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

[Daystar Clarion]

"We've made it into the sewers and have lost our pursuers. Heading to the rendezvous. What's your status, Harvey? Over."

Tsubaki heard the sound of gunfire as Asad responded.

"Not good." He shouted over the noise. "Pinned down by a few guys." He blind fired the his weapon, emptying half a mag as he leaned out slightly to get a view.

"Don't worry about me, just keep moving to the rendezv-SHIT!" Reacting quickly, Asad kicked away the grenade that had landed next to him, flying through the air, it exploded mid flight.

Furrowing his brow, Asad smirked slightly, a rare sight in the heat of battle. "Keep going commander, I've got this." Removing another flash grenade from his belt, he pulled the pin with his teeth, waiting a few moments before tossing it nonchalantly around the corner.

Hearing the tell tale cries of blinded men, Asad stepped from behind the corner, firing two short bursts down the alley, killing both hostiles.

 

[ProtoChimp]

"Yeah man, come in."

Aesop entered the room, Cameron following quickly. Aesop sighed. "I don't even remember what room Randy's, in okay C." She gave him an uncomfortable look. He sighed again before turning to Ruffles and Bennie.

"Before S-Before I killed Silo he..." He paused for a moment. "Maybe I should tell Ruffles in private."
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The twin suns had risen over the Ashlands. Austin and the two engineers were exhausted. Austin was slouched over, still holding his sawnoff, meanwhile the two maidens were struggling to stand up. Children were in and out until eventually the younger maiden had said. "I think we're done." He was damn near on his knees. His older compatriot looked over at him confused. Why tell him they were finished? WHY?

"Good." Austin said sleepily. Now then, you," he pointed to the older one, "you go with my children, they need to confirm this ship can take off. And you," he nodded to the other, just young enough to be a child, "me and you shall," the Father yawned, "get some breakfast." The man was so tired he didn't clock onto Austin's ploy as easily as he should have, he just looked puzzled. "Come on, after you." Austin said as his children held the door open for them, leading the pretender to the bow of the ship. The younger maiden uneasily left the room and walked into the mess hall. Two meals had already been prepared, as if Austin had telepathically told his children to cook for them.

'Fuckin what?' He thought.

"Come on," Austin chirped. "I'm starving, never go a night without supper. Too many people don't eat in the world, we have to savour what we have."

"You mean what you took!" He shouted, although his voice was weak it was clear he aimed to shout.

"Boy, please," said Austin softly, "we have a hot meal and enough food to tide us over until lunch, lets make these empty bellies full." Austin took his seat, opposite the maiden's. Both meals the same, poached eggs, french toast, bacon and sausage, with two glasses of milk.

"How did you know I prefer milk? I'm like the only maiden who prefers milk over juice." Said the man confused.

"You told me last night, don't you remember?" Austin said as he readied his knife and fork, though he struggled immensely with the knife in his broken hand, and ended up relying on his good hand for the whole meal. "Dig in my boy." Austin chuckled and began cutting up his bacon, awkwardly with one hand. The maiden was confused as he tasted the milk first. It was good... and stolen from their own supplies. 'Remember that. They killed your friends, remember that.'

"This was my son Zachery's favourite breakfast." Austin smiled, "he never minded his other meals, some days he even insisted on not eating at all, which worried me something fierce, but for breakfast he had an extremely picky appetite. And why shouldn't he after all, he came from," Austin sighed annoyed and made an impression of stupid people, " 'Nobility' " he scoffed, "all those people did was try, and fail, to make him a terrible person."

"Yeah," the maiden said with a forced chuckle... but was it forced? He continued. "Fuckin' noble kids get it the worst. That Maribel girl that was here? So fuckin' annoying, I could see how much she pissed off Pixie." Why was he sharing this information with this murderer?

"Oh really?" Austin spoke inquisitively, ignoring the child's swearing for now, "what did she do."

"I dunno," continued the maiden, unaware of his own willingness as he continued, "I just know she got all pissed off, to the point that I even heard she put Casino in the med-" The man suddenly realised and pushed away, standing far from the table. "What the fuck! How did you do that you mother fucker!"

"Relax, we were just talking." Austin spoke calmly, "please keep eating. I enjoy our chat."

"No, nah fuck you man I'm not doing this. How many of my friends did you kill yesterday huh you mother fucker! If I was strapped right now I'd fucking CAVE YOUR FACE IN WITH SHELLS YOU SICKO!!!"

"How many children under the age of 15 did they kill? Children like my Zachery" Austin replied, acting exactly the same as he was before.

"Tha..." the man had no answer. He was stunned.

"You don't like that they killed them do you." It wasn't even a rhetorical question, it was a statement.

The maiden was silent for so long his milk was beginning to go warm. "It was... wrong-BUT ITS YOUR FAULT! YOU'RE THE-"

"It is my fault."

The maiden was confused, totally lost at this point. 'Where is this inconsistent mother fucker going with this?'

"I told my youngest to lead the charge thinking the maidens couldn't kill them." Looking ashamed, Austin continued. "I was wrong. I blame those killers!... but I led the charge... I told them to go ahead." He put his head in his hands. "They entrusted me with their lives, and I only led them to suffering and death."

The maiden was awestruck. He was being sincere, no one could act like this. No one could have the utter sincerity in his voice and not mean it. What was this? Actual grief? An impressively clever ruse...

Slowly, he sat down again and continued his meal. Austin smiled sadly at this sight and continued his, both men in total silence. Yet something, something was in the air. The maiden didn't know. But Austin did.

"What's your name?" Asked Austin at the end of their meal, both men full to bursting.

"...Carlton," he answered after a pause. "My name is Carlton."

Austin smiled upon hearing his name. Only a matter of time now.

"Father?" A little girl came up, pulling at Austin's sleeve.

"Yes my darling?" He turned and smiled at the cute little girl.

"The pretender says we can fly."

Austin grinned widely. "WONDERFUL!" He easily picked up the girl with one arm, she giggled being lifted into the air and hanging onto him, her small arms around his neck. "Carlton, go check he isn't lying to us."

"Us?" Asked Carlton.

"Me and Nicole here." He smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Um, right, sure." said Carlton cautiously, as he set off towards the bow, with a much smaller escort than had brought him to breakfast.

Soon.

 

[Terratina.]

Footsteps, banging, shouting, gunfire, explosions...

All were simply beats in the rhythm of war, a rhythm Jun soon found himself settling back into as he was lead by the Commander further into the alleyways... and into the sewer. So, that was her answer. He really couldn't care for the smell, or the sensation of trampling shit with his feet that came with every step as Tsubaki lead on.

However, Jun's feelings about such things were irreverent. He was a soldier, and that meant following your commander through sewage or anything else as long as it was an order; in short, taking shit like that from command was part of being a soldier. Jun knew that all too well. It was engraved on his body, his heart and his soul. Still, compared to what he had endured in the past, this was nothing.

You could just wash the dirt off, after all.

An after-mission shower was definitely on Jun's schedule. Regardless, the pair trudged along further and further forward towards the rendezvous. At least they would be out of there soon. The dark, dank sewer with its cold walls, revolting stench and tight spaces faintly reminded Jun of a place that was much worse. One with the same smells, but with rather different sights.

He wore the same scowl as before, but for a different reason.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"We can continue this lil' discussion later if ya' really wanna try my patience."

There was no use in arguing with her, or in anything else for that matter if she would not consent to wait. Amy sisters would not have enough time to do anything useful, and they would be being put potentially in the crossfire for nothing. Amy would be pleased that she wasn't convinced, though she wouldn't reveal as much to him. A shame, while he intended to deliver the Maiden and eliminate Austin as promised, and without one more Maiden life needing to be lost, the extra time that would have taken could have worked immensely to the Gentleman's advantage. Right now, the longer Meredith went to ground for the better. It would not do to let her be swept up in the ripples of the Domino Protocol.

"That won't be necessary." he replied with a disappointed sigh. "Now, I do believe it's high time I made my escape. Not that I would know if there's ever any rest for the wicked, but I do always seem to be busy."

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"Coffee anyone?"

"You're too kind." Amy said happily, accepting his offer. Taking a delicate sip of the hot brew, she met Carlos' eyes with her most disarming gaze.

"I won't pry, but so long as you know... you're among friends here Carlos, and I am very good at keeping secrets."

 

[The Funslinger]

"Maybe I should tell Ruffles in private."

There was a pause, and then Ruffles shrugged. "Alright." Looking from Bennie to Cameron, he nodded at the door. "You mind?"

Cameron opened her mouth to protest, but Ruffles said, "I can keep an eye on him, Cam, don't worry. Unless Aesop wants to be tackled by a man with cracked ribs and handle all the resulting guilt of making me hurt myself, he won't go anywhere. You guys just wait by the stairs or some shit."

 

[Dogmatic99]

Florian accepted Carlos' help with grudging silence, miserable spirits didn't stop him from wolfing down every scrap of food on his plate though. Near death experiences could apparently do wonders for the appetite as his body demanded that he make up for all the lost times it had spent unconscious. Plus it helped get taste of ash that was still clinging defiantly to Florian's taste buds.

He stayed quiet as Carlos shared his own views on the inner workings of the captain's mind as well as giving his own little tease as to their history together. Something that someone would be wise to look into if this man was to stay with them any longer.

Maybe the next time we get a chance to talk, but does she really need a sit down and talk moment right now? Florian couldn't help but see her as she was yesterday, tears and regret just streaming out of her. Or when he had seen Meredith in the halls of the Maiden being cradled by Axel.

Sending them away is proving itself to be the better choice at every turn, butt hen you already thought that would happen. Florian told himself. If they'd been caught in Austin's line of fire then he doubted that there was anything that could have brought any of the crew back from the edge.

He raised himself out of the bed with a grunt, favoring his healthy arm and paced over to the nearest closet and yanking out whichever clothes would be easier to get on. It was still hard to ignore the dull, constant ache that was radiating out from the tightly wrapped wound. There were still the occasional movements that set Florian's skin rubbing against the stitches and setting a timid, niggling, worry at the edge of Florian's mind that demanded to be the center of attention.

He could just hear an old voice saying, Silly child. How long had it been since he'd thought about them?

The safe house bathroom was briskly cold compared to the rest of the building, leaving Florian regretting his lack of socks. Still he got dressed into the white shirt and blue jeans with little fuss. More colour than he was used to... it felt strange. His reflection looked like some kind of struggling writer. Looks like I'll finally get started on that beard every holy man needs too.

Florian rejoined Carlos and Amy helping himself to a coffee; all while trying to ignore how naked his neck felt.

"I won't pry, but so long as you know... you're among friends here Carlos, and I am very good at keeping secrets."

Me too. So long as this counts as a confession.

 

[Fappy]

Elizabeth had already been slotting in a fresh clip when she heard Eddie's voice crack.

"I... I have to go,"

Turning her head, she placed the gun down, "What?"

"It can't wait, I can't take you back right away."

"Wait, what? Why? What's the matter," She stumbled after him as he walked towards the door. "Hey, wait up!"

"You can... you can come with me if ya like, or you can wait here, or if you can drive, you're welcome to a crawler."

She grabbed his forearm and tugged, stopping his retreat but for a moment, "Hey, wait a minute! What's going on here?! Answer me!" It wasn't until now that she'd gotten a good look on his face. He looked... like he'd seen a ghost. Lowering her voice, she released his arm. "What's wrong, Eddie?"

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"Ja-Ruffles, I just remembered something. I should have thought of it earlier but I was kinda... yeah fuck it, its about Silo."

Bennie grimaced. After a short exchange between the two, Aesop looked at him.

"Maybe I should tell Ruffles in private."

Cocking an eyebrow, Bennie was about to challenge him before Ruffles stepped in.

"I can keep an eye on him, Cam, don't worry. Unless Aesop wants to be tackled by a man with cracked ribs and handle all the resulting guilt of making me hurt myself, he won't go anywhere. You guys just wait by the stairs or some shit."

Bennie pushed himself off the wall and put out the cigarette on the end of the table, "Yeah, sure, just make it quick, okay? The Captain hasn't heard from y'all in over two days. Clock's ticking." Brushing by Aesop, he placed a hand on Cameron's shoulder and guided her out of the room. Taking Ruffles' advice, the pair stood over by the stairs. Bennie took up his earlier stance, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and his eyes closed.

Cameron couldn't stop pacing, "Chill out, girl. They'll be fine."

Cameron furrowed her brow, "Easy for you to say, you don't know Aesop."

"Yeah?" Bennie opened his eyes. "What's there to know?"

"He has... issues."

"No shit. Ain't that a staple of us, Maidens?" Bennie chuckled.

Cameron wasn't amused, "I don't like this. He used to be so... reserved. Maybe someone should have talked to him sooner. Kept him from rotting from the inside out. He's deranged, Bennie."

"You afraid of 'im? Afraid of what he might do?"

"He's unpredictable."

"Are you afraid?"

Cameron was silent for a time, refusing to make eye contact with Bennie, "He killed Silo."

Bennie shrugged, "Yeah, he did. But he did what he had to, given the circumstances. You understand that, right?"

"Of course I do!" Cameron snapped, meeting his gaze.

Bennie, tilted his head, taking in her fury.

Jesus.

"You and Silo?" Bennie muttered.

Cameron looked away and crossed her arms over her chest. After a long, awkward silence she spoke, "A few times."

"Christ, Cam, I'm sorry." Bennie moved in to comfort her, but she backed up and swatted his hand away.

"No," Cameron turned towards the stairs and began a slow dissent. "Just... leave me be, okay?" Stopping halfway down the stairs, she looked up at him. "Sorry, I---"

"No need," Bennie stated plainly. "I can get Brock to watch Randy. Go get yerself a cold one, okay?"

"Thanks, Ben. It's nice having you back."

Bennie shrugged, "Yeah, well, we'll see how long that lasts." He pulled a flask out from his back pocket and took a swig as Cameron disappeared down the stairs. It appeared the Iron Maiden hadn't lost it's affinity for drama. Sighing, he glanced out the window.

What the fuck am I going to say to you, Meredith?

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Tsubaki slowed her pace as Asad came in through the radio.

"Don't worry about me, just keep moving to the rendezv-SHIT!"

"Harvey!?" Tsubaki shouted, legitimate fear in her voice. Her and Jun exchanged concerned glances before his voice came in over the radio again.

"Keep going commander, I've got this."

Tsubaki closed her eyes and sighed, "Thank God," She muttered under her breath. "Let's go." She said to Jun as they continued down the tunnel. Flicking on her radio, she barked, "Roger, Harvey. We'll be at the rendezvous in five. Over." Shortly after, Tsubaki found the ladder they were looking for and climbed up it. After reaching the top, she slowly removed the manhole cover, sliding it to the side, and took a peak around the area. All clear.

After helping Jun out of the hole, the two soldiers shuffled to the old barbershop they'd designated as their rendezvous. They were the first ones there. "Get up high. I want eyes in the sky in case one of them brings friends." She ordered Jun. As he moved to make good on his orders, Tsubaki hid herself inside the storefront.

Everything had been going smoothly... so far.

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Carlos took a sip of his coffee, his eyes following Florian as he crossed the room.

"I won't pry, but so long as you know... you're among friends here Carlos, and I am very good at keeping secrets."

Carlos put his mug down and chuckled, "I am sure you are, mi'lady, but you have to understand... this isn't my secret to share. If I were to tell you without the lady's consent it would... end badly for me." A stupid smile remained on his face as he spoke, but even a blind man could tell it was fake. He was in pain, that much was clear. Meeting Amy's gaze once more, he frowned. "I am sorry, but that's all you are getting from me. Though, you're good with her, I can tell. Maybe you should ask her yourself? I can't say she'll tell you for sure, but I know you wouldn't be the first lover she's told."

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"Now, I do believe it's high time I made my escape. Not that I would know if there's ever any rest for the wicked, but I do always seem to be busy."

"Now don' go an' sneak off on me! Jus' sit tight while I hammer outta few calls, alright?" She said as she disappeared down the hall. Sitting down at the radio, she put on the headphones and held the mic to her lips. "Chromey, this is Red Queen, do you read me? Over."

After a few moments of silence, Cranston's voice came in over her headset. The signal was much better now, "Good timing. Lilith and I just sat down."

Lilith...

"Good. How's my boy doin'?" Her voice was stern enough, but Cranston could sense her concern.

"Better than expected. I imagine he'll be awake by tomorrow." There was a brief pause as he shifted gears. "I sent the protocol out this morning and have Maidens reporting in from all over. Sounds like we're good to go."

"Great," Pixie muttered. "We're fixin' ta' move ta' the hideout tonight. I reckon we'll be the first one's there. Anyway, before we get into the nitty gritty details 'bout 'ar next move, ya' mind if I talk ta' Lilith fer a second?"

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Cranston slid the mic over to Lilith, "Good luck."

 

[ProtoChimp]

Bennie looked at Aesop, clearly about to challenge him before Ruffles spoke.

"I can keep an eye on him, Cam, don't worry. Unless Aesop wants to be tackled by a man with cracked ribs and handle all the resulting guilt of making me hurt myself, he won't go anywhere. You guys just wait by the stairs or some shit."

"Yeah, sure, just make it quick, okay? The Captain hasn't heard from y'all in over two days. Clock's ticking."

He brushed past Aesop and left the room with Cameron. "I dunno why he's suddenly playing leader." Aesop scowled. "Didn't he get a bunch of maidens killed?"

 

[The Funslinger]

"What's wrong, Eddie?"

"My daughter, she--" Eddie shook himself. "That man I told you about knows I'm alive. He's got my daughter. Her mother needs my help, I have to fix this!"

He hadn't stopped moving as he said this, palming the door's switch and vaulted into the Crawler they'd arrived in as he pulled up his mask and pushed a spare into Elizabeth's hands. He pulled his scarf over the mask as he started the Crawler's engine.

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"I dunno why he's suddenly playing leader. Didn't he get a bunch of maidens killed?"

The look Ruffles gave Aesop was uncharacteristically stern. He maintained the eye contact, even as his hands were working on the radio equipment in front of him. "There are a few schools of thinking on that," he said. "Besides, after Silo, Pixie put me in charge of this thing. I'm not asking you to trust Bennie, man. You just met him. But do you trust me? My decision to let him take the reigns here? Because I'll say it in no uncertain terms; I think Bennie is exactly who we need right now. So if you're not happy with him, then you're not happy with my decision."

He did look down now, reconnecting a criss-crossed assortment of wires that looked indistinguishable from each other, pausing, then outright tearing out one of the wires, and then reconnecting a few more. A static sound started thrumming from the radio's speakers, which he ignored for now.

"But you're not here to ***** about Bennie. What is it you remembered, buddy?"

 

[Evrant-Knight]

"Scrap metal actually has a lot of use to a smuggle-sorry, hard to tune it out sometimes." Spoke Hannibal as they navigated the myriad of stalls, Viola almost thought she could hear a laugh coming out of him at one point. "I'll stay with you yeah."

"It's quite alright Hannibal, I didn't expect for you to suddenly change into a upstanding citizen over night; but we'll get there eventually, mark my words." Said Viola, trying to be as polite and as friendly as possible whilst carefully sidestepping a gentleman who appeared to be having a hard time haggling with a merchant.


"These guards don't seem very, um, concerned. Is it just me or do they look really laid back? Considering how many people died and that a car exploded not far away." Viola took a moment to look around and noticed the guards rather carefree behavior.

"Hmm, now that you mention it, you have a point there, they do seem like they don't care all that much given the circumstances. Maybe they're chalking up yesterday's shoot-out as some sort of inter-gang warfare, and they don't want to get involved. Or perhaps these guards might have been paid off by someone, can't really tell to be honest."

 

[ProtoChimp]

I think Bennie is exactly who we need right now. So if you're not happy with him, then you're not happy with my decision." Aesop sighed and looked down for a moment. Not answering right away, as it was clear Ruffles hadn't finished speaking. He had never seen Ruffles take charge like this. "But you're not here to ***** about Bennie. What is it you remembered, buddy?"

"Right," he said somewhat softer, "well," he got closer to Ruffles and spoke a little quieter, "when Santiago had me and Silo, he made us play a sort of backwards Russian roulette... except we were aiming at each other..." Aesop looked ashamed as he kept speaking. "He asked us questions, and if we didn't answer we pulled the trigger. After I said how many guys there were I wouldn't have said anything else, Silo refused to even talk. I know I'm not getting to the point right away I just need to explain." He said quickening his pace for a second. "He was asking us the same question I already told him, but when Silo called him out on it he asked about something called Gjallarhorn Protocol..." He looked more panicked, "And Silo man he, he was freaking the fuck out over this thing, well he wasn't, but he just, like he like made it his mission to make sure no one else knew. The fuckin' second Santiago asked it he immediately picked up the gun and pulled the trigger. And right bef..." he zoned out for a second, remembering when he had murdered him. "Sorry... right before I shot... he said "Do it." Like he knew it was gonna happen." Looking seriously worried he asked him, "Ruffles, what the fuck was so important that Silo would have wanted to die so badly? He wasn't like that. He was all for duty but he was always so... he was never suicidal or anything."

Aesop was quiet for a while. "Sorry I took so long getting to the point I just... I'm sorry its just hard thinking about it. And, you're right but, if you want Bennie in charge then fine, I won't question you." His voice hardened again. "But if he keeps looking at me like that I'm gonna fucking say something.
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Hannibal listened to Viola. "Maybe. Maybe yeah. I have an idea, though its probably stupid, but um, what if you ask around about the shoot out and what happened and stuff, and that guy the bald man mentioned, and like, maybe make it obvious you're asking around. Okay not obvious but like, not so subtle? I dunno, anyway I was thinking I could look around to see if anyone looks shifty and uncomfort'al about you asking... okay yeah that's probably stupid sorry."

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Lilith gave Cranston a small smile as he passed her the radio.

"S'up Merry?"

Planting an elbow on the table, Pixie ran her fingers through her hair as she cradled her head in one hand, "Lily," She said softly, nothing but warmth in her voice. "How're y'all holdin' up?"

Lilith rolled her eyes. This again? "Merry..." She rested her forehead in one hand. "What's up Merry?" She muttered, Pixie never sounded this affectionate unless she was worried.

"Oh, you know, jus' worry'n my ass off 'bout my critically wounded son 'n my rebellious girl," She giggled. "I'm sorry I freaked out las' night. I've been... 'avin' a rough time lately."

Lilith closed her eyes. "I can imagine." Her hand on her forehead she ran it back over her head and through her hair. "I'm okay Meredith, a little worn down, but I'm fine." She smiled slightly. "Besides, I have to stay strong for our boy."

"At least one'a us can do that fer 'im," She sighed, pushing her fingers against 'eyes' and drooped her head. "I wish I could be there fer 'im. I'd give anythin' ta' be able ta'," She paused for a moment, unsure of how to finish her thought. "I'd give this all up if it meant I could live by 'is side in peace. I'm sorry this happened, Lily."

"Why are you sorry? You didn't shoot him." Balling her hand into a tight fist, she clenched her jaw. "This isn't your fault Meredith." She muttered. "But I know who's fault it is." There was an tinge of anger in her voice.

Pixie winced, dropping her arm across the table, "No, Lily," She said softly. "I know how yer feelin' right now, trust me, but if not fer yer own innocence at least consider my boy's safety. Don' go doin' anythin' reckless jus' 'cause ya' got a grudge. He lived, Lily. There's no sense in endangerin' either of y'all's lives further." She sighed. "Please, Lily, let Cranston handle it. I need you ta' stay by Sprout's side. Please, will you do that, Lily?"

"Yeah, fine, whatever." Lilith sighed, unclenching her hand. What did she know? She wasn't there, she didn't see what she saw, she didn't watch Axel die.

'Don't be stupid, you fucking child.'

"Merry, I..." She felt useless and frustrated, she couldn't just sit there and watch the boy while the man who did that to him was still out there. "What do I do Merry? How do I stop feeling like this?"

Pixie's wrist went limp as she dropped the mic into the palm of her other hand. That really was the question wasn't it? The question she'd been trying to answer for over ten years now. Pixie didn't know what to say. After a long pause, she held the mic up to her lips, "I-I... I don' know, Lily," She muttered. "I really don' know."

Fuckin' failure.

Biting her lip, she inhaled sharply and pressed on, "Jus'... focus on bein' there fer Sprout, okay? I reckon he's gonna be hurtin' when he wakes up an' he's gonna need you there fer 'im. Maybe," She sighed. "Maybe when you see 'im awake you'll feel differently, ya' know?"

Lilith furrowed her brow, she was right, she was absolutely right. The boy had killed for the first time, he'd need her more then he'd ever had. A sad smile on her face, she sighed playfully.

"Really? Can't I just shoot someone instead?"

A sad laugh escaped Pixie's lips as she shook her head, "Don' make me whip yer ass, darlin'!" They shared a brief laugh followed by a long silence. Pixie leaned back in her chair, letting her head hang backwards. Staring up at the ceiling, she closed her eye and smiled. "I'm proud a ya'l, Lily. Thanks fer takin' care of 'im. Thanks fer bein' there when I couldn'."


Lilith thought for a second, a slight blush to her cheeks. "It's not even that." She smiled. "He's been looking out for me ever since we got here." She thought back fondly to the bar fight a few nights back. Her expression softened into a sad smile. "It's the reason I'm here talking to you, and he isn't"

'And that's why that bastard will pay. Not now, but one day.'

"He's a good boy," Pixie mused. "Yer lucky ta' 'ave eachother. Anyway," She sighed. "I still need ta' decide what ta' do with y'all. I'm not sure where I can send y'all ta' be safest, but I can' 'ave either of y'all here fer 'ar next move, Lily, I'm sorry. We're gonna have ta' get 'ar hands dirty... more so 'an we ever had before. Neither of y'all can be here fer it."


Lilith thought for a moment. She was sick of feeling useless, sick of sitting on the sidelines, sick of everyone fighting without her.

"I understand." She said plainly.

"Good," Pixie nodded to herself. "When it's all over... how 'bout I take a lil' vacation and see y'all?" She laughed nerviously. "I reckon I'll need one purdy bad."

"Do..." Hesitating for a second, Lilith bit her bottom lip. "You don't think that's going to happen do you." It wasn't a question, and the sadness in the girl's voice was evident enough.

"Lily," Pixie said softly. "I don' know what's gonna happen, but I can' promise you this: there are only two thin's in this world I bother stickin' 'round fer an' that's the two a' y'all. I'll do my best ta' do right by you two." She sighed. "I'm gonna be made to do terrible thin's in the comin' days, Lily. Thin's I wish ta' God I didn' have ta' do. But know that I'm doin' it fer the right reasons, okay? I'm gonna try ta' do the right thin', even if it means I have ta' fight the whole damn world." Her voice was firm and resolute. "I'm doin' it so y'all can have a safe world ta' live in. Even if I have ta' die a thousands deaths I'm gonna make it happen, okay? I'm not gonna let this world do to y'all what it did to me 'n Cherry."

Lilith fell silent, she wasn't really sure how to respond to that. Could Meredith really change things? Lilith doubted it, but she wanted to believe it more than anything,

"Merry, that's kinda gay." She smiled.

Pixie burst out into laughter, easing the mood considerably, "Yeah, I reckon it is. Oh man," She wiped a tear from her eye. "I fuckin' miss your smart mouth, sweetheart."

"I miss you too." She said quietly, a thought coming to her quickly. "Oh! How's Florian, Cranston told me he managed to escape the Maiden."

"Yeah," Pixie chuckled. "That ol' priest's made outta purdy stern stuff. I found 'im sunbathin' out in the ash. Any other fucker would'a clocked out, but not Florian. Don' worry, Lily, he's doin' jus' fine. He's a lil' shaken up, but he'll be on 'is feet sooner rather'n later."

"WHAT?!" Lilith sat up straight, a look of distraught on her face. "Is he okay? Whay does he look like? OH GOD THEY DIDN'T RUIN HIS FACE DID THEY?!" She put a hand in her hair.

Pixie rolled her eyes, "Lily, Lily! Calm yer shit, girl, he's fine! He's still jus' as cute as ya' remember 'im. He's even makin' sex jokes! Lily, maybe you'll get lucky next time y'all meet up!" She teased.

"Fuck you Merry! Fuck you!" She got to her feet. "I'm gonna go smother your boy! Fuck you!" Pushing the mic into Cranston's hands, she began to storm out of the small back room. "Tell the ***** I love her! I'm fucking done!" Throwing her hands in the air she walked out.

Pixie laughed like a mad woman. She'd known before Lilith even realised it herself. Though they'd met halfway through her teens, Pixie knew Lilith better than anyone did, "Cranston. CRANSTON!" She shouted loud enough for Lilith to hear her. "TELL 'ER I'LL GET 'ER ALL THE SCOTCH SHE CAN DRINK IF SHE GET'S 'IM TA' BREAK 'IS VOWS!" Pixie almost fell out of her chair laughing.

Closing the door behind her gently, she had tears in eyes. "I love you Merry." She whispered, before wiping her cheeks with her palms.

Walking back into Sprout's room, she took her seat next to him, grabbing his hand once again. A small smile on her face.

 

[Evrant-Knight]

"Maybe. Maybe yeah. I have an idea, though its probably stupid, but um, what if you ask around about the shoot out and what happened and stuff, and that guy the bald man mentioned, and like, maybe make it obvious you're asking around. Okay not obvious but like, not so subtle? I dunno, anyway I was thinking I could look around to see if anyone looks shifty and uncomfort'al about you asking... okay yeah that's probably stupid sorry."

"So what your saying is, I go around asking people about Gorgon and the shoot-out, and you would keep a watch for anyone that was getting nervous or acting shifty based on the questions; which would lead us to an informant. That is actually not a bad idea Hannibal, a pretty decent one actually. Must say I'm impressed." Viola smiled as a result of Hannibal thinking rather cleverly.

"Though when this is all over, I'm going to help you speak properly, or at least to the point where people can understand you more easily. Because, and I mean this without trying to cause offence, you can be a little difficult to understand at times." They soon came across a man who looked all shook up about something.

The man was in his early to mid 40's at a glance, years of long and hard work had taken their toll on his coffee coloured skin; as there were noticeable bags under his eyes and wrinkles across his face. Dressed in a faded dark red robe which had a series of various items appearing from the myriad of pockets, all must of been various tools of the jeweler's trade. His hair was a dark grey and tied into a simple short ponytail.

Looking as though she wanted to buy something, Viola approached the stall. Taking a few moments to browse through the wares, she made a passing remark, hoping to catch the man's attention.

"I must say Sir, you have some impressive items on sale." The jeweler's ears perked up at the compliment, it being enough to stop him from biting the side of his ring finger and turn to Viola.

"Why thank you Miss, I take pride in my work."

"It certainly shows. Though sadly the piece I'm looking for doesn't seem to be here."

"Oh, I'm sorry Miss, was there something in particular you were looking for?"

"Indeed, I'm looking for something snake like in nature." The mention of the word 'snake' caused the hairs on the back of the jeweler's head to stand up on end; "Does she know?" thought the man as his right hand began to shake, something which Viola picked up on.

"Snake like you say? Sorry but, I... I... I'm afraid I do not have such an item in stock with me at the moment. If you were willing to wait a few days, I could have a custom piece for you." The man replied, a bead of sweat running from his forehead.

"Whilst that does sound tempting, I'm due to leave town in a day or two. Say, is there something wrong sir, you look awfully worried about something?"

"It's nothing much, I heard about that shoot-out yesterday, to think it happened so close to here. Just been a bit on edge as a result, in case it happens again."

"Yeah, such a terrible thing to occur. From what I heard from the locals, a gang of mercs got involved, suffered quite a few casualties because of some kind of explosion. Anyway, I best be off and find my little brother, he always wonders off in a crowd. Hope today brings you much profit." Viola said with a friendly wave before moving on to another stall.

 

[Fappy]

"My daughter, she--That man I told you about knows I'm alive. He's got my daughter. Her mother needs my help, I have to fix this!"

Elizabeth held a hand to her mouth in shock, "Oh, God..." Racing behind him as he left her side, she shouted. "I'm coming with you!"

It defied all logic, but Elizabeth felt she needed to come with him. Something told her it was the right thing to do. Despite what he may have done (albeit with the right intentions), she could tell he was a good man. She doubted there was much of anything she could do to help him, but she could be there for moral support if nothing else.

As she settled into the passenger seat of the crawler, she sighed. She hated feeling so utterly useless.

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

Ruffles called out to Bennie through the door.

"Hey Bennie, get back in here!"

Bennie screwed the top back onto his flask and put it in his back pocket, "Alright." Pushing himself off the wall, he walked back into the room. Glancing between the two of them, he crossed his arms. "Cameron's going out. I've got Brock watching Randy now. Should ease some of the tension." He suggested, locking eyes with Aesop.

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

Pixie's laughter had faded by the time Cranston's voice came in over the radio, "Hey, Captain, I'm glad to see you guys made up."

"She's a riot!" Pixie chuckled.

"That she is. Anyway, let's get down to business..." Cranston brought her up to speed on all that had transpired over night and that morning: several teams from around the Rock had reported in and had received the coordinated for Carlos' hideout, the Boomhower team is preparing to report in within the next few hours and the haul from the heist was currently being processed through their network of safehouses. He also gave her the run down on Sprout condition and the measures he was taking to ensure their safety. "I think we should meet up once the boy can walk. Feroxi's just too dangerous."

Pixie sighed, "Agreed. I don' want 'em ta' be around fer our counter offensive, but if keepin' 'em away means there in danger then it ain't worth it."

"About that... have you come up with a plan?"

"Yes," Pixie muttered. "Yer not gonna like it."

Cranston laughed, "Try me.

"We may not 'ave a ship, but we've got more carbon'n than half the nobles on the Rock right now. Austin ain't gonna waste any time. He's gonna hit someone hard as soon as he's able, otherwise he wouldn'a bothered jackin' my baby in the first place." Pixie scratched the back of her head and inhaled sharply. He really wasn't going to like this idea. "So, who can we buy with that kinda dough? Someone who don' 'ave us on their shit list."

"Wilks-Vine." Cranston stated plainly.

"Well?"

"You're the boss."

"That's it?"

"I don't need to warn you. You know the dangers of getting into bed with them. Though, I can't say I disagree with this approach. We don't have many options."

Pixie let out a sigh of relief, "Thanks fer havin' my back, Chromey. Can you arrange a meetin' with 'em?"

"Consider it done."

"Good." The two discussed a few more orders of business after that, including the potential involvement of Amy's sisters and the ongoing Elizabeth situation. Eventually, they'd hit every required note. "Well, I think that's it, Chromey. I'll call again once we're at Carlos' place. Take it easy, okay?"

"Will do, Meredith. Cranston out."

Placing the mic down on the table, Pixie jumped out of her chair and stretched. Long radio conversations always made her antsy.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Asad glanced over his shoulder as he proceeded down the alley. The rendezvous point was close and he didn't want to risk exposing them all by unwittingly leading a tail.

Pulling his coat tighter around himself, his weapons were hidden from view. A plume of steam erupted from Asad's lips as he began to shiver. His battle focus was waning, and the cold was beginning to creep into his bones once again, "The hell is with this fucking dome?" He muttered as his teeth began to chatter.

As he rounded a corner, the barbershop came into view. Looking over his shoulder once again, he made his way quickly through the door, Tsubaki and Jun both coming into view.

Asad's expression softened. "Good to see you guys made it, that was a bit of a clusterfuck."

 

[Terratina.]

Finally out of that damn sewer and at the rendezvous - an inconspicuous barber shop - Jun immediately scrambled up to the second floor of the barber shop. After he holstered his sidearm, opened the window and set himself up, ignoring the urge to break it. Going through the motions he checked the rifle, 'Ammo, check: ten 7.62×54mm rounds in the mag. Bipod in place. Scope at 4x. Safety off...' He took deep breaths and set his sights on the horizon and lowered the sniper rifle for a brief bit as Asad came into view. Now it was just was a matter of waiting for Bryan and whatever he would bring back with him, chaos or otherwise. It would probably be chaos, after all, causing was his role in this little operation.

 

[The Funslinger]

"Get back here, you fucking asshole!"

"Ah, don't tell me yer mother misses me that much already," Bryan shouted back as he sprinted down the street, turning a corner to avoid a hail of gunfire. Up ahead in the middle of the road was a car. Vaulting over the bonnet, Bryan crouched behind the vehicle as shots pinged off the metal. Drawing his sidearm, he fired blind, hearing a yell as at least one of his shots connected. Crouched as he was, he saw the small metal cap on the vehicle's underside. Drawing one of his swords, he struck it off and was rewarded with carbon-gasoline spilling out onto the ground.

"Surround the vehicle. I want that bastard's head!

Backing up from the vehicle, Bryan fired his pistol at the expanding puddle of gasoline. The flames broke out, climbing up the falling gasoline.

"He's running again! Move!" They were surrounding and milling past the car now.

The blast was deafening, drowning out the agonized yells. Bryan was already gone, coming around another corner. He could see the barbershop, now. Opening the door, he got inside quickly.

"Well shit, that were a feckin' riot!" he exclaimed. "Too bad about the suit, though." With his close up combat, close calls and general escapades climbing over the rooftops, the suit was torn in various places and bloody in others.

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

"I'm coming with you!"

Eddie didn't answer. She could come if she liked. Dimly, the part of him that wasn't consumed by haste thought it would be best to keep her away from whatever it was he and Whiskey ended up doing. He hadn't pulled her out of the Maiden just to see her killed.

The Crawler kicked up clouds of dust as it tore over the Ashlands. The trip would take most of the day.

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

"To be fair," replied Ruffles, "you're giving him every reason to look at you funny. Word to the wise, Aesop, Warren isn't role model material."

Thumping on the door, he called out. "Hey Bennie, get back in here!"

"Cameron's going out. I've got Brock watching Randy now. Should ease some of the tension."

"Fair enough," replied Ruffles, clapping Bennie on the shoulder and shooting him a 'lay off him' look. Walking back to the pile of equipment, he crouched down in front of it and got back to work. "So Aesop just told me that the late, not so great Bandito Joe was asking questions about Gjallerhorn Protocol. What that is, Aesop, is our failsafe in case, god for-fucking-bid, something happens to the Maiden. We regroup, consolidate our forces in a predetermined area." He looked up. "If the location for our regroup got out, we'd be fucked six ways to Sunday. Believe me when I tell ya, Aesop, that Silo died protecting something real fucking important."

There was a drawn out silence as Ruffles worked. Then, "anyone and everyone who wants to hear the sweet, smoking-gravelly tones of the Captain, don't bother going anywhere. I'm nearly done."

For the next several minutes, he ignored them as the various bits of equipment formed itself into something useful. Eventually, the room was filled with a static hum that undulated as he twiddled dials to alter the frequency. Then after a moment, a voice broke the silence.

"The Son of Light has fallen. In the face of Ragnarok the All-Seer summons thee."

Ruffles paled so much that he briefly approached Caucasian skin tone. Then his hands were a mad blur as he fiddled with the controls of the equipment.

"PIXIE, COME IN PIXIE, WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING!?"

 

[Dogmatic99]

""I am sorry, but that's all you are getting from me."

"Hmm." Florian grunted at Carlos' attempt to be coy. Everyone was entitled to their secrets, Florian had been riding that free ticket more than most, but it seemed like they'd been running into more than their fair share of them these days. Either way they weren't going to get anything meaningful out of him it seemed, or why they should trust him.

Florian grunted and grumbled like an old man as he dragged himself out of the bed, nursing his mug of coffee as the drink made little waves of its own and threatening to spill over the edge. There were voices coming from the living room. He gave a polite nod to Amy and Carlos, made his way to the main room and leaned in the doorway, listening to the captain talking over the radio.

Pixie was greeted by a series of satisfying pops as she twisted her torso side-to-side. Her hands now on her hips, she noticed Florian in her periphery as she twisted to the right. How long had he been there? Grinning, Pixie plopped down onto the ground and continued her stretches, "Lily asked 'bout you, by the way. She was real worried." She mused.

"How they doing?" He asked, making his way to the couch and slumping down.

Pixie tucked in her left leg and stretched out her right, before leaning forward and pulling back on her toes with her right hand, "Well," That's right, she hadn't told him about what happened. "Sprout n' Lilith got in ta' some trouble yesterday. Sprout got shot, but Cranston tells me he'll be okay. Lily's havin' a rough time 'bout it, though."

"Shit." Florian leaned forward, cricking his neck, Pixie's display was apparently catching on. He didn't know what to say to that, what could you say? She was handling it well at least... well quietly anyway. Had she only just found out about this? The news just seemed to hang in the air for a while. "Not a good week for us."

"No, don' reckon it is." She muttered. After finishing a few leg stretches she remained on the floor, pulling in one knee close to rest her chin on it. She stared down at her wiggling toes. "Florian, I know you ain't gonna like this, but I can' have you 'round fer 'ar counter offensive. In fact, I reckon there are quite a few Maidens I plan ta' cut outta the operation."

Meeting Florian's gaze, she frowned, "Listen, this ain't 'bout anythin' more'n protectin' y'all, got that? I know my Maidens would go ta' hell'n back on my command, it ain't about loyalty. I jus' don' want..." She broke eye contact and bit her lower lip. "I can' make you do this, Florian. I'm not gonna let you... kill these kids."

"That's good. I wouldn't let me do that either." But she'd said it, more children would die before the end of this. But he'd seen what Austin had made of them, was there any going back from this for them? Maybe death would be a kindness for them. What are you thinking, man? This was beyond him, whichever way they went nothing good would come of this. Damned if you do and damned if you don't. "Did the job go well at least?"

Pixie nodded, "That's about the only thin' that's gone right at all lately. You'd think I'd be more excited 'bout bein' richer'n God, but I ain't." She scratched her head, rustling her hair violently. "Carbon don' really mean shit ta' me, Florian. It's jus' a means ta' an end, ya' know?"

"So the question is, what end do you want? We still have Dio to deal with."

Pixie sighed, "Let's focus on gettin' 'ar ship back first, eh? Don' imagine we're much of a threat to Basilio without it. Then again," She rested her palm on her forehead. "I'll be honest... I have no idea what the fuck we're gonna do in the long run. The Gentleman has some ideas I reckon, but I ain't never fought a war, Florian. I don' 'ave a clue where ta' even start."

Florian slowly dropped onto his side over the rest of the couch like a falling tree. They were all so far in over their heads and already on the backfoot, things were going to get worse before they got better and their fearless leader had rushed in guns blazing... and his shoulder still felt like it was on fire.

"Once the ship is back we can't afford to let the hunters be our main focus. Dio has far more guns and troops than us but after the job we can start to rival him in carbon." He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and rubbed at his temples with his free hand, the other one was busy keeping his mug balanced. Cafine had been a bad choice. "If you want to reach the man himself then you must break through his resources first. We have experience hitting nobles for their carbon. His army is massive, we could not take it on easily." And of course the final ingredient to being a noble. "And then there his reputation, a more fluid thing but given our links and history the easiest one to hit."

Pixie offered a weak laugh, "You've gotta good head on those shoulders, Father." Still smiling, she got to her feet and sauntered over to the sofa. Plopping down next to his head, she patted her lap in an inviting manner. "Tell me, why'd you choose this life fer yerself? Yer a good guy, Florian. I reckon you could'a lived a happy, quiet existence."

"That was the plan." His hoarse throat growled. Florian fumbled for a moment as his mug hand pawed around for a perch to put the mug on until it finally found one. "But some never learn. Stories of Pixie Munroe and her Iron Maiden even reached the abbey. I was just like the youngest initiates and fascinated by what people said of this strange crew that robbed from the rich and gave to the poor. You weren't like anything this rock had ever seen." He scratched at the stubble on his cheek. "That still stands I'd say."

Pixie scoffed, "What, a scared lil' girl?" She giggled, running a hand through Florian's hair. "'Case ya' know, that's what I feel like most days. I wake up every mornin' thinkin', 'I'm gonna lose another one today'. I always thought thin's would be so much easier... so much simpler, if I only had ta' take care'a myself. But then, I dunno, maybe none of this shit'd be worth it if I didn' have y'all to worry about."

She looked down at him, her smile fading, "Don' go scarin' me like that again, okay? I thought I lost you."

"Fear is good. Means you're not stupid. It's how you use it that matters." He gave his own stupid grin as she ruffled his hair. Looking back at it the captain may have been the only member of the crew that he'd ever gotten this... physical, with. Though despite her being attractive in her way it didn't send Florian's years long sexual frustration screeching up the walls (well not that badly anyway) but it felt like she saw past the collar more than some of the other crew did.

"You wont be getting rid of me that easily. Trust me captain, dying is the last thing I will ever do."

Pixie laughed, "Ain't that the truth!" She gave him a small smile as they looked into each other's eyes for a long while. "I can see why she's so fond of you." She mused. Just then, a call came in over the radio.

"PIXIE, COME IN PIXIE, WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING!?"

"I gotta take this!" She chirped, lightly sliding Florian's head off her thigh before hopping over to the radio.

Why who's so fond of me? But he didn't have long to think on that as the radio crackled into further life and a metallic version of Jake's voice burst out of the speaker.

 

[ProtoChimp]

"Warren isn't role model material."

Shit don't have to tell me twice.

"Cameron's going out. I've got Brock watching Randy now. Should ease some of the tension." He and Bennie's eyes instantly clocked each others.

Stop thinking you're better than me you bastard.

So Aesop just told me that the late, not so great Bandito Joe was asking questions about Gjallerhorn Protocol. Aesop chuckled at the name, was certainly more catchy than the various vulgar insults Aesop had thought of for Rodrigo. However he instantly began paying attention to his friend at the mention of Gjallerhorn Protocol.

What that is, Aesop, is our failsafe in case, god for-fucking-bid, something happens to the Maiden. We regroup, consolidate our forces in a predetermined area." He looked up. "If the location for our regroup got out, we'd be fucked six ways to Sunday. Believe me when I tell ya, Aesop, that Silo died protecting something real fucking important."

Aesop sighed and closed his eyes, his shoulders sinking. "Thank God..." he breathed slowly, finally relieved that he died for a reason, before remembering he murdered him. It was nice to forget for a second, but also terrible for even one second to forget he had slaughtered a fellow maiden. The stiffness of his body straightened him up immediately, as he stop relaxing. "At least some good came out of it I guess..."

Aesop ran his hands through his hair, staring out the window. He needed to hear that Silo had died for a reason and a good one at that... but he needed to die for more. A lot fucking more! He needed Silo to die for the sake of the entire Rock, for the sake of every living human life in order to lift his guilt, yet even then he would still feel it. The only difference was that now he couldn't take his guilt away by killing someone, or drinking. And god he needed to do one of those right now. They were in an inn after al-NO! NO DUMBASS! They need as much as they can get. Even a fuckup like you!

"The Son of Light has fallen. In the face of Ragnarok the All-Seer summons thee."

Aesop's head snapped in the direction of the voice. "Wait what the fuck?" Aesop's eyes widened. Ruffles was white, damn near literally white with worry. He had never seen him like this, never ever... what had happened?

"PIXIE, COME IN PIXIE, WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING!?"

Aesop ran around and hovered behind Ruffles, a hand on his shoulder. "WHAT THE FUCK'S HAPPENING? WHAT'S GOING ON?"
===============================================
"That is actually not a bad idea Hannibal, a pretty decent one actually. Must say I'm impressed." Hannibal blushed and looked awkward at the idea of him actually doing something good. He didn't know how to react.

"Though when this is all over, I'm going to help you speak properly, or at least to the point where people can understand you more easily. Because, and I mean this without trying to cause offence, you can be a little difficult to understand at times."

"Um, sure, thank you I-I-I'd um... thank you." Hannibal split off from her and began browsing the other stores. He was looking at various stall vendors selling all sorts of junk. Some bits and bobs he could see needing in the future. A new bag was what he needed. He checked his sack of carbon and... "there's more than I..." He looked puzzled for a moment before realising, it was Viola. She had barely used any of his money to pay for their food. He owed her... but, did he? Was she just helping him because she wanted to help him? He didn't understand this trail of thought why anyone would help anyone.

He wouldn't question it however. And he would thank her later. For now though he needed a new bag. He stepped up to a seller who seemed rather uncomfortable for some reason. Probably because of the shootout. Hannibal didn't even need to haggle for a cheap price, the seller was just okay with a low price. Hannibal didn't mind. Despite his awkward nature he was alright at haggling, yet less talking was always awesome for him. He bought a few bits and bobs of various scrap tools he could use in the future.

He made sure to ask after he had brought all of his items, "Are you okay?"

"Me? Yes yes. Its ah, just not every day you get a shootout in the market. Usually just on fridays." The seller nervously laughed, Hannibal joined in before giving a couple quick glances around.

"What happened? I heard about it but I was with a friend and we kind of left with the crowd." Hannibal remembered the crowd thinning more and more the closer they got to the marketplace.

"I... I can't really say, I didn't see." Answered the seller.

"Okay," continued Hannibal nonchalantly, choosing not to continue further. The man was being awkward, so perhaps he did know something, or perhaps he was just scared. Either way he and Viola could catch up with this one later. "Thanks for the stuff." He said as he wandered throughout the marketplace.

 

[Ruedyn]

Protodome

Vergil sat, playing with his knife, keeping his mind off of everything. They arrived awhile ago, it took him a bit to leave the Crawler. His hood was split open by a passing bullet, it hit Bennie. It could've killed him... What if it did kill him? What if this was the worst afterlife ever...? He didn't want to die before not doing anything, his group needed him. Who could he even leave it to, his advisers were mostly just street toughs.

He shuddered for the hundredth time that day as the knife folded in. Life was harder without someone giving you advice, he missed his friends. Still, he had come here for a reason, and he'd prefer to be able to look them in the eyes with pride. He sighed, feeling very tired... and then the yelling started. Vergil rose to his feet, stretching as he strolled to the group by the radio.

"WHAT THE FUCK'S HAPPENING? WHAT'S GOING ON?"

"Same question, but quieter." Vergil said with a faint smile, looking over the group. Warren had barged into the room as well, he looked tired but he seemed to have cleaned himself rather well. Vergil wondered where he got the new shirt, or why the sleeves looked like something off an oriental robe. Vergil straightened himself out, approaching the panicked group. He got the feeling he didn't want to hear this...
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Aquila

'Not as productive as I'd hoped.'

She got there, but by then there was a small crowd growing. She still managed to nick a bit of ammo off a body or two, but nothing as grand as she was hoping. Now, she stalked through the markets. Alleys around it were nice, but a direct approach might bear better fruit. She could use the bodies earlier as threats, minimize the death, make it mean something perhaps. Maybe. She clutched at her head, wondering if the little man had a family or something, friends. Maybe the latter, but she couldn't imagine anyone actually being with him...

"Thanks for the stuff."

Another target? Her ears perked up, plenty of noise but she honed in on his. She began tailing quietly, with luck he would take the alley of corpses. If that wasn't true, perhaps he was a coward.