:53 AM by Ryuhza
the color today
[Mainstreet/Railwaystreet-Bed and Breakfast]
Amy and Maya followed Davey inside, though Amy walked at a pace so Maya could easily catch up to her. She listened to Davey's story, signing back almost everything he said to her friend. Once he finished, she smiled.
"That was really risky," Amy said, "But I'm glad you're ok. And I'm glad the bar was open for you."
You still could've waited until morning. Maya signed, That wasn't just risky, it was stupid as hell. Risking yourself like that for some beer you could've waited for? Geez, it's not that deep.
Amy shot Maya a glare, before looking back at Davey. "Anyway, thank you so much for helping us, and offering us breakfast. I wish there was some way we could repay you. You've done so much for us."
There you go again! Being dramatic! Maya signed, smiling, By the way, Davey, are you going to be traveling with us? We're going to go to the desert soon and help Samuel and Irina fix their plane.
Drummer Boy
[Outside Tipsy Toad (Tsadro, Arthur)]
Man, Arthur was having trouble saying things in a way that didn't drag this conversation even further down into a void of awful feelings.
<yeah, us humans kind of suck at learning from mistakes. and we're pretty stubborn. i guess last night i said that cause i was just... really tired of being me. the past year and a half have been pretty chaotic, to say the least. not that there isn't much i can do other than deal with it, obviously>
The last battle's curtains will open on stage!
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Exterior)] (Davey, Amy, Maya)
"Dancing on top of a mountain in a lightning storm would have been risky." Davey said, glancing with his dark brown eyes first at Amy, then letting his gaze linger on Maya. "I knew what I was doing. What that should tell you is that when I—David Harkness—set my mind to something, that decision is not a decision that is made rashly. Worry is one thing, but when worry turns to needling, I start to wonder just what you people think of me. Or does a guy's word mean nothing these days?"
He decided not to mention the possible threat of a gigantic sandstorm monster. Doing so would only muddy the water of his words.
Davey would have none of Amy's abundant graciousness. Dramatic indeed, he thought, shaking his head. "I only did what any morally decent person of any shape or size should, and if you ever catch me doing less, you have my express permission to chew me out."
They reached the front porch of the bed or breakfast, which was still fairly dusty from the storm the night before.
"Fix their plane?" He repeated, sweeping away at a few light patches of street and truck dust on his clothes. "Is that right? I haven't heard anything about that, but I suppose the day is young." He paused outside the door, then turned around, glancing between the two girls for a moment before saying, "I hate to be the doubting Thomas here, but I really am curious. Fixing a plane out somewhere in the desert; are you sure you can do that? You have the right tools?"
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Interior)](Connie, Irina, Samuel)
In the wake of the little incident outside, Connie had since slipped back into the bed and breakfast and was sitting near the bottom of the steps when Irina and Samuel returned. She was wearing pretty much the same as she had been wearing the day before, if a little less tidy, and lacking any sort of shoes just at that moment.
"Well, that all looked pretty painful." she said, brushing her hair out of her eyes and tucking it behind her ear. Her eyes danced over Samuel for a moment, but she didn't initiate an introduction just yet. Instead, her gaze settled on Irina. "Did Dave seem all right? I didn't stay to watch."
the color today
PAINKILLER
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Interior)](Connie, Irina, Samuel)
Irina closed the door behind her, but lingered a bit, mostly to open the door for the other three once they return. Her head whirled back around at Connie.
"I think it did trouble him," Irina said solemnly. "He didn't show it, but I felt..."
Samuel eyed the girl, then back at Irina. "Irina's got an ability—right? To feel things?"
"Emotions, yes. Not in everyone, just... Select people. But, Davey should be all right now. He's making peace with those girls."
Samuel studied the new girl, who was already acquainted with his own friend. He already got he impression that she told this strange group about him, so he didn't out-right introduce himself. In any respect, he asked Connie, "I don't believe we've met yet. You are?"
[Town -> Grand Hotel]
A man walked into town, strangely looking upon the buildings and passerby.
He was a tall and fit man of about 34, with short black hair—which grew out in puffs. His face was angled and barely shaved. By any chance, he appeared to be any man his age. His lonesome demeanor and strange disposition helped set him apart. He wore a light army jacket—which the back had printed: H. D. Carpenter (though the H had been torn off, but the adhesive's shadow lingered enough). Underneath was a plain white top with a low-rise collar and no substantial sleeves. He wore dirtied jeans and brown combat boots. He also had a concealed carry—actually, two—one in his pants, a Magnum .44, and one in his right boot, a bowie knife. Otherwise he carried nothing but what was hidden in his pockets. There was no reason to carry more. He planned to leave before the day was over.
The man sulked near the bars and appeared to snarl at them. There were too many bad memories of bars. But, he was looking for some shade, and a place to gain it without getting strange looks about it.
He passed under the shade of the Grand Hotel. Without too much thought, he ducked inside.
At first glance, he didn't really care for what he saw. In fact, he shoved pass three standing in his way. He half-groaned, "Watch it." He stumbled into a lounge seat to rest a moment.
Blackfire, my character just ran into yours.
Life is hard, that's why no one survives.
Small Valley
As the others explained their abilities, Blair filed that information away for later use. He agreed wholeheartedly with Suela; but also if Roscoe came to any harm. She was under his protection; she was his responsibility, especially while she was human.
He considered what Miyuki said about the plants and wildlife. They had come prepared to deal with the wildlife, so perhaps it was indeed best to take it head-on. If they were very lucky, they might just get past the things. If not, they had weapons for that. Blair was still carrying his bow and arrows.
“So, then, do we trek through the wildlife and shoot anything that comes at us, then try to talk to the soldiers?” Blair asked, putting in very much effort to make it a suggestion rather than a command. “There isn’t much we can do about the wildlife, but as for the soldiers, who is going to talk to them, and what will we say to them?” On one hand, Blair thought it best to volunteer himself; he could reason with them, could almost literally offer them anything if they turned out to be bribe-inclined, and was in his estimation the best liar in the group by far. On the other hand, he did not want to draw attention to himself from the Dead God until it was absolutely necessary. For his own reasons.
“The least threatening of the group, obviously,” Roscoe said in response to Blair, “i.e. me.”
Absolutely fucking not! “Absolutely not.” Blair gave her a mild glare.
“What were you going to suggest? You?” Roscoe snorted. “On the scale of potential creepiness, you’ve got us all beat, darling. Kito’s a little intimidating too, Brin too a little bit, and Miyuki and Hoshi, well, um, two extremes on the approachability spectrum. Suela could do it, especially if we need a distraction. But if we’re going for complete transparency, I’m the best bet.”
“You’re also the weakest out of all of us.” And if you’re hurt….
She looked up at Blair. What if I’m hurt?
He would rain down hell on them, that was what. Magical consequences be damned. “It won’t be you. That is all.”
She stared him down despite one foot of height difference. “This is a democracy, Your Highness. Let the group decide. Besides, if Cyrus can pass himself off as a really big puppy, he can protect me. And you can stand back and wait with your arrows from afar.”
There was an audible, very unnatural hiss as Roscoe addressed Blair by his title, and for the briefest of moments Blair seemed truly angry; but the moment passed, and he took a step back. He hadn’t claimed her yet. It was all in his head. He had to remember that.
“Make your plans and let’s go.” Blair waved a hand and walked a short distance away from the group. He was now officially irritated, by Roscoe no less, and it was breaking his concentration. Now, at least, he was in the mood to shoot something.