The Ashlanders - Chapter 6: The Blind Man's Last Gambit (Closed, Started)

[Fappy]

"Axel, those bandits you saw back there, the ones on the hill? That wasn't me. Someone's watching our backs, because sure as Ruffles is is going crazy from being away from the Maiden, I'd either be dead or captured. I'm lucky kid, but not even I can kill three guys without touching 'em."

Sprout continued staring out the window, his eyes darting around the streets. It didn't appear anyone was watching them... at least not from the front of the building, "Ma' sent someone ta' look after us, I reckon. Guess she wanted ta' make sure we were safe. S'pose we are still targets, after all."

He turned away from the curtain and looked at Lilith, a small hint of concern on his face, "What do y'all reckon we do from here?"

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"Then the situation's pretty much the same as it was before all this shit went down. We're here to plug a leak in our intel, right? We'd still have to cast round for information plenty. All that's changed is now we got two topics to ask about. I'm second on this mission after Silo, who's currently about as useful to us as nipples on Warren over here. So this is my responsibility."

Bennie nodded. It looked like Ruffles had grown up quite a bit since they'd last seen each other, " Okay Jake, lay it on me. Start with what we know about the situation. Lay out all the relevant facts and let's start looking at solutions." He leaned forward, a playful grin on the side of his face. "Let's see if Meredith rubbed off any of her tactical know-how on my boy."

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"Well, ladies first of course."

Pixie opened her eye and greeted the Gentleman with a warm, yet stern gaze, "As y'all know, Dio's got the strongest fuckn' army in all the ashlands. I reckon we could run from 'im if he chose ta' come after us, but so far he's been sittin' on his thumb. He's send'n hunters n' insightn' the other families to take arms against us."

She sipped her coffee and held it in her lap. The Gentleman could see the cogs turns in her mind, "If he was lookn' fer revenge against me 'er the salvation of his betrothed I reckon we'd be knee deep in Feroxi soldiers right now, but that ain't his goal. Nah, he's playn' some other game. Somethin' bigger... I just don'know what yet."

Pixie gazed past her guest and stared out upon the ashlands. After a few moments of silence, she continued, "Margaret Maribel, Elizabeth's late sister... she wasn't assassinated." Pixie's eye locked onto the Gentleman's once more. Did he know this already? "She was haven' an affair 'n Dio found out. He killed 'er... murdered 'er. Dio's a monster, Gents, I don' think anyone knows what that man's capable of. I don' reckon I wanna find out either, but if anyone's gonna stop 'im it's gonna be me. It has ta' be me."

She took another sip before adding, "My bullet's the one that's gonna send 'im ta' hell."

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The bandito stared at him a bit longer before signaling to someone on the other side of the door. Another man walked in, garbed in an expensive, fashionable suite. His cowboy boots sported razor-sharp spurs and he wore his black hair greased back. The man approached Aesop and looked down upon him with a mocking smile, "Do you know who I am?"

 

[Dogmatic99]

"I was sleeping well enough until I was woken by these... strange noises coming from the hall outside. I don't know what it was, but it sounded like someone was in pain or something. There seemed to be a lot of laughter as well. It was all very peculiar."

"That's usually a sign that everything's going well." Florian said between bites of bacon. He was still facing the wall.

Was she going to get changed or did he have to stay like this? It wasn't like he was an expert at noble social etiquette.

So much for some casual conversation. Hopefully neither of the noble would ask any awkward questions at least. ow long they'd have to stay here or what the maidens would end up doing with them was still up in the air. Most might have shunned the 'making it up as you go' approach bt the crew weren't exactly in a position to lay down long term plans. At least it left them with options.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"What do y'all reckon we do from here?"

Lilith squinted and rubbed the space between her eyes. She was tired, she was in pain, and she felt disgusting.

She looked up at the boy, a weak smile on her face. "I don't know Axel." There was a spark of unease in her eyes. "As for the rest of today? You're going to go grab our stuff, while I have a hot shower." She placed her hands on his shoulders. "Then you're gonna have a shower, we'll grab something to eat, and then tonight?" She grinned. "Tonight we're gonna get drunk."

 

[The Funslinger]

"Let's see if Meredith rubbed off any of her tactical know-how on my boy."

Bennie seemed to be looking at him with increased respect. That seemed to be happening a lot lately, as though people were just now realizing Ruffles hadn't been born inside an engine. Still, maybe he had changed more than he'd realized in recent years...

"Well, back at Randy's. It didn't smell too bad, so that eliminates them interrogating him for the info then offing him. If he'd been dead since before the train job, that place'd be fucking gross. But it doesn't eliminate him giving up the info voluntarily and then them doing the deed after the fact. Banditos are fucken crazy, after all..."

Leaning in close to Bennie, he continued in an undertone. "Next on the list is old Ammy-Say. Far as I know, we tried to keep our contacts ignorant of each other's identities, but it's not impossible for that to fall apart. Assuming it's not him, that leaves three more guys. Chances are they've gotten or are getting wind of our arrival, what with that ambush, so we need to get on this quickly. Go after them all at once, or in quick succession. Best thing I can think is that..." he grimaced. "We pair off. Me and Warren. You and Cameron. That puts a great fighter in each group, you and Warren, and some kinda leadership figure in. You and me. Each go after one of two, and meet up on the third one, ideally coming from opposite sides."

Sitting back, he said, "no offense Cam. I just mean Bennie's awesome, and he was kinda the second in command back in the day." Then he concluded, "but before we do any of that, assuming I'm not talking outta my ass with that plan as I well fucken could be, we oughtta deal with the issue at hand." He nodded to the door. Sammy.

 

[ProtoChimp]

"Do you know who I am?" said a man who looked far too rich to be placed in a hole such as where Aesop was. However he didn't look displeased to be there. In fact he looked happy, not just with the smirk he gave him, but he looked genuinely pleased to be there. Most likely because he enjoyed seeing his enemy in such a state. Noble maybe? One who doesn't mind getting his clothes dirty considering he's walking on a place that has probably seen its fair share of filth.

"I ca-" Aesop began coughing as soon as he spoke. 'Damn. Hurt to talk. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.' He attempted to continue. "I c-can guess, noble? Mayb...maybe pissed at, pissed at a certain," he took a breath, "a certain one eyed badass? Imma guess you're Dio. Pleasure. Call me Aesop." Aesop tried to smirk with his last few words, to match the smug aura radiating from this stranger.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

The Gentleman listened patiently. This was the first confirmation he had, but there was little in what she said that he hadn't already suspected strongly.

"Our mutual friend is an ambitious man." he replied calmly. "It's clear he has some other angle to this, and knowing him, it is, as you say, probably something substantial. Dio's too cautious to approach directly, at least for now. However, whatever it is that he hopes to accomplish is likely impossible without help. Even a man as powerful and driven as he can accomplish little without involving another living soul; and whoever they are, they may provide an angle of approach."

He sipped his drink once more before continuing. "In any case, we know by simple observation that what he wants is to engineer chaos. If we wish to delay or prevent him, we must impose order. I have a few names of people who have answered Dio's call, and hope to have a lot more before too long. At this point, the only name I think you need to concern yourself with is one Father Austin. I don't know if you've heard of him, but trust me when I say he is an extremely dangerous man; and not for the forces he commands. Other bandits and bounty hunters can be paid off, reasoned with or quietly eliminated, but Father Austin has no angle to exploit. He cares for nothing but the destruction of all he deems unworthy, and sees any attempt at negotiation as an insult. Ironically, his insanity has made him utterly incorruptible. My advice would be to avoid him at all cost, for it may be that over time he will prove just as dangerous to Dio as he is to us. As for the rest, while it would be only too easy to persuade a good portion of them to fight for us, I fear that would prove counter-productive. Dio wants bullets flying everywhere, so we need to stop that from happening. Keep things nice and quiet for now."

His tea was almost gone now, and The Gentleman stared into the dregs.

"What still strikes me as an outlier is the Maribel marriage. Even in Lady Margaret's time they were third rate. I remember it puzzling me back then too. I had guessed that there was more to her death than met the eye, but until now I had assumes that Dio had simply disposed of her when he got bored, and she had outlived her usefulness. Now though, history repeats itself, and with no discernible logic behind it. What can the Maribel's possibly offer Dio that he cannot acquire more of elsewhere?" He looked up to Meredith. "I take it you were wrapped up in the first marriage. Do you ever remember seeing or overhearing something that might help make sense of it, for I highly doubt it was True Love?"

 

[Fappy]

"That's usually a sign that everything's going well."

"Yes, well, I hope your captain isn't harming anymore of her crew." Elizabeth couldn't help but giggle a bit at the sight of Florian eating with his back turned. "You can turn around now, Father. I am decent."

She began eating her meal as well. It was a fine breakfast, one that befit a noble more so than a prisoner. Elizabeth glanced around the room, and swallowed her first bite before speaking, "Do you think we could get out of this room every once in awhile? Lady Josephine and I have grown wary of this place, as you could imagine."

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"Tonight we're gonna get drunk."

Sprout's eyes lit up, a stupid grin buying up all the real estate on his face. She had said the magic words. Sprout nodded vigorously, "YES! YES! I reckon we will, Lily!" Sprout secured his shotgun on the drawer and stuffed his revolver in the pocket of his hoodie. A sidearm would be much easier to conceal.

He patted Lilith on her good arm before turning for the door, "Go on 'n get nekkid! I'm sure you'll be good'n ready fer drinkn' by the time I get back!" Before she could smack him he darted out of the room and down the stairs of the brothel. Some of the girls were out and about now, but wore an unfortunate amount of cloths. That likely wouldn't last, however.

Sprout stepped out into the street and blended into the crowd seamlessly. As he passed the alley next to the brothel he noticed the moped was still there. Good. They'd have to return it eventually. Lilith promised.

It took him about 30 minutes to reach his destination as most of the short cuts he could have taken presented too much risk. Even still, he was constantly looking over his shoulder. The hunters were still out there looking for him. He clutched the grip of his revolver as the idea sunk in. He'd never killed anyone before and he knew his mother had sent him away in order to preserve his innocence.

It would be difficult, yes, but if he had to he'd pull the trigger. Despite the fact that he'd been taken out of the fight he still had enemies by virtue of being Pixie's son. That would never change.

Eventually he found what he was looking for. The crawler was hidden behind a junkpile on the outskirts of the dome. A dirty tarp covered it in its entirety. After throwing off the tarp he started sorting through the supplies and putting the essentials in his backpack. Practically bursting at the seams with supplies, Sprout hefted the heavy back pack and turned to leave before taking one last glance at the crawler.

It wasn't in great condition, but the crawler was well maintained... unlike another hunk of junk he'd driven recently.

She won' notice...

Spending hours watching Ruffles work had its uses. After a few minutes of tinkering, Sprout had stripped the crawler of a few unessential bits and pieces and was on his way. It was a long walk back to the brothel.

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Bennie was onto his second beer by the time Ruffles had finished laying out his plan. Suggesting Sammy wasn't to be trusted was a tall order, but he had a point. Still, his intel was off the mark just a bit. Bennie sighed and looked to Sammy, "I don't think we'll need to worry about the loon. No offense, Sammy. She's been retired for some time now. Your leak reported directly to Cranston and Meredith, right? Well, Sammy was diagnosed with MS three years ago. Not sure she's any use as an info broker anymore."

Sammy approached Ruffles with a beer in her hand, "Would you like another, dear?"

Bennie shrugged with a smile, "She's got a few screws loose these days."

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"I c-can guess, noble? Mayb...maybe pissed at, pissed at a certain... a certain one eyed badass? Imma guess you're Dio. Pleasure. Call me Aesop."

The suave, yet greasy man cocked an eyebrow and gave a hardy laugh, "Dio? As in Dio Basilio?! BUWAHAHAHAHA!" He slapped his comrade on the shoulder and laughed in his face. The intimidating man barely smirked. "He think's I'm fuckn' Dio Basilio!? Christ! You are one stupid ass pendejo! Do I look fuck'n blonde to you, you stupid fuck!?" He shouted as he kicked Aesop in the ribs.

Opening his arms out to Aesop in a mocking gesture, the man's frustration turned to joy, "My name is Rodrigo Santiago! Leader of the Santiago family! And who are you, Aesop?"

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"... Do you ever remember seeing or overhearing something that might help make sense of it, for I highly doubt it was True Love?"

Pixie scoffed and broke eye contact, "I reckon love was never'a factor. Dio ain't gotta shred'a the stuff in his 'ole body. No, he did it fer the politics. He didn' have the power he does now. He was make'n alliances 'n attempt'n to upset the balance'a power 'n his own family. I'm sure y'all have had ta' deal with his 'troublesome' family in the past? He always felt he was better'n everyone 'round 'im. Fuck'n ****."

Pixie resisted the urge to spit as the words left her mouth. She was supposed to be meditating, not getting worked up. She sighed, closed her eye and pressed her fingers against her forehead, "No, it's different now. Somethin' else is goin' on an' I don' know what. He gains literally nothin' from this marriage, but..."

Her eye shot open and her jaw tensed. "But... maybe that's the point... Jesus. Jus' what the fuck is he up to?"

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"Jus' what the fuck is he up to?"

"You're going to have to explain that one to me." The Gentleman replied, a little worriedly. "I had thought perhaps that it might have something to do with the Santiago family. Establishing contacts under the table and whatnot, though the more I think about it the less likely it seems. The man's just demonstrated all he has to do is snap his fingers and he can summon up half the muscle on this rock. He doesn't need the Santiago's, and even if he wanted them he needn't promise to have and to hold another Lady Maribel for the privilege. Perhaps..." He sat in thought for a moment. "Perhaps this match was supposed to look like a mistake. Maybe Dio wanted it to look like he'd made a blunder, that he was going soft. Nobody wants to be seen as weak, unless they want their adversaries to feel confident in making the first move. He could be trying to instigate something, but what would that be?"

The Gentleman looked up from his thoughts and straight into Meredith.

"Meredith, I want you to tell me everything you know, or even suspect. You have insight on the man that I do not, which is rare believe me; and if you truly want to be the one to put him down, first we must bring him to his knees. I can do that, with your help. Dio is an irritatingly clever man, but I am better, if you don't mind my saying so. He will never allow himself to be put in a position where you can finish him off until he has been made truly desperate, truly helpless. I'm not entirely sure if Dio Basilio knows how to beg, but he will learn... before I'm through with him."

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Lilith envied the boy's enthusiasm. To him, this was an opportunity to cut loose and have fun with a close friend. Lilith's motives were a lot simpler. To just forget, for a few moments, that she had no idea what she was doing.

"Go on 'n get nekkid! I'm sure you'll be good'n ready fer drinkn' by the time I get back!" She raised a hand to belt him one, but he was gone before she could even try. She smiled to herself as he closed the door. "I have no clue what I'm doing, kid..." she stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray sitting on one of the bedside tables. "But I'll try my best."

She kicked off her boots, she'd probably have to replace those, too sodden with god knows what. She peeled off her socks, tossing them next to the boots. Carefully unwrapping the scarf from around her neck, she held it in front of her, inspecting it closely. Thankfully, it was relatively unscathed, a few splashes of... something, here and there, but nothing some hot water couldn't fix. Walking into the bathroom, she turned on the hot tap of the basin and let it run for a few moments before steam began to waft into the air. Giving the scarf a good rinse, she plugged the drain and left it to soak for a while.

Sauntering back into the main room, she lifted her poncho over her head, wincing slightly as her pain flared up. She let it fall to the ground as she began peeling off the rest of her clothes, breathing a sigh of relief as she unhooked her bra. She pushed the pile of spoilt clothes across the floor and into the corner below the window. She reached up, covering herself with the curtain, and opened the top half of the window, letting some clean air vent into the place. Making her way back into the bathroom, Lilith closed the door behind herself, promising to kick Sprout in the teeth if he took advantage of the lack of a locking mechanism.

Turning on the shower, she glanced at herself in the mirror while she waited for it to warm up. "You look like shit Lily, you could do with a break." She cracked her neck, wincing slightly. "Although, I s'pose we both have nothing to do but relax, at least for the foreseeable future." She smiled slightly. A break sounds good.

Lilith had one foot in the shower, before a thought quickly jumped to her mind. She stepped back out and pulled the twin cherries over her head, delicately piling it on the wide rim of the basin. Stepping back into the shower, she moaned happily as hot water streamed over her face and body, the filth of the day quickly swirling down the drain. Fortunately, there were small bottles of shampoos and soaps sitting on a shelf in the stall, she cleaned her hair thoroughly, and repeated the action three more times. She did the same with her body, lathering up a good four times before she was satisfied that she was clean. She sat down, bringing her legs to her chest and resting her head on her knees, she quietly dozed as the hot water washed away her pain.

 

[The Funslinger]

"She's got a few screws loose these days."

Ruffles hesitated, and then took the offered drink. "Way to make me feel like an asshole... anyway, that's two down, three to go. The plan sound good to you?"

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Sunlight drenched the field, one of many in the Bread Basket. A rare sunny day. In its center were two people, arms interlocked. Whiskey was one of them. Her face in the man's chest, she breathed in the smell of him, the faint scent of sandalwood, which the stock of his revolver he would wear on his hip and repeater he would sling over his back were made of. It permeated his clothes, the perpetually present but ever changing chambray work shirts he wore. It was a good smell, as good as the slight rub of his stubble on her forehead. The leather brim of his hat was pulled low, shading them from the sun's rays as they stood. Her hands linked at the small of his back. Not so broad back then, a stray thought whispered. Her mind wandered briefly to the heavy black jacket sprawled on the ground behind them, that they'd been sitting on a few moments ago.

Eddie lowered his mouth to her ear, whispering sweet nothings as they rocked gently back and forth. As they did so, her hand brushed lightly against the protrusion of cloth sticking from his back pocket. The komodo dragon bandana. An image flashed through her mind, erasing the field, and erasing Eddie. A concrete room and huge pool of dried blood with numerous contributors. There were tracks and smears where Payton's men had dragged the bodies away, but one at the edge caught her eye amid the footprints. A light, dragging smear, so light it would have been made by someone picking up a fallen hankerchief perhaps. Or a bandana. The field returned, and she looked up into her lovers eyes. But her own widened in fear. Eddie was gone, and it was Payton holding her, with a grip of iron. Payton whispering in her ear, cruel demands and deep cutting threats to ensure she followed them.

Whiskey sat bolt upright in bed, the dream's cloud gone from her mind. Then the effects of alcohol hit her like a train, with headaches and wooziness brought on by dehydration surging forward. Flopping back down on the mattress, she shrugged Eddie's old black coat further about her shoulders under the duvet, then put it to her face and inhaled. No more scent of sandalwood now, though. Swearing inarticulately, she punched the headboard and sunk down into further dreaming.

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Having taken it from around his neck, Eddie stared down at the bandana in his hand. Blood, much of it his own, and some belonging to the men sent to take him had stained it a deep, dark red. Red it had been to begin with, if a lighter, more orange related shade, but that was completely gone, as was the komodo dragon that once emblazoned the cloth.

Tying it once more about his neck, he set back to leaning against the wall, waiting. No sooner had he done so however, did Duke come around the corner. "No fucking luck, nobody's seen a damn thing. The coordinates that bastard gave us are useless, fucking useless!"

"Not useless," Eddie replied. "It gave us the ballpark we need. The ship can't have gone far, or it'd be easy to track by the people seeing it. No ships out here usually, aside from Feroxi, and we know it ain't there. We'll find it. Just gotta keep at it..."

Maybe when they found the ship and got closer to pursuing Captain Monroe and her hostages, he'd be able to shake the sense of foreboding that was chilling the back of his neck lately.

 

[Ruedyn]

Aquila

The smell. Did not. Get better.

Why she thought it would was anyone's guess, maybe she just hoped it would get tolerable. She trudged through the lobby, ignoring the awkward looks as she went. She decided to go into her own head space, and think about what she had done. In her mind, murder, pure and simple. There was no real motive to tie her in to any of it, and nobody would really care, but the profit slipping away on a moped left a bad taste in her mouth.

Just SOMETHING to tell her she wasn't wasting her time would be great.

Her room wasn't too special, peeling yellow wall paper and an old cabinet, the bed look ratty and the sheets were frayed, with a large hole covered by a few throw pillows. She threw her scarf on to it- it smelled terrible and so did she. She could just do less about it than herself. Aquila took out her pocket contents, a fake ID, carbon, and a few extra mags for her rifle, as well as her new pistol... which she could now tell was more work than the thing was worth, the grimy old 1911 only had a few rounds in it anyways. Would have to dispose of it later.

The bathroom wasn't much, a shower, sink, and toilet trifecta that could be found anywhere. She stripped down, balling all her clothes up and placing them in the sink with the water on for a moment. She felt vaguely uncomfortable, she always felt like she was being watched when she was naked, like some perverted omnipotent force was staring at her. Which was pride, and judging Him, she realized as she moved her hands in the practiced, familiar motions of a cross on her chest. The actual necklace didn't seem to absorb the smell, why would it?

Her shower was short, and efficient, though it didn't get enough of the smell out. She spent a few minutes futily trying to scrub it out. No avail, she frowned. She needed some air, the small room had only a single window that opened to a brick wall. Air was needed so she wouldn't suffocate in filth. She chose a quick outfit, baggy beige blouse and cargo shorts, her mask hidden away with her pistol in one of the pockets, as well as a pair of gloves for stealth work. Satisfied, she left, intending to get lost in the alleys of Feroxi. Maybe mug a mugger for Karmic Balance.
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Team Boomhower

Vergil innocently raised his hands at the two, gone from mystery kid to annoyance in a few quick seconds. Anger was usually a result of confusion, natural to bandits like this. Still, playing along was best for now, be the quiet, enigmatic wallflower. And if it came down to it: Light a fucker on fire. He had the pyrotechnics for it afterall. And, right this second, Bennie really fucking deserved it. Vergil hadn't been a kid since he was 8, but whatever. Now was work time, and he wanted as little of that as possible.

"We pair off. Me and Warren. You and Cameron. That puts a great fighter in each group, you and Warren, and some kinda leadership figure in. You and me. Each go after one of two, and meet up on the third one, ideally coming from opposite sides."

'And I've been volunteered to do shit. Wonderful.' Warren rolled his eyes, Bosses were less appreciated than leaders, but shooting Ruffles went both against his personal promise and would probably not be appreciated by Pixie. Not that he wasn't about to break his personal promise anyway, but who fucking cared what Warren wanted?

"Right, sounds like you lot have a plan then. As a peace offering, here are some flares. Perfect for warning the other party. Enjoy." Vergil held out a set of three flares for both Bennie and Jake, smiling his ever so crooked smile.

 

[ProtoChimp]

"Dio? As in Dio Basilio?! BUWAHAHAHAHA!"

'Okay, he's not Dio. Stupid sugges... wait this guy's got a spanish acc-oh fuck me I think I'd prefer Dio.'

"He think's I'm fuckn' Dio Basilio!? Christ! You are one stupid ass pendejo! Do I look fuck'n blonde to you, you stupid fuck!? He laughed at Aesop while kicking him roughly in the ribs. Aesop jerked back, the banditos had already worked him over a fair bit.

"My name is Rodrigo Santiago! Leader of the Santiago family! And who are you, Aesop?"

Aesop coughed violently before answering. "Forgive me for my idiocy," he paused to cough some more, "blood in my eyes and ringing in my ears make it hard to see fucker. Shit baldie here looks lady fucking maribel-" Aesop had to cough some more and sputter up some fluid. "As for me I..." 'Hang on... FUCK THIS IS PERFECT!' "actually you had me pegged the first time, I'm a stupid ass penejo." Aesop grinned his same snarky ass grin he always did, through the pain in his face. "I dunno how much use I am."

 

[Terratina.]

"...Did you happen to get a good look at them, Miss...... sorry, I never did ask your name."

"Maria." She automatically replied, bursting out a smile as if to say "it's alright" to the matter of being spooked. Now was just the problem of what exactly she would tell the bounty hunter. Well, it had happened all at once, but she had definitely noticed the smell - maybe they were being chased? Yes, they were stinky bandits but they had seemed a bit... tame for bandits. They normally just spat on your words and gave you a punch or two for good measure. Like or not, Maria just couldn't really imagine those people as mass murderers or worse. Anyways, as soon as she answered, she could get on with the matter of Micky. So the reply itself was swift and brief. Maria had nothing against the Gunslinger, she just didn't have the time to stand around and chat.

"Err... Not really. One was blonde and the other was a brunette, and they both smelt a bit." Maria responded.

 

[Fappy]

"... I'm not entirely sure if Dio Basilio knows how to beg, but he will learn... before I'm through with him."

Pixie finished her coffee and placed it on the ground beside her. Her meditative position had been disturbed as she was now slouched over, clutching the bottom of her shirt. Her head bowed, she spoke in a low grumble, "I've brought 'im ta' his knees before, Gents. Ya' wanna know what happened?" She met the Gentleman's gaze once more. The fire in her eye she was known for was absent. What replaced it was apathy. It was death. "He got back up. With two bullets in his stomach he brought me ta' the ground n' carved me up. You've seen the eye, but have y'all seen the rest?"

Without a moment's hesitation she lifted her shirt up and discarded it. Sitting before him, almost completely naked, she maintained the same icy glance. She traced a long, jagged scar from the center of her rib-cage to her right hipbone, "I got plenty 'a scars, yeah, but these jagged ones?" She pointed to a few other nasty scars on her body: one on her upper thigh, another across her back and two on her chest, just below her collarbone. "Bleedn' like 'a pig, he had enough rage inside 'im ta' pin me down and return the favor with the edge of this really fucked up knife he kept. I reckon it's only real use was torture."

She put the long-sleeve shirt back on, "My mistake was missin' three 'a the five shots. S'pose I've gotten better at shoot'n since then." She sat in silence for a few moments, attempting to calm her nerves so that she could speak clearly. She stared at floor once she began speaking. "I reckon I've used the same trick on y'all twice, what with the scars 'n everythin', but listen well, Gents." Their eyes met. "Dio may not be as smart as you but whatever he's got planned... Gents, whatever he intends ta' do, he's willn' ta' sacrifice anythin' to see it through. If the man's got anythin' it's determination. One misstep an' he'll come gunnin' fer you as well. I'll help y'all with this heist, but I can' ask you to put yer life on the line fer me against Dio."

She chuckled, "I reckon you'll do what ya' want, though. Yer a 'purty stubborn ol' fucker, aren't ya', Gents?"

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"Way to make me feel like an asshole... anyway, that's two down, three to go. The plan sound good to you?"

Bennie nodded, "Yeah, I'm impressed, kid. You did good. It's getting pretty late now and you boys look exhausted. You should get some rest." Bennie got up and stretched. "I'll take first watch."

"Right, sounds like you lot have a plan then. As a peace offering, here are some flares. Perfect for warning the other party. Enjoy."

Bennie cocked an eyebrow and looked at the flare, then back up at Vergil, "Somthin' tells me you're miffed. Don't appreciate not getting an order do you? Well, how about this: if you're as good at getting information as you say, why don't you find out if our boys are alive? You seem like you're no stranger to the shadows and the banditos don't have a clue who you are."

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"I dunno how much use I am."

"That so?" Rodrigo said with an expression of disappointment. He gave his comrade one look and smiled before drawing his revolver and pressing it up against Aesop's forehead. "You're no use to me, huh? Then I s'pose there's no point keeping you alive, is there?"

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After another 30 minute trek, Sprout had made it back to the brothel unscathed. He nodded to the greasy man he'd spoken to earlier as he made his way upstairs. Odd noises echoed through the corridor causing Sprout to glance around curiously.

Later! Git rid 'a this heavy-ass backpack first, Axel!

Sprout entered his room and dropped the hefty bag onto the floor. After a swift back crack and a relieved sigh he noticed the sound of a running shower coming from the bathroom. How long had she been in there? He crept up to the door and gave it a firm knock, "Y'all okay in there, Lily?"

 

[ProtoChimp]

"That so?" Then he drew. 'Dammit. Silo was right I am retarded. SILO!' "You're no use to me, huh? Then I s'pose there's no point keeping you alive, is there?"

"Wait... wait I... I might know something but.. i-is the other guy still alive?" Aesop pleaded.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

"Maria." The lady said, finally giving a name for Viola to refer to in future, and followed up with a smile.

"Err... Not really. One was blonde and the other was a brunette, and they both smelt a bit." Viola had her suspicions as to who the two people were, the fact that they smelt a bit off was a dead giveaway.

"Smelt a bit off did they? That's a bit of a coincidence, I was just chasing a pair of people down in the sewers earlier, I want to ask them a few questions about a case I'm currently pursuing. Maria. The two people that robbed you of your bike, was one of them carrying a large container, possibly made out of leather or something like that?"

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Lilith jerked awake as she heard a knock at the bathroom door.

"Y'all okay in there, Lily?"

She brushed both her hands over her scalp, slicking back her sodden hair. "I'm fine, just making sure I'm spick and span for our date later" She replied, a playful tone in her voice. She had no clue how long she was out, but it must have been a good hour.

However long it was, she felt remarkably invigorated, the pain in her shoulder was nearly non-existent, and the nap had taken the edge off her fatigue. She carefully got to her feet and turned off the shower, letting herself drip dry for a few moments. She tussled her hair as she stepped out of the shower and grabbed a fresh towel from a rail next to the sink. After wrapping it around herself, she grabbed her twin cherry necklace and popped it over her head, the fruit resting gently on her bosom, next to their buddy, Mr poker chip.

Lilith gave herself the once over in the mirror, making sure she was as modest as a woman wrapped in a towel could be, although she doubted that would be enough to cull the imagination of a teenage boy. She smiled warmly. Ah what the hell, we're in a bloody whorehouse, I think a towel wrapped Lilith is the most Sprout friendly thing in this place.

She exited the bathroom, her hands on her hips. "Righto stinky, you're up next, shift your arse." She ordered the boy in a commanding tone.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

As Meredith told her story, The Gentleman reclined in his chair and lit his pipe.

"I reckon you'll do what ya' want, though. Yer a 'purty stubborn ol' fucker, aren't ya', Gents?"

"You might think that, my dear." The Gentleman said with a grin, smoke curling out from the corners of his mouth. "I couldn't possibly comment. I'm sure Dio is quite the brute you say he is, and it might interest you to know that you're not the only person to have escaped his clutches. However, if I merely sought to kill him, I for one would be aiming for his head."

His eyes flitted to the left momentarily as Amy re-entered the room. Even tousled and unmade from the night before she had been beautiful, and now she was back to her full self. The few crew-members who had begun to congregate seemed to lose all awareness of their surroundings as they craned their necks to follow her progress.

"As I said before," he continued. "fighting suits Dio at present, so whenever possible we should be avoiding it. When this does all come to ahead, I intend that it will happen on our terms, not his. The lord of Feroxi is a giant spider, waiting patiently at the centre of a web that stretches to almost every corner of these lands. I am not ignorant of his capabilities. The web as a whole can snare any prey, but each thread is fragile; and if all are severed, one by one, Dio has a very long way to fall indeed."

 

[Fappy]

"Wait... wait I... I might know something but.. i-is the other guy still alive?"

Rodrigo withdrew the gun and chuckled, "You think I'm gonna tell you that for free? How 'bout this: you tell me how many men you have here in my city and maybe, maybe I tell you if your friend is still alive."

********************************************************************************************************************************************************

"Righto stinky, you're up next, shift your arse."

Lilith spoke words but Sprout failed to hear them. His eyes had been glued to her chest since the moment she exited the bathroom.

My God...

Sprout could practically feel the inevitable slap to the face he'd receive if he continued staring and promptly shifted his gaze to Lilith's eyes, "Um... uh... yes? Yes! Yes, I will go on'in do that now! Don' mind me!" He lunged through the doorway, but managed to sneak a quick peak at her one last time before closing the door.

Sprout slid down against the door and sighed deeply.

It's not fair...

He remained there until his brain began registering his stench once more. It was quite repugnant. He promptly threw off his cloths and hopped in, turning the dial all the way to the left only to be greeted by ice-cold water, "Hey, Lily! How long ya' reckon you were in here? The water's colder'n a witch's brew!" He shouted through the door, his teeth rattling.

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Pixie did little more than glance over her shoulder when she felt another presence in the room. Amy had cleaned up rather quick.

"... The web as a whole can snare any prey, but each thread is fragile; and if all are severed, one by one, Dio has a very long way to fall indeed."

Pixie shrugged, "That's assume'n we have enough time ta' cut said threads before the rest'a the Rock's inhabitants swallow us whole. I hope yer ready fer this, Gents. You stick with me 'n yer basically declare'n war on the whole world. Anyway, about Dio---" She was suddenly interrupted by a low growl in her stomach. Flushed, she gave an innocent smile. "Oh, pardon me!" Pixie giggled. "Y'all mind if we bring this discussion over ta' the dine'n hall? A good ol' romp always seems ta' have me fixin' fer pancakes in the mornin'."

She got up and sauntered over to Amy, who had been standing in the doorway listening to their conversation for the last minute. Lightly caressing the girl's cheek with the back of her fingers, Pixie held the side of Amy's jaw in her hand and gave her a soft kiss on the lips, "Yer welcome as well, sweetheart." Pixie said with a wink.

She didn't want the girl to feel like she'd been used... though, that was exactly what had happened. Even still, Pixie never wanted her partners to feel disrespected or unappreciated.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Lilith allowed herself a tiny smirk as the boy had a small crisis. Jesus kid, there's nothing on show.

She crossed her arms across her chest as the boy raised his stare. "Um... uh... yes? Yes! Yes, I will go on'in do that now! Don' mind me!" As he closed the bathroom door behind himself, Lilith licked a finger and touched it to her behind. "Tissss, still got it." She chuckled quietly, sauntering over to the large bag Sprout had retrieved. She pulled out her own backpack, before she heard a shout from the bathroom.


"Hey, Lily! How long ya' reckon you were in here? The water's colder'n a witch's brew!

"Woooooops." She whispered playfully. "Err, not that long?" She didn't sound convincing. "I imagine this whole place runs off one massive immersion heater, just give it a minute and it should warm up soon... Maybe." She didn't really know anything about plumbing.

Placing her backpack on the bed, Lilith opened it up and removed several items of clothing. She untied the spare boots she had hanging from the side of the pack, and placed them on the floor, under the bed slightly. She smiled fondly as she pulled out the carton of smokes and the bottle of whiskey that Aesop had given her, placing them on the bed side table.

If they were going out for something to eat, she'd need to not look like a bandit. She glanced over a shoulder towards the bathroom before she unwrapped the towel and dried herself properly. Pulling on some clean underwear, she didn't bother with a bra as she slipped into a long-sleeved linen shirt, cherry blossom pink. She buttoned up the shirt, leaving the top two undone, her necklaces resting on her chest, and proceeded to pull on a pair of tight, faded jeans. Putting some stuff back in the pack, she buckled it closed and stashed it under the bed. She dried her hair with the towel, tussling into its standard style.

She sat on the bed, cross legged. Reaching over to the side table she grabbed her cigarette case and lighter, and lit up a smoke. She took a deep drag, raising her face to the ceiling, and blew out a couple of smoke rings. "Onion rings..." Her stomach grumbled. "I could really go for some onion rings."