Repossession Mambo: NEWHALL

Started by Jax, September 30, 2018, 04:44:53 PM

Lomari

Artemis, Grace, Amorru, Charity and King exit to:

Shopping Spree

CHARACTERS
Charity ~ Melody ~ Tabitha


NARRATION
Darling ~ Iscariot

RUNE

January 22, 2019, 05:00:48 PM #21 Last Edit: January 22, 2019, 06:32:12 PM by RUNE
LOCH & KEYE STORAGE FACILITY
CONTAINER 58-B
SUBLEVEL 6
HARIKLION

Two days prior to Wushu's arrival...

Genevieve looked out from under the brim of her low-angled hat, the same hat that covered her Pa's face when his body returned to Aberdeen at the end of the Unification War, as she approached the storage container's red door. Her bright hazel eyes flicked downward at the card in her hand as she read the words for what felt like the hundredth time, still feeling the surreal numbness that overcame her when she first received it. Reeling as if trying to force herself awake from a dream, Genevieve tried to remind herself of her motivations as she double checked the storage receipt and looked over the description of contents: "Props and costumes." To anyone else it seemed purely mundane, but the young woman knew what it meant. No names. No faces. She pulled the dirty brown cloth over her nose and lowered the brim.

*KNOCK. KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK. KNOCK-KNOCK.*

Genevieve paused and waited for the reply from inside, taking a breath as she counted down. Three... Two...

*KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK. KNOCK.*

A slender, but calloused hand rose again. Bony knuckles threatened to break the skin as they rapt once more.

*KNOCK-KNOCK. KNOCK-KNOCK. KNOCK.*

The sound of a latch, likely a very recent addition from the container's current occupants, sliding preceded the slow, low rattle of the metal door being raised from within. A man wearing a similarly dark brown hat and bandanna covering his face with a pair of dark glasses resting over the bridge of his somewhat flat nose looked her over. In his free hand he carried a sawed down a restored Winchester 1300 shotgun and held it leveled on her for a moment before stepping away and motioning with it toward the squared crate surrounded by four shipping barrels. A handful of other men and women sat on the barrels, similarly disguised and referring to one another by code names such as "Copperhead" and "Sidewinder" and so forth. A yellow flag depicting a black tornado hung behind them, illuminated by dim-bulbed electric lanterns. The door descended behind Genevieve and the shotgunner reset the latch.  The gravel-voiced old timer doing most of the talking as the others looked over the map of one of Heraklion's upper mezzanines glanced the former seamstress's way and motioned for her to join them.

"Come on in, Cottonmouth. Welcome to the Dust Devils."


================================================

BREW & CHEW CAFE

Today...


Jax approached Octavia's table, applying his rough charms thoroughly so as to seal their agreement to his satisfaction. Jo and Emit kept mostly to themselves along with Sean at the bar, all of them keeping a timid eye out for anything that might stall this leg of the mission.

================================================

Genevieve limped into the Brew & Chew Cafe, a heavy duffle slung over one shoulder causing an awkward sway in her step. Her hat still tilted over her brow, but her face uncovered by the cloth around her neck. Genevieve bore plain features, accented with a bit of dirt and rust from traversing the city's lower levels, yet she inherited her father's bright eyes and her mother's sharp cheek bones. After forcing herself to avoid eye contact with the man and woman making for the door before her, despite their strikingly similar facial structures tempting her to make a double take, Genevieve looked around the mostly empty establishment and thanked a God she barely believed in anymore.

Approaching the bar, Genevieve ordered herself what she imagined might be her final glass of Old Earth Style and rested her hands on the polished wood before her. For a moment she wondered where the wood likely came from as she looked over the polished surface, before dropping her hands below the bar top upon noticing how much they shook. Hoping the drink would settle her nerves even if it did little to alleviate her conscience, Genevieve downed the contents of her cup. Though the decision went against instructions, she immediately ordered a second. Taking a glance at the group of three men and two women gathered around a table off to the corner discussing their travel plans, Genevieve resigned to stalling the second serving out as long as possible. One of the five of them might muck up the plan if they noticed her leaving without the bag. When they finally settled their business and left, the older gentleman among them tipping his hat courteously as he passed her by, Genevieve settled the tab and made a hasty exit.

=================================================

The quintet exited the cafe, none of them paying any mind to the young woman scurrying away from the building in the opposite direction. As they made their way across the mezzanine, Jax mentioned some urgent private business and assured Sean and the others they would rendezvous back at Wushu. The heavy implication of the private business mostly concerning Abigail left an impression with the crew and they let their Captain go about it without much argument. Despite orders from his handlers in the Moda Tong, Sean reasoned the mission's improved chances of success with Abigail involved to be worth the minor discretion and made to lead the group back to the ship as Captain Xavier went his own way.

=================================================

Outside the cafe, Genevieve walked along the mezzanine at a forced casual pace until she could be sure she stood outside of the blasting radius. Retrieving the remote detonator from her pocket, she took a deep breath and repeated one of her mother's prayers as a single tear rolled down her high, sharp cheek. "God grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the firepower to make the difference." Genevieve pressed the button on the detonator, closing her eyes and lowering her head as the roar of the explosion emptied the cafe's contents across the mezzanine and showering debris onto the shoppers in the bazaar below. The woman hurried along down the corridor, forcing an expression of shocked fright upon her face as she listened to the eruption of four other explosions throughout the market district.

=================================================

Confusion and panic erupting all around them, a stampede of humanity shoved past and threatened to overwhelm the four men and women making their way toward the space port. Crunching a pill in his mouth as he urged the rest of the group on, Emit raised to the meet the chaos in his role as an agent of order and pushed his way into the crowd in an attempt to assist in any way he could. Bodies shoving all around them as debris and smoke filled the air, Sean made to escort Wushu's new passenger toward the direction of relative safety. After much hustle and bustle they finally made their way back to the space port in time to see it locked down and emergency protocols in effect. Local law enforcement supported by Peacekeepers from Newfall's Alliance Garrison initiated security sweeps, seeking to ID anyone attempting to enter the space port under pretense of fleeing the scene of a crime.

A stern, demanding female voice came out over the space port's public announcement system: "Please be advised that city-wide emergency protocols are in effect following a terrorist attack. No one, I repeat NO ONE, will be allowed within the space port until they provide proper identification. Any suspicious individuals will be detained for questioning. Furthermore, no space craft will be allowed to dock or cast off from the port until further notice. While we understand this is an inconvenience, we remind everyone to remain calm and allow law enforcement personnel to do their jobs. Again, please be advised..."

Though separated momentarily as they provided passable documentation, Sean reunited with Octavia in short order but could not make out Jolene anywhere in the crowd. Focused as he was on locating Jo, Sean failed to recognize the bronze skinned woman with high cheek bones and a dust streaked face about ten feet away from him as he reassured Octavia of her safety and tried to convince her of the same for her friends from the cafe. Finally granted permission to enter the space port, the pair reasoned the rest of crew would meet them back at their transport eventually. After all, where else could they possibly go?

I know that I hung on a windy tree nine long nights, wounded with a spear, dedicated to Odin, myself to myself, on that tree of which no man knows from where its roots run.
No bread did they give me nor a drink from a horn, downwards I peered; I took up the runes, screaming I took them, then I fell back from there.
The songs I know that king's wives know not Nor men that are sons of men.
So do I write and color the runes.

Sionnach

Sean had had one gorram job (besides the obvious stupid one) and it was falling to lā shǐ. Keep an eye out for everyone and get them to the meeting place and back to the ship safely. Not that he was the bodyguard type but he liked to succeed in jobs he took on.  Jax had taken off, Emit had rushed off to help do God knew what, Jo was gone, and all he had left was the "package" who's name he he didn't remember at the moment.

Well...he was bleeding well getting her in the ship.  The thief took firm but gentle hold of Octavia's shoulders and made to push her at a swift jog toward Wushu's welcoming ramp, hoping she didn't resist him. 

"Lady, tisn't safe out here, we got te move,"

Octavia Wynn

January 27, 2019, 05:57:24 PM #23 Last Edit: January 28, 2019, 09:15:16 AM by Octavia Wynn
Octavia's business with the Wushu was fairly straightforward. Pay for passage to the wedding. In this vein it did not take them long to conclude the other was who they said they were and make their way out of the cafe.

She might have thought it was odd, the Captain peeling off on his own in the way back to the ship, but she reasoned he had other business to attend before returning. She hoped he'd be back soon as he was the one she negotiated prices with and while she'd paid her due at the cafe, they hadn't discussed the extra wedding invitation as of yet.

Without warning, an explosion rocked through her, setting her ears abuzz, leaving her grinding her teeth with her head pounding. She reached for her bow but was bustled along before she could pull it free. Not that she would have known what to aim for anyway. People were running every which way in their panic, including another of their number. A gentleman whose name she didn't care about ran off into the throng disappearing in short order.

There was a snag at the port. Her escort, an associate of the Captain's no doubt, had gone before her and turning her head to survey the chaos as well as keep an eye out for suspicious persons, she'd missed seeing him being stopped for ID. She dug in her ears attempting to quiet the ringing as she passed by an official looking person. Except she didn't pass them by. She was forcably stopped. This was a further jarring experience in an already stressful event since she very much did not like being touched - mostly by strangers, especially unexpectedly. Octavia backed up uncomfortably, putting her hands up and saying, "Please don't grab me like that!"

She looked up and a woman was saying something to her. Unfortunately all she could hear was a dull roar.
"Hang on," she commanded, hands still up to the woman, conveying both her innocence and the boundaries of her personal space.
She snapped her fingers next to both ears.
"Qīng wā cāo dí  liú máng! I can't hear a damn thing from that xī niú explosion! What do you want?"
After some pointing and miming the official got it across to Octavia that she needed to present her documents and ID, which she did.

Across the checkpoint she was grabbed once again by the Captain's associate. He took her shoulders from behind and pressed as if to move her forward. Instead she planted her feet, hauled around, pulling back her hand just before it reached her knife holster - thinking better of assaulting someone in charge of her ride.
She saw his lips moving but since she couldn't hear him anyway she interrupted.

"DON'T. GRAB. ME! Why must I keep needing to tell people this today! Does everyone manhandle their clients or is it just port authority and ship's.... whatever you are?" She calmed ever-so-slightly and continued "and don't bother answering me anyway. I can't hear a damn thing but a roaring sound."

She dug her fingers in her ears again, repeating the snapping test. Nothing changed.

Sionnach

Sean was initially aggravated when the woman planted herself...they were in danger after all, but he quickly took his hands off her.  Then he was ready to react badly when he saw her start to twist then reach for what was almost certainly a weapon.  His his fingers filled with one of his own blades inside his jacket but left it there as she eased up a little; then his eyebrows climbed as she started to verbally give him what for.  Not that he could hear her. All he could hear was a high pitched tone that he kept yawning to try to get rid of.

All in all he was starting to really like her attitude, and he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender until she stopped "yelling" at him. Then he made a show of bowing and sweeping his hands to allow her to move in the direction of Wushu.

Lomari

Artemis, Grace, Amorru, Charity and King enter from:

Shopping Spree
CHARACTERS
Charity ~ Melody ~ Tabitha


NARRATION
Darling ~ Iscariot

Akhsar King

January 28, 2019, 07:18:42 PM #26 Last Edit: January 28, 2019, 07:20:22 PM by Akhsar King
King tensed as Charity stepped closer and reached up to place a hand on his cheek, and then slid it into his hair. For a brief moment he thought she was either trying to seduce him, or about to attack him. He quickly discounted both notions, all she was doing was getting close and trying to make it look natural. The girl really was terrified.

Quote"He's lying to you," she told him in a soft breathy whisper, "He's a murderer, and only I know it,"

He raised an eyebrow. That was quite a claim, though King honestly wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be true. He saw her jaw clench, saw the glimmer of almost-tears in her eye, saw her take another deep breath. She was either being sincere, or she was a far better liar than he was.

Quote"My accessories mean nothing to him, but they got you here, to me, and that's what he wants. If you tell him where I am, I don't know what will happen to me..."

King gave a sigh of his own. Didn't think I'd fall for someone doing the whole, damsel in distress thing... He gave a little half smile, as much trying to reassure her as it was simply amused at himself. "Alright, I believe you. Either you're telling me the truth, or I'm much worse at my job than I think I am. Can you prove that any of the items do not actually belong to hi-"

Quote*KRA-KOOM!!!*

Kings head turned instantly, not in the snappy "Oh-my-god-what-was-that?!" way most normal people would, but in the smooth easy manor or someone trying to locate the direction of a sound. Of course the pressure wave helped too. He stepped even closer to Charity, arms going around her, and angled to put himself between her and the debris that came raining down. The street became pandemonium in an instant, with shoppers screaming and rushing this way and that, and he felt as much as heard four more explosions from elsewhere in the city.

He stayed shielding Charity until he was fairly certain there weren't any more dangerous flying objects falling from the sky, and then looked up and around, assessing the situation. He was bleeding from his arms and neck. Not badly, just a few superficial cuts from glass shards probably. He gave her a once over, taking her by the shoulders and turning her this way and that, checking for obvious injuries. He was forceful, but remarkably gentle. "You good? Are you hurt? We need to move. Trust me we do not want to get caught in that stampede."
Dialogue Color: Olivedrab

Charity

"Alright, I believe you. Either you're telling me the truth, or I'm much worse at my job than I think I am. Can you prove that any of the items do not actually belong to hi-" he started, and before Charity could react positively, the world shook around them. As the man's arms circled around her, Charity instinctively grasped at the front of his shirt and lowered her face, allowing him to shelter her from the blast and ensuing debris, her cheek pressed against the warmth of his chest and her eyes shut, lower lip trapped between her teeth. Her breathing was remarkably slow and she found that the sudden noise and destruction didn't set her to panicking, something which surprised even herself.

Slowly, she looked up at King's face first before glancing around at the terrified shoppers running this way and that, knocking things over in their haste and panic. Her brows furrowed in mild confusion, and a little bit of shell shock, while her mind tried to wrap around what was going on. Of course, the first thought to finally make its way from pure feeling and instincts into words was, 'is he here?' A shudder worked its way up her spine before the stranger's hands on her shoulders yanked her attention back to the now and out of the fiery past.

"You good? Are you hurt?" he asked, moving her a little side to side and checking to see if she was harmed from the blast. Charity nodded, then shook her head in time with his questions, a hand lifting to push her dark hair away from her face and back where it belonged, bracelets jingling dimly as she moved. Thoughtlessly, her free hand moved to touch one of the cuts on his arm with the pad of her index finger, his voice cutting off any attempt for her to ask him the same questions.

"We need to move. Trust me we do not want to get caught in that stampede," he told her firmly and she nodded a little, looking over his shoulder and spotting her group outside the salon, Art looking capable as ever. She picked out Amorru through the gaps in the crowd, standing up from what looked a lot like shielding Grace...Even in this situation, her brow shot up and a grin pulled at one side of her cherry lips. From where she was, she saw him calling to her and shook her head, pointing in the direction of the ship and trying to smile reassuringly. She'd just have to meet the three of them there. King was right, passing the river of bodies was not safe by any stretch of the imagination.

With a deep breath, Charity's gaze lifted to once more grant King her full attention, "Lead the way," she murmured just loud enough to be heard above the din, their proximity making it easier. Not to mention the slight muffled effect the explosion had caused to her hearing, which made the sounds around them seem just as quiet if not quieter than his closer voice. She felt it odd that she fully trusted him to lead her away from the danger without then dumping her into Boyer's arms and thus another form of danger. She'd just met the man and she wasn't sure if it was out of some quick gut judgment of his character or out of necessity that she put her faith in him so easily. "I trust you know where our ship is," she added, offering him a nervous but no less charming smile as she tried to keep their moods light despite the explosions, violence, and fear running rampant around them.

Dialogue Color: AntiqueWhite

Grace Halladay

Grace hadn't spoken a word as she followed the group around, much of her time spent either scowling at Amy and the rest trying to look anywhere but at him.  At the tailor she heard Amorru's muffled voice as he drawled on likely about himself, his favourite topic so it must have been a relief for the poor man that Grace didn't make so much as throaty grunt as she was fitted.  She wasn't thrilled to be dressing up, recalling her slightly traumatic youth and the embarrassment of it as well the lack of practicality fashionable dresses  provided in comparison to her ordinary but functional attire.

Thankfully their time in the fabric shop ended and they left to seek out their wandering debutante, Amy saddled down in each hand with their attire and the treats procured earlier, she hadn't much of an appetite but had to admit the sweet treats Charity pointed out smelled delicious.

Not long after they exited the tailor a loud and earth-shaking explosion caused debris and dust to spray the terrain, she flinched and recoiled backwards slightly but almost immediately as she did firm hands gripped around her and her face was buried in someone's chest as she crashed to the ground underneath them.  As the debris settled to her shock it was Amy who had been her protector, she looked at him and for only the briefest of milliseconds did their eyes meet in the shock of his actions.  He quickly got up and his attention was already elsewhere, her heart fluttered as she herself pulled herself to her feet wondering if there was anything in that look or if the look even occurred at all she was slightly shellshocked.

She watched his back as he called out for their other companions before another call came that was as directed to her as her own name.  Screams.

Her eyes slowly drifted from Amy and towards the market, looking to see who might need her help.  She heard some voice over a PA likely the docks were now shut down.  Though she wasn't looking to leave, not if people here needed a doctor.

Amorru Reyes

Amorru Reyes reached behind his neck to scratch at the tiny hairs standing at full attention and prickling uncomfortably while he watched A Cut Above's rubenesque clerk ringing up the crew's purchases. Eyes darting around behind the shades and the Duchess's purse nowhere in sight, Amorru furrowed his brow before lamenting to no one in particular. "Right then. Figures I'd get stuck with the bill after all. Sure hope the Cap'n's generous with the reimbursements. Ain't at all like I've been paid a week's wages yet, now is it?" The tassle on the fez adorning Amorru's cranium at an awkward angle that kept his pompadour intact flailed gently as he shook his head in disappointment. Reaching into the smooth, silk pocket of the dark violet smoking jacket he'd procured for himself despite not being part of the Cap'n's plans for crashing the party ahead, Amorru peeled all but a meager handful of bills remaining from what he managed to pocket during the fracas at The Thirsty Camel back on Greenleaf Station and forked them over to the curvaceous clerk. "Ain't like I'm bothered much by handin' so much of my hard-earned scratch on a woman like that. Just that typically I get my money's worth at the assurance of the Guild." Amorru kept his thoughts hidden by a quick and broad smile as he collected his party's purchases and made his way towards the door.

"Ladies, if it please you so. I believe our time here is done. Not to worry, I've graciously covered our purchases. Much like the rest of the day's expenses." The sanctimonious swashbuckler made his way out the door with a push of his boot against the bottom of the door. A bell rang overhead as he shoved comically into the street with bundles of clothing and snack cakes in each of his arms. Stopping only to let Grace and Artemis fall in beside him, Amorru scanned the streets for any sign of Charity. "Suppose we should catch up with the Duchess. Imagine Cap'n Jax'll be none too pleased if we lose sight of his gold wrapped meal ticket." The pilot stepped out into the bustling concourse, a look of confusion crossing his face. "Wait. Do you smell somethi-"

*KRA-KOOM!*

An explosion thundered overhead and down the way on the mezzanine, followed by a hailstorm of dust, glass, and splinters ranging from the size of toothpicks to baseball bats crashing to the marketplace. Spurning into action despite a normally sound sense of self preservation, Amorru dropped both armfuls and, freed from the burden, used his arms to instinctively encircle the nearest of his compatriots and pulled her to the ground where he offered  his own back as a shield against the falling wreckage. As the dust settled, the brazen pilot peered through broken lenses to see a startled and perplexed Grace Halladay beneath him. His thoughts flashed back momentarily to the first time he hovered above her as she bore a similar expression for decidedly different reasons, but before he could give a second thought to the shards of glass and splintered wood in his back Amorru pushed himself up, discarded the shattered visor, and looked frantically about the bazaar.

"Artemis! Charity! Aaaarrrt! Duchess!" Amorru still his screaming, the panicked din around him rising to a fever pitch. Reaching above his head and finding the fez miraculously in place, Amorru felt a squish that reminded him rather unpleasantly of stepping in a manure heap before demanding his mother have the stable boys publicly flogged as an upstarted dandy half his current age. Looking down, he sneered temporarily at the ruin of cinnamon buns marring the custom leather covering his right foot before glancing elsewhere and finding Artemis Graham. "Are you alright?" Amorru inquired in a manner of speaking notably absent of the practiced Dyton accent with which he typically spoke. The mechanic appeared to have looked to her own defenses following the blast, and Amorru found relief in the overall superficiality of her injuries. Still, Amorru's skills lied in turning instead of triage and it fell in Grace's wheelhouse to dictate the full extent of any damage done to Wushu's resident grease monkey.

Amorru observed the rising sense of urgency with each of the four other explosions going off in more distant areas of the seaborne city of Heraklion, promptly collected the remaining packages and encouraged both Artemis and Grace to begin making their way back toward the spaceport before things got further out of hand. As it stood, the demeanor with which the crowd began to behave spoke more of an Eavesdown riot than a proper Persephone City shindig and it made Amorru's skin prickle into goose flesh.

Arriving at the spaceport, the group heard the call of all outgoing ships being on lock down. A visible bead of sweat rolled down Amorru's brow as spaceport security began scanning the growing crowd for identification. Producing a set of forged credentials, Amorru said a silent prayer for the quality of his Highgate passport and breathed in relief as the security officer directed him toward the gate with no further questioning. Looking over his shoulder, Amorru found Grace looking back toward the market with that look in her eye that said work awaited her and snatched for her hand before she could tie up her hair and go about saving everyone but herself. Practically dragging her toward Wushu's berth, Amorru reminded her where her duty lie. "Heraklion's got plenty of sawbones. Wushu's only got you to stitch her crew together."

Arriving at Wushu's lowered cargo door, Amorru stomped up the ramp with an uncharacteristic lack of swagger and found Sean and a strange, but attractive beyond what he considered realistic for the Moda Tong lap dog's personality, young woman snapping next to her ears while the latest, unwanted addition to Wushu's crew attempting to explain the ship's lodging situation unsuccessfully. "Who's this? What are you doing? Where is everybody? I've got questions, gorrammit!" Amorru threw the parcel of clothing to the grated steel floor before grabbing his shoulder as if just now becoming aware of the fact that his back near to resembled that of a porcupine's. "Like who ya figure's payin' for this rubbish anyhow?"
It's a mechanical bull at number one You'll take a ride from anyone
Everyone wants a ride, pulls away, Ooh, From you

Metric, "Black Sheep"

Sionnach

Sean yawned and pinched his nostrils closed closed his mouth and blew against it to pop his ears several times until he could finally hear somewhat with only a very annoying high pitched ringing cutting into it.  His sense of touch, and therefore his ability to sense micro changes in air pressure we severely impeded as well neither of which he liked, they made him feel...vulnerable.

His other senses were working just fine and he spied the pilot, medic, and mechanic...Amorru, Grace, and Artemis he corrected himself, you're getting to know these people, remember? amid the groups of people coming toward the docked ships.  Needless to say, none of them looked happy, least of all Amorru.

"Who's this? What are you doing? Where is everybody? I've got questions, gorrammit!" the pilot demanded

Normally Sean wouldn't put up with being spoken to like that but clearly they'd just gone threw having a gorram bomb going off near them.  That kind of thing could be unsettling.

"I don't know her name but this is the lady Cap'n Jax was t' meet an' had me t' bring back before...well..." the thief gestured vaguely to everywhere, "all this,"

Reyes grabbed at the back of his shoulder and Sean stepped to the side to have a look and raised his eyebrows.  The man's back and back of his legs were peppered with blast debris. He himself and the lady had been lucky enough to be in the blast shadow of a large pillar and had been relatively free of such. If they'd been in the open they'd almost certainly be dead.  Sean gave the pilot a "I'm just trying to help, look" and plucked some of the larger and more sharp looking pieces from the man's back.  If he hadn't been wearing a fairly padded smoking jacket he'd be bleeding more.

Evidently unconcerned with the state of the wood and glass shrapnel Amorru continued,

"Like who ya figure's payin' for this rubbish anyhow?"

Sean winced and hated to point it out but he wasn't getting paid, he had to do this, but a plan was just now beginning to form in his mind based on his talks with Jo.

"Well lad," he began, thinking like lightning as he spoke, "I don't know who's paying for alla this mess, but we get paid once we complete the job we're on, aye?" he left out the bit about it being the Moda Tong who would be paying them quite on purpose.  With any luck his connection to those jīngshénbìng ègùn would be through after all this and part of the plan meant distancing himself from the Tong in the minds of the crew as well.

Baby steps, he thought. Baby steps.

Akhsar King

Quote"Lead the way,"  "I trust you know where our ship is," she added, offering him a nervous but no less charming smile.

King returned her smile, his own slightly rueful. She was keeping it together rather well. Better than some soldiers he'd seen handle being near their first explosion. "Yeah, I have a general idea." He said, cheerful sarcasm evident in his voice. He looked up and around, picking out the safest route and then said, almost as an afterthought, "We're still gonna have to finish our earlier conversation at some point though."

He led them off through the side streets, staying away from the main thoroughfares. They encountered little resistance, and managed to avoid the majority of the panicked mobs of people. Twice they passed looters taking advantage of the chaos. Both times it looked like the ruffians were going to stop them, likely to rob Charity of her obvious valuables, but one look from King and flash of his sidearm sent them in the opposite direction.

As they neared the star port things became much more crowded. There were a fair amount of people trying to get back to their ships. Not that their ships could leave, the whole place would be in lock-down by now. The entrance they were headed towards already had a checkpoint set up, scanning IDs before they would let anyone though. That could be a problem, as technically King wouldn't be allowed in. Thankfully the issue resolved itself. A scuffle broke out, followed immediately be a surge in the crowd. King took Charity's hand to make sure they didn't get separated, and they followed the press of people in, easy as walking. The security agents were far to busy trying to restore order to stop them, or even notice them.

Back inside the port it was a moderately short walk back to the Wushu's berth. Once the ship was in sight King dropped back a few steps, letting Charity take the lead. "So, how are we going to play this? I assume you don't want them to know why I'm actually here?" They were still out of earshot, but not for long.
Dialogue Color: Olivedrab

Charity

February 05, 2019, 04:01:06 PM #32 Last Edit: February 05, 2019, 04:12:32 PM by Charity
"We're still gonna have to finish our earlier conversation at some point though," he reminded her, his eyes and attention mostly elsewhere. Charity sighed a little, following after him when he'd picked the best route and attempting to stay close to him if not pressed against his arm the whole time. "Won't that be fun," she returned, mostly to herself, although she didn't bother trying to hide her comment from him.

Once at the port, Charity grimaced and looked around at the crowds, lifting a hand to nervously brush back a strand of hair that wasn't there, moving in an unconscious habitual gesture. There were people everywhere, of every variety, and that did make the debutante a little nervous. These people had already displayed violent tendencies and a lack of morals, some of them had even eyed her with that same aggressive attitude on the way here from the shops. She didn't like to think about what they might do when congregated like this.

Before she could respond to the fight erupting near them, she felt her hand gripped in King's as he pulled her through and with the surge past the identification verification and nearer the ship. Her fingers curled around his hand and she held on tightly, not wanting to be pulled free of him and lost in the chaos. When they'd passed through, the woman turned her head to watch some of the agents attempting to calm the panicked crowds and get the rabble under control. While she was looking back, she noticed King come into her field of vision as he dropped back a bit. Charity's brow shot up.

"So, how are we going to play this? I assume you don't want them to know why I'm actually here?" he asked astutely.

Her steps faltered and she slowed a bit, finding herself beside him again, a thoughtful expression furrowing her brows. As quickly as it came, it was gone, her brilliantly warm smile replacing any doubt upon her features. With a quick glance toward the ramp up into Wushu, she spotted a decidedly grumpy Amy standing with Art and Grace just inside the bay doors, the spy and a lovely stranger further in. "They think I'm an idiot," she informed him, looking back up at him and blushing in alluring embarrassment, "I don't think they'll be surprised to see me brining a man 'home'," she half-joked, although it was clear she did think they wouldn't question her motives too much.

"I'll think of something," she assured him, winking charmingly and pulling him along with her toward the ship. As they moved, her shoulders wiggled once, her back straightened, and her chin rose an inch or so, her gown rustling around her legs and glimmering in the light, curls bouncing in the wind made by her brusque walk.

"I don't know who's paying for alla this mess, but we get paid once we complete the job we're on, aye?" she heard the strange man say, coming in at the tail end of their conversation.

"Did you miss me?" she asked in a voice loud enough to get the attention of those in the cargo bay, her smile sweet as honey. "I've brought with us a new friend! He..." she paused a moment, inspecting her nails to hide the time she needed to think, "...has offered to provide me with some added personal security on our way to the wedding! I thought," she half-lied, gesturing outside and inhaling deeply, her chest pressing against the tight confines of her bodice and threatening to spill over, "...it might be appropriate, and his wages will be paid by me, directly," she concluded, leaving no room for arguments, although she was sure there'd be some. "His name is Mister King," she said with a curt nod.

"Amy! Those don't go on the floor!" she chided, releasing King's hand to hurry to the discarded garment bags, bending over to pick them up, "Really, you ought to know better, with your fashionable sensibilities," Charity added, not seeming to comment on the fact that they all looked a little worse for ware, save for Grace and Charity, who'd had strapping men shield them from most of the dirt and debris.
Dialogue Color: AntiqueWhite

Akhsar King

February 05, 2019, 05:03:41 PM #33 Last Edit: February 05, 2019, 05:06:41 PM by Akhsar King
Charity slowed slightly, putting her and King side by side again. Her expression turned thoughtful for a split second before it was replaced by another warm smile. She glanced up towards the Wushu's cargo ramp, where stood most of her fellow crew.

Quote"They think I'm an idiot," Charity informed him, looking back up at him and blushing in apparent embarrassment. "I don't think they'll be surprised to see me bringing a man 'home'," "I'll think of something," she assured him, winking charmingly and pulling him with her toward the ship.

King raised an eyebrow and gave a soft chuckle. "Good to know." As they neared the ship he felt as much as saw her change. A shift to her shoulders, a straightening to her back, a rising of her chin, and a brusque walk that set her curls bouncing. And back on goes the mask. Charity was certainly becoming more interesting by the minute. Though he was starting to wonder how much of those smiles of hers were real, how much was armor, and how much was the mask. They arrived at the ship and walked up the ramp.

Quote"Did you miss me?" Charity asked in a voice loud enough to get the attention of those in the cargo bay. "I've brought with us a new friend! He..." she paused a moment "...has offered to provide me with some added personal security on our way to the wedding! I thought, it might be appropriate, and his wages will be paid by me, directly," she concluded, leaving no room for arguments. "His name is Mister King," she said with a curt nod.

"Amy! Those don't go on the floor!" she chided, releasing King's hand to hurry to the discarded garment bags, bending over to pick them up, "Really, you ought to know better, with your fashionable sensibilities,"

If he was surprised to find he was now hired protection, and getting paid for it no less, he didn't show it. As far as spur of the moment lies went, he'd had to roll with far more outlandish ones in the past. There were definitely holes in it though. He was pretty sure the man Charity had been with, as well as one of the women, had taken notice of him prior to his making contact with Charity. Though if she had them all fooled enough to think her an idiot, maybe they would actually just accept the story.

He put on an amiable smile and looked around, nodding to those looking at him. "Afternoon. Crazy day, eh?" He said, as if terrorist bombings were as commonplace as an overcast day.
Dialogue Color: Olivedrab

Octavia Wynn

Octavia leaned in a far corner away from the hatch. Finding that her ears were still useless, she had pulled out a tablet and sent a message to Alex and Alice to find out if they were safe following the bombing. They'd been going in the opposite direction and had left about ten minutes before her so with any luck they'd missed the worst of it.

She'd put the pad away, crossed her arms and her ankles and her demeanor was a visible mix of pouting and angry. More than that, she was actually shaking and very likely in shock. The explosion played over and over in her head. She really needed to have a few minutes alone to bury it in facts and better memories or it would be waking her up for weeks.
Since the man didn't appear to need her to do anything at this moment, she dived into her memories.

Rather than just letting the explosion replay on loop she needed to process the things her mind had taken in from the cafe to now. A low, steady breath escaped her lips, her eyes slid closed and she began to sift through everything. She moved slowly through her own mind seeing the cafe, the twins, the few other patrons, the barkeep. The Captain and his companions arrived, a woman with a bag came in, a short gentleman left. And so, she continued all the way to now. Then she started from the beginning and repeated the process. Instead of going slowly and examining every minute detail as she had earlier, her goal now was to find all the terrifying things and shove them under everything else. She wanted to bury them in decades of memories so she hopefully would never have to think about them again. It was her version of "forgetting" things.

This particular event might only take days of this process to stay down. She'd repressed worse. She threw all of the facts and memories over the explosion, everything she could remember that flashed to her mind. Every number, every face, every planet and ship and weird random fact. Anything she could think of that wasn't from today.
It took a good few minutes but it worked. She was more composed and she knew what had happened but she wasn't thinking about it. She scrubbed her face with her hands and then ran them through her hair. She wished she had someone to brush it. She missed that and it was always calming.

---------------------

More people were arriving as she fully came back to her surroundings. She recognized and could name everyone from the crew manifest but there were a few who were either new passengers like her, or were otherwise unlisted in the manifest. Most seemed shaken but relatively uninjured. The pilot, Amorru, threw his burden of bags down on the ground and was gesturing a bit wildly. Octavia was nearly sure he would be yelling if she could hear him.

More importantly to her, he had brought the ship's resident doctor along. She uncrossed her feet, dropped her arms and pushed away from the wall taking a few steps toward Grace. She intended to demand evaluation and treatment so she could find out what was going on. She took an audible breath to begin to speak, when she came into view of the pilot's back. Her escort to the ship had started to pull out some of the worst pieces, but Amorru was clearly in more need of the doctor's services than she was. That didn't make her any less annoyed about it.

She rolled her eyes and resumed her position against the wall recrossing her feet. To give herself something to occupy the time and her hands - other than folding her arms like a vice in front of her - she pulled an arrow from her quiver and spun it lazily between her fingers.

Sionnach

"Did you miss me?" she asked in a voice loud enough to get the attention of those in the cargo bay, her smile sweet as honey. "I've brought with us a new friend! He..." she paused a moment, inspecting her nails to hide the time she needed to think, "...has offered to provide me with some added personal security on our way to the wedding! I thought," she half-lied, gesturing outside and inhaling deeply, her chest pressing against the tight confines of her bodice and threatening to spill over, "...it might be appropriate, and his wages will be paid by me, directly," she concluded, leaving no room for arguments, although she was sure there'd be some. "His name is Mister King," she said with a curt nod.

Sean had not, in fact, missed the debutante. She grated on his difficult to grate on nerves; however she wasn't there for him to like. She was part of the crew and he needed to at least gain the aid of these people if he was going to get out from under the Moda, and get them out from under the Tong's thumb as well.  He might normally have enjoyed playing at exchanging snide and witty comments with her (hers being snide, his being witty naturally), but that was well off the table.  As it stood he was locked into a feeling of being protective of these people and he was feeling particularly protective of her right now.

This King person was standing next to her in a bit of a "guarding" position...maybe even a little protective...but her gorram sure wasn't behaving like a professional body guard or protection agent.  Was Charity not being honest with them? Was he not good at his job...Sean doubted that, this man looked to be extremely competent at whatever he did choose to do...? Or was he not being honest with Charity?  The thief would have to run this by the Captain when her returned. Maybe even Reyes, who he disliked every bit as much as the debutante, but the two seemed close and maybe he'd have more insight.

This bit of calculating was interrupted by his "charge's" rather frenetic push off from the ship's wall as he was picking stuff from Amorru's back then her return to standing and shifting about fretfully, and he realized he'd been an insensitive git.

Just because he (and likely several of the others) were used to things like explosions and other life threatening events didn't mean everyone around them was. Lass was likely dealing with some trauma to one degree or another.  Sure, Mother Finnegan's favorite son wasn't the most empathetic soul in the Verse but he wasn't a complete lout either.  He fished his flask of actual Redbreast whiskey while walking over to her. He stood a respectable step or two away from her so as not to crowd and held the flask at arms length from her, she was a proud lady she was.

"Aye, an' things get get rattled about proper when things get to explodin' all about, sure." Sean said in a friendly but no condescending tone, "this here can help with the rattles,"

Grace Halladay

February 07, 2019, 05:52:17 PM #36 Last Edit: February 07, 2019, 06:17:15 PM by Grace Halladay
Before she had the opportunity to dive headfirst into the sea of injured and scared Grace felt Amorru's grip as he pulled her away, back towards the ship.  His logic for doing so was sound enough but she still felt an obligation to pitch in.  However once she returned to the ship her priorities turned to the crew.  Art looked a bit worse for the wear and there was an unfamiliar face seeming to have trouble with her ears.  Possibly sudden sensorineural hearingn loss from the explosions, not a whole lot she'd be able to do with that.  Then for the first time noticing the extent of the damage Amy's possibly accidental thrilling heroics had caused to him as the other man.  Sean?  Started plucking out debris.  Amy looked none too impressed but she couldn't tell if it was the shrapnel being plucked or just the fact that the man was touching him at all.  She moved to stop him but his attention soon turned to a woman who was a new face.  She took over inspection of his back and decided she'd need to get to the better lighting in the infirmary.  While doing the preliminary inspection she listened as Charity explained the man with her, Grace only looked away from Amy's back a moment to meet eyes with Charity and try to gauge whether she was telling the truth or was possibly in trouble.  She waited for Charity's indication before turning her leer back to the pilots debris riddled back.

"Okay, anyone needing medical attention come to the infirmary.  Mr. Reyes you might not like to hear this but I'm going to have to cut your shirt off."  With a workmanlike determination she left for the infirmary.  Once back "home" she began to prep a tray to tend to Amy, gathering tweezers, a scalpel, alcohol, swabs, bandages and the like, reaching into a drawer she also pulled out an otoscope to check on the girl see if there was any serious damage to the ear drums.

Setting the tray down on the small metal roller cart she noticed her hands shaking.  Giving them a shake to try and calm them down they didn't seem to want to listen, maybe she was experiencing some minor shock from the accident.  Maybe it was the fact that if not for Amy she might be hurt, injured or worse.  The sawbone sucked in some deep breaths trying to calm herself down, the crew was going to need her to be composed and shaky hands were not going to help with the precision work she'd be doing.

"Get it together doc."  She muttered to herself as she pressed her hands against the counter and leaned forward, head down as she continued her deep breathing.

Amorru Reyes

"Sod off!" Amorru slapped Sean's hand away, raising his own to rub a bit of soreness out of his neck as he stepped toward the wayward duchess and her mysterious new companion. His eyes turned to slits, emerald daggers cast upon the stranger following her. Amorru thought the man looked oddly familiar, but struggled momentarily to put it together. He felt the approaching presence of another entity at his back. He inhaled involuntarily as his spine stiffened, and recognized the scent of the individual behind him immediately. Grace certainly didn't reek of that pungent swill Sean carried around in his flask. His focus returning to the pair before him as Charity seemed to struggle for an explanation the way she seemed to struggle with matters of numbers and innuendo, Amorru wondered if he wasn't eyeing a gilded rat.

"Personal guard?" Amorru's eyes narrowed further, the shiver in his spine making Grace's prodding increasingly uncomfortable. That unsettling feeling of jì shì gǎn gripped him as he recognized the Cortex bewildered bum from earlier in the day. "I knew I should've jumped ship when I had the chance." Amorru leveled Charity's eyes with a serious look. "Not bloody likely." He held the look for a moment, waiting for a break in her expression that might tell him she whether she was actually in on Bodwyn's latest plot to see Galileo Duschane returned to Persephone. When she maintained her composure, whether by determination or dimwittery, Amorru eased the tension with an easy wink and a knowing grin. "I like your style, Duchess."

Whether she meant to ease the tension or just wanted a little privacy, Grace herded Amorru into the infirmary. "Whelp. Here we go again." Amorru hopped up on the table. He made to comment on her urgency to get him alone again, but Grace cut him off as if she read his mind. "Okay, anyone needing medical attention come to the infirmary." "Figures she invites the rest of the crew along. Come to think of it. I can't remember one second we've had alone since I came aboard the ship. Probably for the best, honestly." Amorru's shoulders raised as he pulled in a deep breath, releasing it with a long, audible sigh in a subconscious attempt to dismiss the tension he felt since the explosions went off.

"Mr. Reyes you might not like to hear this but I'm going to have to cut your shirt off." Grace's voice lowered, more personal that when she called for any other potential patients but not personal in the way Amorru knew it best. Reyes considered Grace's choice of words as he felt the familiar, gentle tug of her expert hands taking hold of his clothes. "Little late for professionalism now, isn't it? 'Mister Reyes' my well-sculpted pigu..." Sordid scenes from their shared past flashed before his closed eyes. When he opened them again, the emerald orbs regained their flippant fire. "Sure ya would, Doc. Figure it'll make a fine kerchief or two anyhow." Amorru's smirk sparkled and faded as he continued. "This is the way it always starts with us, innit?"
It's a mechanical bull at number one You'll take a ride from anyone
Everyone wants a ride, pulls away, Ooh, From you

Metric, "Black Sheep"

Charity

"Afternoon. Crazy day, eh?" King greeted and Charity couldn't help but shoot a look at him over her shoulder. At least he wasn't pushing against his new title, and that was really all she could ask for. Well, that and one other thing. Shaking her head, the woman straightened with the garment bags pressed against her chest and folded over her arms.

"Personal guard?" Amorru began, squinting at her with either suspicious or aggression, something the debutante didn't understand. "Not bloody likely." She stared at him and raised her brows a little, blinking in both innocence and confusion, dark gaze staring back into his emerald pools. Like a bird, her chin tilted to the side as his expression and demeanor returned to the Amorru that she'd come to know over their time together. "I like your style, Duchess," he finally complimented. She smiled and shook her head a little, chocolate curls of perfection moving around her shoulders. He was quite the creature.

"Aye, an' things get get rattled about proper when things get to explodin' all about, sure. This here can help with the rattles," the mole said to the lovely, albeit annoyed-looking, stranger. "Perhaps getting our new guest drunk in a strange environment before she can be introduced to the crew isn't the most..." she thought a moment, looking at the packages in her arms, not bothering to finish that. "My name is Charity, the handsome rogue is the pilot, Amorru, the Grecian goddess standing just there is Artemis, our mechanic and this is our sweet mannered and indispensable doctor, Grace," she informed him, suddenly realizing they were missing some people. Charity looked around curiously.

"Okay, anyone needing medical attention come to the infirmary.  Mr. Reyes you might not like to hear this but I'm going to have to cut your shirt off," Grace told them, warning Reyes in the same breath. Charity caught that little twinkle of pleasure in the doctor's face and she smiled, happy to see it. "Oh, Mister King, why don't you accompany us? I would feel terrible if your wounds became any worse, especially as you sustained them on my account," she told him, tilting her head toward where Amy and Grace were retreating.

Moving to Sean, Charity made to dump the packages of clothing into his arms, "Here you go. Would you be so kind as to place these with the Captain? Since you are part of organizing the mission, no?" she asked, smiling at him with fake warmth, none of it reaching her eyes as she considered the man. Her attention slid toward Octavia, "Maybe he can show you to your room? So you can unpack? A checkup wouldn't hurt, either," she told the woman before nodding pleasantly and turning to hurry after the others, heels clicking rhythmically.

In the infirmary, Charity looked her arms over curiously, not seeing any obvious injuries. King seemed to have successfully shielded her from most (if not all) of the debris that had rained down upon them. She turned her head to look to see if he'd followed them as she'd suggested, giving Amorru and Grace some semblance of privacy.

Dialogue Color: AntiqueWhite

Akhsar King

February 08, 2019, 07:11:36 PM #39 Last Edit: February 09, 2019, 06:44:41 PM by Akhsar King
King observed the crew of the Wushu, the amiable smile never leaving his face. The tall lean blonde guy gave King a calculating look, and he could almost hear the gears turning inside the mans head. Watch out for that one then, he's smarter than he looks. The other man, the Dandy, gave King an altogether different look. The phrase "glaring daggers" came to mind.

"Personal guard?" The mans eyes narrowed further, a spark of recognition in them. He leveled Charity's eyes with a serious look. "Not bloody likely." King tensed ever so slightly, unsure of what the guy would do next. After a few more moments the mans expression totally changed, and he gave Charity an easy wink and a knowing grin. "I like your style, Duchess." King blinked. Right, so either he's just strange or he clearly thinks I'm here for a different reason... but maybe not one involving Cherry... Hmm. That made two people he would have to keep an eye on.

Charity addressed the other new member of the crew, the tall attractive redhead, and made some introductions. Kings eye tracked around, putting the names to faces, and then giving them new designations in his head. The Dandy was Amorru... Amor? No, Ru? Maybe.... or Amy. Artemis, the ships mechanic, became RT. Grace, the medic, became Gray or Doc. Charity was already Cherry, or maybe Boss. That could be amusing.

Just then the Doc announced that anyone needing medical attention should follow her to the infirmary. He was about to brush it off, the cuts werent deep, but then Cherry spoke up again. "Oh, Mister King, why don't you accompany us? I would feel terrible if your wounds became any worse, especially as you sustained them on my account,"

He cocked his head slightly to the side and regarded her, and then nodded. "Sure thing, Boss. Lead the way." He still didn't fully trust her yet, or rather, years of weird situations had drilled into him the need to keep an eye on someone until you were absolutely sure you knew the score. Cherry went over to the still unnamed crewman and the tall redhead, saddled him with a few tasks, and then headed off into the ship, King following at an appropriate distance for a Personal Security agent.

Upon arrival, the Doc seemed busy with Ru/Amy, King wasn't quite sure which to call him yet. Cherry looked over her arms, and apparently finding no wounds she turned her head and looked over at him. He gave her a shrug.
Dialogue Color: Olivedrab

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