[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Underneath Balcony)] (Davey, Jim McGee)
"Good," Davey said, his smile persisting, "Answer as quickly as you can. First, who are you, and what's your business starting a gunfight in the street? Secondly, who are they?" he tipped his head back slightly and brushed his jacket out of the way to get a glimpse of the woman with the chains and the third person—a giant of a man—he had seen. A quick upside-down survey of the area proved useless; neither was anywhere to be found. He returned his sights to the cowboy, trying to ignore his increasing dizziness. "Where did the others go? The woman who sent you into this wall here and the large guy?"
[Northeastern Desert ~ Desert Trail (Wagon)] (Stranger, Gwion, Iraal, Katya, Nemaforte, Scents, Teri, Wolfe, Zuri)
After his fall, the stranger seemed content to lie still, moving little but the muscles of his face. Even those appeared to only move in and out of various winces for various pains. When the small witch woman collected blood from a cut on his foot, the stranger's mouth opened very, very slightly, moving and trying to form words, but unable to give them enough sound to make them heard. His weakness and the unchecked spending of his remaining energy had paved the way full bore to inanition. The fall, it seemed, was all it took to break what had already been well eroded.
From that point onward, the body on the desert floor breathed in, breathed out, and did nothing else.
this place needs me here
Attitude is prohibited
[Desert] (James' Car) (Daniel, John, James, Rin, Pancake)
"Medium to large groups of armed men, you mean?" replied Rin. "I've dealt with more than a few."
Then she rolled down the window closest to her and stuck her head out. Her opaque, black visor materialized over her eyes and she took a few moments to scan the horizon before leaning back in. "There's a group of men at our ten o'clock, about three kilometers out. No telling if the guy we're looking for is among them, though," she said.
Not entirely dead.
[Town ~ Outside the Train Station] (Col. Von Strauss, Lt. Ross, Pvt. Klein, Sgt. Scott, Enkar Ziven)
Von Strauss looked out across the town, "No, the Djan Alliance exists to make money, one way... or another. They've decided to assist the Azure Knights, though. That group seeks to unify the remaining nations of the world against the Balamar Empire." He paced back and forth.
Lt. Ross spoke up, "I don't understand why those bastards would continue to resist us, Caps, we have numerous advantages over practically everyone. We have more troops, more ships, more aircraft than everyone else combined!"
Von Strauss glared at his subordinate, before turning towards Enkar, "So, you wish to assist our cause, eh?"
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Under the Front Balcony)] (Davey, Jim)
Jim took a moment to answer, "Name's Jim McGee. I was attemptin' to rescue a young lady who was held prisoner. The one's holdin' her captive are from the Balamar Empire, nasty folks. As for where they are, they headed off back towards the train station." He coughed, before continuing, "Now, may I ask who you are, and where that young lady went? She's five-five, pale skinned, medium-length black hair, blue dress with a dark blue jacket." He tried to stand up, but grimaced in pain when his left leg buckled under his weight, causing him to slump to the ground again.
edited 5th Jun '16 5:13:51 AM by WillDeRegio
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Underneath Balcony)] (Davey, Jim McGee)
Davey frowned, glancing towards the upside-down train station which was miraculously not falling into the sky. He had to squint a bit, but he could make out the two other combatants, just as the cowboy—Jim—had said, along with someone else he hadn't noticed before.
"I didn't see any prisoner," he replied, turning his eyes back to Jim. His tone wasn't overtly suspicious, though he knew better than to take a lone man in a precarious situation at his word. He began to give the area another brief scan, though Jim's attempt to stand brought Davey's attention back front and center. "Hey-" he began to warn, raising (or rather lowering) his gun again. When the attempt fell apart a moment after it began, he loosened up.
"All right," he sighed, briefly glancing upward to the balcony proper, "just... sit tight for a moment, won't you?" With that, he set his feet against the corner of balcony's outer face, preparing to push off. He tipped his head back and called out to Amy.
"Pull!"
"I mean yank!"
this place needs me here
[Bed and Breakfast (Balcony)]
At the sound of "yank!", Amy wasted no time pulling Davey back to the balcony. Once she managed to get him up there, she pulled him into a gentle hug.
"Davey!" she said, "You're ok! I was so scared!"
Maya looked at him and blink, crossing her arms.
...What the hell made you think that was a good idea? she signed, Hey! There's people shooting down below! Let me go talk to them! Surely, none of that would go badly what so ever!
Amy glared at Maya, before letting go of Davey. "Well...whatcha learned? Were they friendly? Did you make a new friend?"
Maya sighed.
edited 5th Jun '16 8:29:41 PM by Masterofchaos
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Balcony)] (Davey, Amy, Maya)
Davey made a mostly smooth return to the balcony's topside, stumbling a bit as he tried to find his footing.
"Careful now," he said, raising his weapon out of the way when Amy hugged him, "as far as you know, this thing is loaded."
He then fixed his eyes on Maya. He was becoming irritated at her seemingly endless stream of criticisms. He opened his mouth to speak, but everything was jumbled in his head, and he would've sounded like the dummy she was painting him to be. He held up a finger, taking a moment to calm himself and collect his thoughts, then said, "One. There was one person down there. He's incapacitated. The others went back to the train station- or didn't you see that while playing gargoyle on the roof up there?"
He held up his gun, "I had a means of deterrence," he nodded to Amy, "a quick escape at the ready," he turned and raised the back of his jacket, revealing a holster on the back of his belt with a wooden revolver handle sticking out, "backup in case things get out of hand," he let the back of the jacket fall, then pulled open the left side like some kind of seedy back alley contraband dealer. Inside, tucked into a sewn-in sheath, was the knife he'd taken off Irina's hands, "further backup, in case things get really out of hand," he released his jacket, straightening it out slightly before continuing. "And guess what? Nothing got out of hand. I was down there for no more than a minute, so give me a break! Don't you trust anyone to do anything?"
Davey stepped back, turning away with an exasperated sigh. He ran a hand through the fur on top of his head, as if there was actually a distinct head of hair there. There wasn't, but it didn't make the tic go away. He'd probably do if even if he was bald.
"I'm going back down," he said after a moment. His voice was quieter, and not just because he had turned away. "Keep your eyes peeled for a girl, maybe around your age. Black hair, blue clothes. Uh, pale. The guy down below says she's a prisoner he's trying to rescue. I don't know whether to believe him yet," he stepped back to the railing and began to climb over it, glancing over his shoulder to add, "And don't worry about me. I'll be right below you," he made it to the other side and began carefully lowering himself down for a drop. "If it really bothers you, you can always come down yourselves. Bombs away."
With that, Davey dropped back down to beneath the balcony.
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Underneath Balcony)] (Davey, Jim)
Even from a dangle, the drop from the balcony's edge to the ground was nearly twice Davey's height, and to say that he had catlike reflexes when it came to landings would have been a stretch. He nearly lost his balance, but saved himself from falling on his ass with some quick use of his tail as support. Once steadied, he stepped up onto the porch and approached Jim. He kept one hand on his shotgun, though no longer had it readied.
"David Harkness," he said, finally introducing himself to the cowboy. He tipped his head to the side and extended his free hand, "Can you walk at all?"
this place needs me here
Crazy Kiwi
Northern Desert
[Hazel, Rip, Yamiko, Vicky, Lupin, Kaitlyn, Kris, James and tall buxom stranger]Kaitlyn's mouth quirked into a wry smile at the Marine's glib explanation of why she enlisted. Ask a silly question, get a silly answer. Seemed to apply equally well to impertinent questions.
The middle-aged man fetched something from the inside of the - his? most likely - truck and then said that there was someone else approaching. Kaitlyn looked in the direction he was looking, half expecting to see the fourth student, Zuri, making her way towards the group. Instead, it appeared to be a tall woman with bright red hair, wearing black jeans and some sort of skimpy crop-top that showed off midriff and cleavage in abundance.
The middle-aged man seemed even less impressed with this turn of events - and well he might. What were the odds that so many people should wind up in exactly this part of a huge vast desert, so far from town?
Kris noticed that Lupin seemed to be in some sort of distress, first staring straight at the Lance Corporal then stumbling against Yamiko and sinking to the ground. At first she thought he must have picked up something about the Marine-cum-necromancer but then Yamiko seemed to think that an umbrella would help, which suggested there was another cause for his discomfort.
Vicky started wittering on about wanting to be awesome and how volunteering for a psychic research program put her "in the same boat" as someone who signed up to be a career soldier and Kris couldn't help but shake her head. Yeah, they're sooooo on the same level.
Just after the bloke by the truck said that someone else was approaching, Lance Corporal Yoon's hand jolted upwards, as if jerked on a line, and Kris noticed for the first time that the Marine was inexplicably holding a stone. Was the sudden movement related to what had happened to Lupin or the arrival of the - Kris looked - strange red-haired woman that was approaching or something else? She had no way of knowing. All of this paranormal weirdness was confusing.
Unsurprisingly, Vicky immediately wondered if it was something she had done. The curse of being so awesome, I suppose, Kris thought.
James quietly observed the goings on, noting Kaitlyn and Kris' obvious amusement at Lance Corporal Yoon's cheeky response to Lupin's nigh-confrontational line of questioning; observing the as-yet-unnamed man fetching something from his vehicle - a "truck", by the look of it and the sudden arrival of another person.
Accustomed to literally sizing up people at a distance, James could see that the newcomer was comfortably over six feet - making her taller than him - and her attire looked out of place in the setting. Mind you, so did the attire of the three students - he would have thought that they would have changed into something more practical before embarking on their journey.
The newcomer called out in a strong accent that instantly reminded James of Teri.
Oddly, Yamiko looked in the new arrival's direction and visibly sneered; then she made a haughty comment about not being the only silly redhead. Her nastiness seemed at odds with how she had been back in town, prior to departure. Something was most definitely afoot.
James shook his head slightly then turned to greet the man by the truck, who clearly was not enthused by the sudden influx of people. "Pardon our intrusion, sir, it seems that you were busy until we and the others arrived here. James William Turner, at your service."
That's all I have time for at the mo', will work on a post for the Wagon group later.
edited 8th Jun '16 1:16:45 AM by Wolf1066
[Town ~ Outside the Train Station] (Col. Von Strauss, Lt. Ross, Pvt. Klein, Sgt. Scott, Enkar Ziven)
Enkar tilted his head. "It is an option," he said. "My interests here are highly exclusive; beyond the recovery of a Kykzavi cultural artifact, we have no particular goals in this realm. I have primarily been pursuing my own hobbies, I confess. Some time ago, I enjoyed perusing the thoughts of a man who embraces a most unique metanarrative for his existence." He pursed his lips. "However, the People's Republic is always willing to seek out right-minded allies in this chaotic multiverse." (And to observe and test the capabilities of other nations and powers, but Enkar was not about to mention this.) Watching Ross warily, in case her evident instability resulted in undue trouble, he said, "might I be so bold as to ask about the task that brings you here?
edited 5th Jun '16 7:55:04 PM by KillerClowns
PAINKILLER
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Main Hall)] (Connie, Irina, "Prisoner", Samuel)
First, Samuel answered to Connie, "Yeah, somethin' like it. Was a bit bigger than a one-on-one duel, though. I think it stopped." He spotted some dirt on his sleeve. He brushed it off. It also seemed he'd forgotten about his minor spill—and he was to forget, aside from his leg starting to hurt again. He winced a bit.
Sam's eyes widened when she spoke her first understandable words. Even then, it wasn't much. She then held up a peculiar-looking coin. He and Irina peered at it.
"Oh, Minerva, huh?" Irina smiled slightly. "A fine name. Pleased to meet you."
"Yep," Samuel added to the introductions, "Colonel Samuel Kahler, at your service, Minerva." He made a mock salute.
Irina noted Samuel's new found enthusiasm with the girl. She had the sudden instinct to tell him she looks underage, but she decided against it. "Hm, maybe we should regroup with Davey and the others," Irina suggested instead, "since that fight of sorts is over."
I'll work on a post for Danny tomorrow. Suddenly I've been swamped tonight!
Life is hard, that's why no one survives.
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Main Hall)] (Connie, Irina, "Minerva", Samuel)
Connie raised her eyebrows slightly when the girl who supposedly didn't speak their language spoke three words of their language without much of a struggle. "Huh," she glanced at Samuel, "Looks like you spoke too soon. Or rather, she spoke too- ...uh," dead end, dead end, dead end, "never mind."
She folded her arms, cocking her head to one side as she stared at the coin. Connie didn't quite know what it meant, and thought Irina might've been making a bit of a jump to assume that was the girl's name. That would be like calling Connie E PLURIBUS UNUM or Five Cents because she had a nickel in her pocket. Still, she supposed Minerva was a better alias than 'I don't know'.
Connie nodded at Irina's suggestion. "Yeah, probably a good idea. And maybe Minerva here can give us some kind of special insight onto what it was all about." She took a step towards the stairs, then glanced back at the other girl. "Sorry about the uh, Tarzan Jane thing," she said, imitating the gestures she'd made a minute earlier, "I just thought, well, he said, I mean, you know. Anyways..."
She began heading towards the stairs that would lead them to the second floor and back out onto the balcony, saying, "What I don't get is that there's like miles and miles and miles of flat desert surrounding this town with nothing besides bugs, snakes, and tumbleweeds, you know, living out there, but these people, for some reason they've got to come here and start shooting up the one dot on the map that has bystanders," she sighed, shaking her head, "Maybe they're still hoping for service somewhere after busting up half the storefronts in town."
edited 8th Jun '16 1:35:25 PM by Ryuhza
this place needs me here
[Town ~ Bead and Breakfast (Under the Front Balcony)] (Davey, Jim)
The small stranger stated he didn't see the girl Jim was looking for, before being alerted to Jim's failed attempt at standing up. The stranger told him to wait a moment before yelling at someone in the balcony above to pull him up.
After the stranger was gone, Jim carefully adjusted his rifle to his left side. He relaxed slightly, and waited for the stranger to come back.
It wasn't long before the stranger dropped down from above, before introducing himself as David. David extended a hand towards Jim, "Can you walk at all?"
Jim shook his hand, before using his own gun as a means to prop himself up. "Probably..." He looked up, then towards left, "I take it the entrance to this place is that a way?" Before receiving an answer, he placed most of his weight on his right leg, and began slowly limping towards the entrance of the Bed & Breakfast.
—-
[Northern Desert ~ Ritual Site] (Rip, Hazel, James, Kaitlyn, Kris, Lupin, Vicky, Yamiko, Mari)
As the woman grew closer, she slowed down to a jog, her bosom bouncing slightly with each footfall. She raised an eyebrow as she noticed one of the group avert his gaze away from her. She also noticed that most of the group was looking at her. It didn't surprise her, that happened a lot whenever she went places. Then again, nobody expects an extraordinarily tall Japanese woman to speak with a Cockney accent. She pulled her flask from her shirt and took a drink from it.
The woman flashed a smile, showing off slightly noticeable canines, "So, I'm kinda lost." A jingling noise could be heard as she tilted her head before continuing, "Sorry, I didn't introduce meself. Name's Mari Dojima, Nice t'meet ya!"
[Town ~ Outside the Train Station] (Col. Von Strauss, Lt. Ross, Pvt. Klein, Sgt. Scott, Enkar Ziven)
"Hmm, you remind me of some of those odd scientists from our Research and Development. Speaking of which, we are here to deliver some artifacts of interest to them. The girl had them in her possession when we captured her. While I'm sure they will be disappointed in not getting hold of the girl, I'm not interested in hunting her down again. The first time was most... problematic." The Colonel planted the end of his saber scabbard into the ground, sending up a small puff of dust.
"I wasn't there when that happened, Caps. But judging from that girls was, she couldn't have been that much of a threat, now, could she?" Lt. Ross frowned, annoyed by the fact she couldn't do anything about the pepper spray in her eyes, she'd have to wait for it wear off.
Von Strauss glared at the lieutenant fiercely, "She is only in that state because of the fight the 12th Armored division and my own Jaeger squadron had with her. In the end, she was able to be captured after allowing the others she protected to get away."
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Main Hall)] (Connie, Irina, Samuel, Minerva)
Minerva? Is that my name? It sounds nice... The girl closed her eyes, smiling slightly. She couldn't remember her name. Or any other memories for that matter. She blinked, pocketing the coin, and laughed slightly when Samuel saluted. She felt she could trust these people.
She turned to Irena, head tilted with an inquisitive look, "There are others? I'd like to meet them."
Crazy Kiwi
Northeastern Desert Trail - Wagon
[Nemaforte, Zuri, Iraal, Scents, Katya, Teri, Wolfe, Gwion and "a horned person"]For Gwion, the entire thing seemed to be turning into a Comedy of Errors - albeit a rather dark one.
The creature - having been completely oblivious to every attempt to engage with him or feed him - blundered into the meat-covered rock that Zuri had prepared. This, he noticed. He took fright and tripped over Nemaforte who was only just recovering from whatever it was that had caused her to black out.
Gwion was surprised to hear the creature speak - seemingly English, but the mysterious mechanism that provided translation throughout Capital City might also be in effect here - and voice the opinion that the desert itself was trying to kill him. It's like he didn't register that there was someone holding the rock and someone else that he tripped over. As soon as Gwion thought it, it made sense of everything.
Wolfe made his way back to the wagon while Zuri and Nemaforte both tried to do what they could for the stricken creature - which at least was no longer blundering around and risking further harm to itself or others. "This is fucked," he said as he clambered back onto the wagon. "It was like I was invisible or something."
Gwion nodded. "I think that's it. He seems oblivious to all living things." He raised his voice to carry to the others. "I don't know how helpful this will be, but I suspect that our new friend here can't actually perceive living creatures. He seems to think that the 'desert' caused him to fall."
edited 7th Jun '16 2:31:07 AM by Wolf1066
[Bed and Breakfast (Balcony)]
Amy worriedly looked down as Davey went back to the Main Street, this time without her assistance. But seeing that he landed safely, and the other person seemed non-hostile, her worries quickly faded.
"So...we gotta be on a look out for a girl." Amy said, stepping away from the railing, "Hopefully that won't be too hard."
We should meet back with the others. Maya signed, They missed a good chunk of everything.
Amy nodded. "I hope they're ok. I'm worried."
Just when they were about to head back down, they noticed Irina, Samuel, and Connie heading their way. Amy's eyes widened.
"Guys! You're ok!" she said. Without hesitation, she ran to hug Samuel. It was then that she noticed the new girl, and blinked. "Hello! You must be that girl Davey mentioned earlier."
She does fit the description. Maya signed, looking her over. Should we meet up with Davey and tell him that we found her?
"In a minute!" Amy said, "This is the perfect time to make a new friend!"
Oh boy...
"I'm Amy! That's my friend Maya! She's deaf and mute so she uses sign language. I'll translate almost anything she says if you don't understand." She extended a hand, "What's your name?"
[Town ~ Outside the Train Station] (Col. Von Strauss, Lt. Ross, Pvt. Klein, Sgt. Scott, Enkar Ziven)
Enkar nodded at Ross and said, "baby shampoo may provide some assistance in removing the undesired irritant." Then he turned back to von Strauss and said, "and I am no scientist, merely a high-level bureaucrat who endeavors to maintain some at-least-cursory understanding of the myriad sciences and humanities." He tilted his head slightly. "If I may again be bold: you seem to both have disagreements with your scientific team's insistence upon that subject being taken alive. The Lieutenant seems confident of your side's victory should no major interruptions to your endeavors occur." He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Given this, if some accident, one with which you were utterly unassociated, were to permanently remove her from the equation, might the disruptive element's removal perhaps prove a net boon to yourselves and the Empire you serve?"
edited 8th Jun '16 4:39:14 PM by KillerClowns
Professional Recluse
She put the gun away and retreated to the wagon. The constant drawing and holstering was starting to look uncomfortably like bravado to her.
"I could be work back at town." she muttered. "No spooky ghosts, no zlo rpex, no desert." She found a comfortable spot on the wagon enough to draw should things get nasty and waited.
That more...comfortable civilizations could afford such preservation efforts was a good thing she supposed. But she still found it hard to not view such measures in response to something that provided no benefit or connection as foolish.
edited 7th Jun '16 10:06:13 PM by Slysheen
Stoned hippie without the stoned. Or the hippie. My AO3 Page, grab a chair and relax.
Giant alien spiders are no joke.
Northern Desert — Ritual Site
Hazel, Rip, James, Kaitlyn, Kris, Lupin, Vicky, Yamiko, Mari
Hazel was a bit alarmed when she saw Lupin as he sank to the ground. Was he getting dehydrated? "Hey," She walked up towards him and crouched down "You feelin' alright?" Hazel gently went for Lupin's hand to try to determine his skin quality and temperature. "D'you have a headache, feel dizzy or weak? D'you need anything to drink?"
She heard Vicky mention something about part of a research project that let her use psychic powers. Despite the possibility that Lupin was experiencing dehydration and the beginnings of heat exhaustion, Hazel mulled this over. She had no idea how that made her part of the same boat that she was in, but decided to let it go. it wasn't important, anyway. The fact that she shared this information was a lot more interesting. What kind of psychic powers? If Vicky had them, was it possible that her two buddies may have powers too? Seemed unlikely, but they had that sense of weirdness. It was always better to assume so than blow it off. This meant Hazel had to be careful and keep her mental shields up in case of telepathic incursion and the like. Hazel thought that what she thought was none of anybody's damn business.
Hazel noticed Rip head inside of the car and felt a little bad for leaving him in the metaphorical dust. She thought about detaching herself from the group to talk with him a bit, make sure he's okay. And maybe take the chance to ditch her pack in the truck and get a bite to eat. Hazel was mostly ignoring her hunger up to this point, but now she started to feel ill from hunger.
Suddenly, she felt the stone jerk upwards, trying to free itself from her grip. Startled, Hazel almost let go, but managed to keep her grip on it. Her hand moved quite visibly to the others, but Hazel decided to stay casual about it and blow off any questions. Not her place to talk about the rock, she felt, considering how Rip really didn't like answering her questions initially. She put the hand clutching the rock close to her body in a firm grip. Maybe she should give the rock back, after all, she couldn't fire her rifle very well one-handed.
Hazel heard someone with an accent so thick, she could barely understand what she was saying. She stared at the woman with red hair and impressive boobage that would make every single male Marine (and probably some of the female ones too) have boners so hard they could pierce the skies. Hazel was more baffled as to why the woman wore so little clothing. Wouldn't she get horribly sunburnt? Didn't anybody around here know how to properly dress for the desert? (Well, besides the horseback group. They were pretty quiet, but they seemed okay. Probably because they were being quiet.)
Whatever. What were the odds for another person to waltz in here? Wasn't this like, the middle of fucking nowhere? Hazel squinted at the new lady to determine whether she was armed or not, but couldn't tell. She watched her jog up, and Hazel saw that she was very East-Asian-looking. Hazel wondered if she dyed her hair. She wondered where she came from too. England?. She heard her explain her situation (Lost? Kind of like me...), and introduce herself. Her name definitely was Japanese, though. Probably an immigrant like Hazel.
Hazel felt inclined to drop back and let others do the talking, but it's kind of hard to do when she stuck out like a heavily armed, sore thumb. She supposed she would have to do the talking, but she hoped someone would take Mari Dojima's attention so she could sneak off to the truck, maybe get Rip to blast the A/C, and eat an MRE.
"Uh, hi. I'm Lance Corporal Yoon. Um, how did you end up in these parts? D'you need any water?"
Clarificiation: Hazel is observing Mari's obvious sexual attractiveness. This is not the same as being attracted to her.
edited 8th Jun '16 1:21:23 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
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Underneath Balcony)] (Davey, Jim)
Davey had meant to help Jim up, but the man shook his hand instead. Probably figured that I couldn't handle the weight, Davey thought, but said nothing of it. Instead, he turned his eyes to the man's gun, watching it warily as his free hand returned to his own gun, ready to raise it if need be. He gave Jim space to rise, stepping around to stand in front of the man's path as he walked towards the corner of the building.
"Why?" he said in response to Jim's question, "Did someone come out and invite you in in that, what was it, thirty seconds that I was gone?" he shook his head, "If you want entry, you're going to have to offer me something a little more concrete. Details on this situation, the whys the whos the whats. Or better yet," he held out his hand again, this time to receive, "hand over your weapon for safekeeping, and I'll personally walk you inside."
[Northern Desert ~ Ritual Site (Near Truck)] (Rip, Hazel, James, Kaitlyn, Kris, Lupin, Mari, Vicky, Yamiko)
Rip briefly turned his attention to Lupin, watching with faint concern and heavy confusion as the young man dropped to the ground. He might even have said something if two others hadn't already beaten him to the punch. When the umbrella came out, Rip glanced up at the overcast sky and wondered what exactly the young redhead thought it was protecting Lupin from.
As the newest-comer drew near enough to speak, Rip leaned towards Hazel and murmured, "Did that little magic show of yours—cutting that boulder up—send out some kind of signal? Something that can be traced back to this spot?"
Before he could get an answer, one of the three on horseback took personal notice of him, even going so far as to apologize, or something like it. Rip smiled halfheartedly, dismissing the problem with a meek, "Yeah, well..."
He almost didn't even offer his own name in return, until a thought struck him and drew him closer to the man. "Rip Wilkis," he said, offering up his hand to shake. "Hey, I know you've said that you were just 'journeying through', but, is there anything in... in particular that led you this way?" He glanced at the new redhead and the younger trio before looking back at James, "you see, it's just, it's a little difficult to accept this here as pure chance."
this place needs me here
[Town ~ Outside the Train Station] (Col. Von Strauss, Lt. Ross, Pvt. Klein, Sgt. Scott, Enkar Ziven)
Lt. Ross scratched her head, "Baby shampoo? What the hell is that? Caps, do we have any shampoo?"
The Colonel shrugged, "I think he is referring to soapnut oil. We should have some in the luggage somewhere, you should go check." Von Strauss turned towards Enkar, raising an eyebrow in amusement, "So you intend to attempt to eliminate the girl? That would be very dangerous. While she may seem like an unsuspecting little girl now, she is a highly dangerous, and highly... durable individual."
"A message for you, sir!" Sgt. Scott saluted, before handing the Colonel a radio-like device.
Von Strauss took the device out of earshot, while Lt. Ross proceeded to rummage through the luggage. After a few minutes, the Colonel returned, scowling, "General Calahan has deployed a platoon from the Third Armored Division. They should be here within the hour. Until then, we are not to engage the target. Hopefully, she won't be at full power by that point, otherwise, an entire battalion may have to be dispatched..."
"Found it." Lt. Ross held up a bottle full of greenish liquid, some of which she poured gently into one eye. She immediately shut it, hissing in pain, "Why, why would someone put that in their eyes!? It stings!"
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Balcony)] (Connie, Irina, Samuel, Minerva, Amy, Maya)
Minerva followed Samuel, Connie, and Irena up the stairs, where they encountered two more women. The pink haired one introduced herself as Amy. The other woman, who Amy stated was deaf and mute, was Maya. She then offered her hand for a handshake, asking for Minerva's name.
The girl shook Amy's hand enthusiastically, "Minerva, I think." She smiled brightly at Maya, before walking over to the railing to look out at the town. "Oh, this is a nice town..." She pulled out her coin again, starring at it. Why did she have this? It seemed impor- Minerva. She jumped back, startled by the voice, a strangely familiar voice, in her head, nearly causing her to drop the coin. Minerva put it back in her pocket, before turning back to her new friends.
[Town ~ Bead and Breakfast (Under the Front Balcony)] (Davey, Jim)
Jim stopped to lean against the wall, "No need to get hostile. I didn't realize I had to be invited in." he sighed, unloading his rifle and pocketing his shells, before handing over his rifle to David, "I don't feel like explainin' everythin' right now. I feel like crap, and could go for a freakin' drink right about now."
edited 9th Jun '16 4:58:08 PM by WillDeRegio
PAINKILLER
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Main Hall)] (Connie, Irina, Samuel, Minerva, Amy, Maya)
Samuel chuckled at Connie's comment—surely enough, someone wasn't going to be happy. He wasn't sure yet if Margaret was the kind to unleash hell if her place were to be trashed. "I wonder if this place has its own insurance."
"There's a train station here," Irina pointed out. "They must've arrived with the conflict. I think more damage would've been done to the train. Not saying any sort of destroying is a good thing."
Just as they were about to leave, the two girls appeared out of the woodwork. Amy seemed to attack Samuel in her hug. He raised his arms as she embraced. He chuckled as he said, "I wasn't gone that long! I'm all right, kid." The impact shook in his prothesis—making it rub uncomfortably. He hid away the wince.
To Amy's passing comment, Irina uttered, "Davey mentioned... Her?" She gave a quick glance to Minerva. A mischievous thought ran in her mind: A paramour? But she threw it down. Davey didn't seem the type.
Samuel noted her dropping the coin, but brushed it off. He asked, "So, did Davey see me run her in or something?"
edited 8th Jun '16 6:49:12 PM by electronic-tragedy
Life is hard, that's why no one survives.
Crazy Kiwi
Northern Desert
[Mari, Hazel, Rip, Vicky, Yamiko, Lupin, Kaitlyn, Kris and James]James took the offered hand and shook it firmly. "Pleased to meet you, Rip." Rip's question and meaningful look at the others was not too surprising under the circumstances. "I assure you on my word of honour that nothing in particular drew myself and my two travelling companions here. We just struck out from town in as direct a route as possible, given the terrain, and by chance our path brought us this way." He looked thoughtfully in the direction of the three students and the approaching red-haired woman then turned back to Rip. "I cannot speak for the others, however." He was mindful that the three students possessed supernatural abilities and might possibly have the capability of detecting people at a distance - and the newcomer's capabilities were completely unknown.
As the new arrival approached and slowed, James noticed that she was Oriental, possibly Japanese. The disparity between her appearance and accent didn't faze him, however - after all, Teri was of African lineage but born and raised in Whitechapel and spoke English with that same East London accent - and nor did the disparate hair colouration. When he first met Kris, she had had bright purple hair and his own era had been known for even-more-outlandish styles of fashion.
A woman of Oriental parentage, raised in the East End of London who liked to dye her hair was nowhere near the most unusual thing he had encountered - though the timing of her arrival, as well as that of the three students, was difficult to accept as pure chance.
The woman announced that she was lost, which doubtlessly explained her attire - James was no stranger to suddenly and unexpectedly finding yourself somewhere strange with nothing but whatever you had on your person at the time. She had no doubt just arrived - unlike the three students who had also arrived unexpectedly but had had ample time and opportunity to equip themselves in town - and was stuck with what she was wearing.
Kris gave Mari a nod of acknowledgement while Lance Corporal Yoon was introducing herself and offering water. The woman's appearance and accent held no surprises for Kris, either - she had grown up during the second half of the twenty-first century and could name numerous Somalians, Japanese, Chinese, Indians and others who had grown up around her and sounded as "Kiwi" as she did when speaking English.
For Kaitlyn, who also hailed from the later half of the twenty-first century, the most unusual thing about the newest arrival was the jingling sound that had accompanied the tilting of her head. Was she wearing bells on her earrings? Kaitlyn tried to surreptitiously get a better look.
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Main Hall —> Balcony)] (Connie, Amy, Irina, Maya, "Minerva", Samuel)
Connie casually stepped to the side and leaned against the upstairs railing when she saw Amy zeroing in for a hug. Fortunately, this particular hug was all Samuel's. She noticed the man looking a little off when hit by the hug, but, well, who could blame him?
She shared in Irina's interest when Amy and Maya mentioned that Davey had apparently already spoken of Minerva to the two. While Amy busied herself with inducting the new girl into her ever-expanding list of friends, Connie leaned over to Samuel and asked, "Where'd you say you found this girl again?"
She stepped back and looked past Amy and Maya out the door to the balcony, standing on her tiptoes to see over their heads. "And where's Dave? He was with you two, wasn't he?"
[Town ~ Bed and Breakfast (Outside Front Entrance)] (Davey, Jim)
"Price of admission," Davey said simply, with a not unfriendly smile on his whiskered face, "especially as a stranger who's been firing off guns in the street for dubious reasons. It's a trust thing, you understand, and I'm afraid good faith has to be established before I can let you in on it." he held out his hands in a bit of a shrug, "And without enough information to make an honest judgement, I guess your gun will have to do."
He accepted the man's rifle, passing it from one hand to the next as he began his slow transformation into a walking gun-rack, then held out his free hand again. "Ah- excuse me, guns. Your sidearms too, if you please," he tipped his head to the side with a bit of a scrunched up look that was something like apologetic, "Sorry, no entry discounts for the wounded, but play by the rules and we'll see about getting that thirst taken care of. The rest of you too," he added, briefly looking Jim up and down, "if it's really that bad."
this place needs me here
[Bed and Breakfast (Balcony)]
"Davey went to go talk with someone below." Amy said, "He'll be back soon! Don't worry!" She then turned attention back to Minereva, "That's a really pretty name. I'll call you Minny for short! I think it's a cute nickname!"
Maya looked down below, still seeing that nothing else was happening.Then she turned to Minevera. Soo...do you know why all that shooting happened? I mean, it pretty much came out of nowhere.
"Yeah, and it was really scary." Amy said, "People could've gotten hurt! We almost got in the crossfire. Could you imagine if that gotten any bigger? I'm glad it stopped when it did!" She turned to Connie, "Are you alright, now? I know you were nervous so I wanted to check on you. That's what friends do!"
Maya sat on the railing, In any case, before we go anywhere else, we should really get a clear understanding so this doesn't happen again. Hopefully.
[Northeastern Desert Trail: Wagon (Teri, Wolfe, Gwion, Nemaforte, Zuri, Iraal, Scents, Katya, "a horned person")]
Scents watched very warily as the two magic-users attempted - and apparently badly failed - to help the alien. For a moment she worried that the curse (or whatever) had spread to Nemaforte as well, but the big-eared simian just seemed woozy. Though she'd keep an eye on her. Way too much weird shit for one day already.
She holstered her gun onto her armor and trudged back to join Katya on the wagon, listening to her mutterings. "You said it," she opined. As she grumbled, though, she sent an order to Student's Lament, and the robot moved up beside her, ready to deploy medical supplies the moment the order was given (or the being's situation became totally critical).
Iraal sighed, her fingers twitching. I was really hoping that would work. She, too, could agree with Katya's statement - and her earlier statement. The warrior's mercy might be all that was left to do for this poor horned person.
But wouldn't they just be doing that because she considered her own needs more important than this being's life? The only real reason not to try taking zem (he? The voice seemed male) back to town, where at least he could be kept alive, was because it would inconvenience the expedition. True, the being's situation seemed hopeless, but they had to try.
First, though, she needed to be certain. "Is there anything either of you can do for him?" she asked Zuri and Nemaforte, drumming her fingers on the side of her coat in annoyance. A line of text flashed in her vision. "And are you all right?"
I ask again...
She turned to the others. "Scents and I should be able to keep him alive if nothing else can, but bringing a cursed, near-dead stranger along seems ill-advised. Opinions?"
edited 10th Jun '16 2:03:22 AM by nrjxll
[Northeastern Desert ~ Desert Trail (Wagon)] (Stranger, Gwion, Iraal, Katya, Nemaforte, Scents, Teri, Wolfe, Zuri)
Not too long after Nemaforte and Zuri's ritual had been completed (to nebulous success), between the chatter and uncertainty of those around the wagon, the stranger's eyes reopened. They first opened slowly, as though waking up to the first light of the morning after a long night's rest. But then they continued opening wider and wider. On the surface, they looked no healthier than before: slightly sunken, the whites sickly yellow with a spattering of redness around the edges. But beneath all of that, the eyes were alert, looking around, searching, trying to see. Looking with the expectation to find something. His mouth moved again with more effort than before, though even then all he managed to do was blow out some air with a slight whistle.
The stranger's eyes closed again. It seemed as though that was all he had left. A last blink, a wheeze, and seconds of silence. Seconds that, once long, now seemed eager to pass by, advancing the curtain fall so that the forces of nature might begin their work on the body.
But the body was not yet done. The hazy confusion of it's last hours—even days—of existence had come to a head more outright mystifying than all that had preceded it. And the head spoke. The head had voices. Voices not known to the body's mind before that point, and so numerous, they couldn't be inventions. And one rarely spoke without ears to hear itself.
The body's arms set to work, dragging themselves across the desert floor to reach support positions before folding in, pushing off of scraped elbows to raise the body's torso off the ground. The eyes were open again, though too concentrated on the effort to be looking around. Once raised to a reasonable height, the body made a play to turn over, swinging its left side over the right in one great heavy movement.
Dust and rock crumbs spilled off the stranger's backside, though his clothes retained a notable grayish brown desert coating, and the exposed skin of his tail had a few tiny pebbles stuck to it. He was on his knees now, moving slowly to a one legged kneel. He held this position for some time, breathing long, shallow breaths for all he had expended. Slowly, the stranger raised a hand to his throat, squeezing it gently and swallowing. Once it seemed well enough up to the task, the stranger lifted his head and spoke as loudly as his body would permit. It wasn't much more than a choked whisper, revealing little of the composed depth that his voice once begat.
"I h-hh-hear you," he said, his eyes now searching desperately in front of him, "Are you... hhn-in my head?"
this place needs me here
[Town ~ Outside the Train Station] (Col. Von Strauss, Lt. Ross, Soldier 1, Sgt. Scott, Enkar Ziven)
Enkar nodded in agreement and said, "indeed. Against such a foe, engagement range is best measured in kilometers." Then he paused and considered. He still needed to take the measure of these soldiers. He wanted to know their objective, but wouldn't answer that sort of question in their position, and so didn't expect they would either. No matter, he'd piece it together. Instead, he simply commented, "that mercenary's organization. Is it one of those curious organizations that exists to fight and die for the illusive metanarrative of 'freedom'? If so, the People's Republic has experience dealing with such organizations; we may be able to assist."
edited 4th Jun '16 9:51:07 AM by KillerClowns