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

[Daystar Clarion]

"I guess we leave wounded for you guys to take out more carefully, right?"

"Yeeeeeup" Lilith replied, unenthusiastically.

She left the Padre with the wounded nobleman and made her way over to two women, one of whom had been hit in the shoulder by the earlier scuffle. She looked at them for moment.

"Sorry things ended this way, we hoped to rob you with a lot less violence, you know?" She chuckled.

 

[ProtoChimp]

Aesop chuckled as Ruffles forced the Nobles to put on their masks and ordered them around. He put on his mask and started making his way out of the carriage while the nobles followed suit. They all fumbled and bustled as they formed a line. The most resistance they offered were under the breath insults. "Alright I want everybody to drop any carbon you got on the floor. Any pocket change or petty cash right now."

"My how dare you, what manners are-" A skinny male noble began speaking in an irritating accent before Aesop swiftly pulled his gasmask off for a second.

"Do as I say or I won't be using any bullets." He said coldly to which they all did as commanded.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"Seventy?!" The Gentleman exclaimed with mock incredulity. "Why my dear I am appalled. What have I ever done to you to earn such cruelty?"

When Ruffles decided it would be a good idea to add some extra ventilation to the carriage, The Gentleman felt that moment prudent to release Sprout, so that they may both attach their breathing masks. It amused him to think that, had Lilith thought of that earlier, she might well have forced him into releasing the boy against his will, or else holstering his weapon. Either way, she would have had him.

"Run along now you little scamp." he told Sprout playfully, ruffling the boy's hair as he did so. "Your mother and I have so much catching up to do."

As he said this, The Gentleman puled out his own mask, and fixed it with a flourish. From the front, the lower half of his face was still visible through the glass covering. The Gentleman felt it only polite that others he was dealing with should be able to see his face in any situation. It was beside the point that much of the time he wouldn't be wearing his real face to begin with. To the sides, the mask was beautifully fashioned out of white porcelain, with parallel gashes across the cheeks that housed the air filters, much like the gills of a fish.

"May I?" he said to Pixie, offering his outstretched arm.

 

[The Funslinger]

With the Nobles forming a line before him, Ruffles spoke with an affected comical accent that was a rough exaggeration of Pixie's own. "Alrighty, boys n' girls. Y'all stand up straight, n' be sure t'look real purty fer the Cap'n, now!"

He walked down the line, grinning under his mask, still speaking with an accent. "Here's how this's gun' work. We're gonna figure out who y'all are, fer profitability's sake, ya understand. As fer those who don't make the cut, well... I GETS T'EAT YA!"

A couple of them actually paled at the mock threat. Fucking Ivory Tower racists, he thought in wry amusement.

 

[ProtoChimp]

Aesop walked along the line of nobles and shook them down for carbon. They all had some decent pocket change on them with only a few offering resistance, fear seemed to be taking hold. He made his way down to the lady from earlier and asked as calm as he could "Please drop any remaining carbon from your person miss."

 

[roushutsu]

Josephine watched as the nobles rose from their seats one by one. The lady who had confronted the controlling gentleman from earlier approached them.

"Sorry things ended this way, we hoped to rob you with a lot less violence, you know?"

"Grammercy. In faith, methinks we all could learn more control." Soon it was her turn to leave and she was pushed out of her car, and away from Elizabeth. She continued to keep her eye on the maiden as she was lined up with the rest, forcing the bandits to shove her in order to keep her moving. Once separated, she watched as the thieves stripped her noble brethren of their carbon one by one.

They were quite rude with the others, until one of them approached her with composure. "Please drop any remaining carbon from your person miss." Josephine peacefully pulled out the carbon she carried, keeping her eyes focused on the man while doing so.

"Hark now. The maiden needs a doctor, not more woe. May we see to it that she does?"

 

[Daystar Clarion]

As the uninjured woman was led from the cabin, Lilith focused on the noble with a bullet in her shoulder.

"If you took the shot where I think you did, you should be fine." She crossed her arms, "But still, I'll check it out once we get on the ship, nothing a pair of tweezers and a bottle of whiskey won't fix."

She had no doubt that these people would sooner converse with the stuff they'd wipe off the bottom of their fancy shoes, than her, but that didn't mean she wouldn't treat them with common decency.

Well.

Apart from the bit where she was robbing them all, but that was fun.

 

[ProtoChimp]

"Hark now. The maiden needs a doctor, not more woe. May we see to it that she does?" The woman spoke with odd phrases. She spoke like the characters in stories he had heard as a boy.

"Our priest can tend to her wounds miss and really I think it was just a flesh wound, she'll be alright." Aesop went back inside of the carriage leaving the carbon on the floor. He took a large suitcase from the small platform above the seats where handheld baggage was carried. Before leaving the train he unbuckled two straps from his vest and threw one to Florian and one to Casino. "Dunno if you still need to or if its already done but you can use them to stop the bleeding from those two... probably should have thought of that earlier." Aesop then trounced outside and emptied the suitcase full of small little valuble objects. A woman shreieked as she saw her personal belongings dropped on the ground. "Don't worry miss I'm not taking any personal items. I'm not that much of an asshole."

"But where am I to store them, they are so fragile." She said weakly hoping for some sympathy.

"..." Aesop paused to take in what she had said with a puzzled look. "...your pockets?"

The woman gasped at the thought but a gun in her direction quickly quietened her down. He filled the suitcase with carbon and made his way towards the common passenger carriage. "I'm off to spread the wealth, anybody wanna join me?"

 

[Fappy]

Elizabeth came to just as Josephine was being pulled away, "M-milady!" By the time she had the strength to reach out Josephine had already gone. The young, poncho-wearing woman began tending her wound. She had never felt such raw, throbbing pain before, but she endured.

"May I?"

Pixie nodded and accepted his hand, "You heard'm, kid. Go make sure none of them Ivory fucks do anything stupid." Sprout nodded and dashed out of the train to assist the others. As the pair made their way out of the train Pixie paused for a moment. There was something... strangely familiar about that pale girl. Elizabeth looked up from her wound to meet Pixie's gaze.

Those eyes...

"But still, I'll check it out once we get on the ship, nothing a pair of tweezers and a bottle of whiskey won't fix."

Looking at Pixie she asked, "So, I am to be your hostage then?"

Pixie gritted her teeth under her mask and was uncharacteristically brief, "Yes." Her eyes lingered on Elizabeth for a few moments as she and the Gentleman continued out of the train. Her resolve had fumbled ever so briefly for whatever reason, but you would never know it. She was a hard woman to read, such is the case when you're a bit of a sociopath.

Sprout was ashamed of himself for letting everything go to shit. Everything was his fault. But he wouldn't wallow away in self pity just yet. His mother gave him a job to do and if he could do at least one thing right today...

If only.

He stood back with his shotgun at the ready as Ruffles intimidated the nobles with his Pixie impression. It was actually pretty accurate. The poor folks from Boomhower got teased for their accents all the time. Thankfully his wasn't as thick as his mom's.

"I'm off to spread the wealth, anybody wanna join me?"

Sprout shook his head, "Sorry man, I've caused enough trouble today. Plus, Ma' gave me orders'ta watch these folks." Knowing his luck he'd somehow get stabbed by a little girl while handing her some carbon.

Pixie withdrew from the Gentleman and marched towards the nobles, signaling to Ruffles to step aside. He did so as she began speaking to the group, "Sorry fer the slight delay, folks. I reckon it was mighty stressful in there and fer that you have ma' deepest condolences."

"Fuck your condolences!" One of the nobles spat. The others looked at him like he was insane. Indeed he was. In fact, he was the same man who had been "wounded" trying to escape earlier. Though, Pixie hadn't known this. She didn't need to known this in order to hate this man. Not only was he nobility, but he was a familiar face.

She knew this man. Pixie pulled out her 9mm pistol and pointed it at his head, "Git' on yer knees." When he hesitated she added. "NOW!"

He quickly dropped to his knees and held his hands up in submissive manner, "No! Please don't! I run a dome, people rely on me!"

Pixie began laughing. Like, laughing so hard tears began to form. It was a terrifying sight, and not just for the nobles. She pressed the barrel of the pistol against his forehead causing him to squirm and nearly piss himself, "I-I'm sorry," She said, still laughing as she wiped a tear from her eye. "Are you bein' serious right now'r was that a joke? 'Cause brother, you aughta'be a comedian!"

Everyone stared at her in both fear and confusion. What was she getting at? Pixie squatted down to meet him at eye level, pushing the gun harder against his face as she spoke, "Yer the Great Duke Bartholomew of Geno Dome, right?" Again, he hesitated. "RIGHT?!"

"Yes! Yes! For God's sake, those people need me!"

"DON' MAKE ME FUCKIN' LAUGH AGAIN! SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT PERTECTN' YER PEOPLE!" After a moment of silence Pixie continued. The shock from her sudden outburst was still lingering in the air. "You, the Great Duke of Geno Dome was charged with keepn' yer good people safe, but I think it's pretty goddamn apparent that's a pretty low priority fer ya, isn't it? This man here's responsible for the deaths of thousands of his own people, ain't that right?"

"What are you talking about!? This is slander! Don't listen to a word--"

"I SAID, SHUT THE FUCK UP!" A few gasps could be heard among the nobility. "So a few years back a couple'a good samaritans reported there'd been severe damage done to yer dome's foundation after'n earthquake. Yer advisers tell ya that yer gonna have to finance repairs, otherwise the seal'll leak an' people'll start suffocate'n. You tell'm you've got a big weddn' planned fer yer son and the repairs'll have to wait. I mean come'on, it was gonna be an expensive wedd'n, right? Gotta save every copper!"

Her creepy, lighthearted tone shifted into something much darker as she continued, "After the wedd'n a few people're reported dead from sufficate'n and whadda you do? You buy yerself a fancy new ship. Good fer you! While you were busy blown' your city's cash on yer own personal shit a few hundred people died! And then a few hundred more! Eventually you figured, 'Hey! I'm gonna run outta people to fuck over at this rate! Might as well patch that hole now!'."

Too stunned to say anything, the ashlands were silent for a few moments. After awhile a few of the nobles began murmuring to one another. Pixie offered a hand, "Take off yer mask so's you can see fer'yourself how they felt as they died. I promise I'll give it back before it's too late." He shook his head in protest. "You'd rather I blow yer brains out then?!" He looked to his fellow nobles who offered no solace. They had already been broken. Pixie figured there was still plenty of breaking to do, however.

Reluctantly he inhaled deeply and took of his mask, placing it in Pixie's hand. She looked into his eyes for several moments and smiled before standing up, dropping the mask on the ground and smashing it. A large wave of gasps echoed among the nobles as the duke dove to her feet, fingering the remains of his mask.

A particularly brave noble shouted, "Y-you gave him your word! You can't let him die like this!"

Pixie snickered, "Can't I? If there's not a court on this rock that'll try this man then we're just gonna hafta make due." The man rose back up on to his knees in a pleading manner. Pixie knelt back down and placed a hand on the side of his face. "I'm sorry milord, but you've been found guilty and it's my duty 'ta ensure the law is upheld. It's mah duty 'ta bring justice 'ta those who think themselves above such trivialities. You've been sentenced 'ta death by suffocation. An eye 'fer an eye an' all that."

After convulsing he began to fade. As he lay on the ground dying Pixie ran her hands across the side of his face, "May you repent yer sins in the next life." Without turning her head she spoke to the priest. "Florian, do yer thing."

This wasn't the first time Sprout had seen Pixie put on this kind of show, but he hadn't gotten used to seeing her like this.

It was possible he never would.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"So, I am to be your hostage then?"

As Pixie replied to the woman, Lilith noticed the curt response. Maybe she's a lot more pissed off about how this ended than I thought...

Lilith helped the wounded woman out of the train and into the line up of nobles, she then proceeded to stand next to the captain, hands behind her back.

"Sorry fer the slight delay, folks. I reckon it was mighty stressful in there and fer that you have ma' deepest condolences."

What happened next was something that Lilith could never get used to and probably the one thing she hated most about these types of jobs.

She gave him her word... Nobody deserved to die like that, especially with someone like the captain shouting in their face.

"Florian, do yer thing."

Lilith glanced at the boy for a second. "Er, boss?" her eyes full of concern, she nodded towards Sprout. Just... Say something to him, she silently requested,

 

[The Funslinger]

Ruffles had fallen silent, and was now stood behind Pixie. He made pointed eye contact with Lilith, and then produced a mask, the one he'd taken from Kitty's body. Ruffles always being one to salvage valuable equipment, for its designed purpose or just the parts. He glanced in an implying fashion at the mask, and then jabbed his eyes again to the suffocating Noble.

The message was clear. Should I?

He felt like he should stop this as it was borderline sadistic, and by the sounds of it, this man would fetch potentially the highest ransom of the bunch.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Lilith glanced down at the mask in Ruffles' hand.

She crossed her arms and looked at the quickly suffocating man.

If Pixie can't keep her word, we'll do it for her.

She locked eyes with ruffles and gave a quick nod.

 

[The Funslinger]

Ruffles exhaled, the sound rendered tinny by his mask and moved. It wasn't quite a run, but it was close. He shot past Pixie, and knelt before the man, clasping the mask over the prostrate man's face and cinching the strap tight on the back of his neck. With filtered air in his lungs, the man began spluttering and gasping. Suddenly, he lifted the mask up and spewed bile on the ground before him before jamming it back on shakily. As Ruffles stood, the jarred Noble throwing himself at Ruffles' leg, spewing thanks even more thickly than he had spewed vomit. Ruffles ignored it and stepped out of the man's grip, but still close enough that he was blocking him from his Captain's line of sight.

Time to get reamed, he thought, and gave a sigh. He stood at moderate ease, his thumbs through his jumpsuit's belt loops and awaited Pixie's reaction.

 

[Dogmatic99]

Things seemed to be finished now. after a long and tense stand off the whole affair ended with a whimper instead of a bang and the crew (complete with hostage attachment) made their way off the train. Florian made sure to strap on his mask as the doors opened. He helped the wounded man to his feet and ushered him on his way, all the while lagging behind the crowd. There were two bodies that needed tending to, though going by their size he'd only be able to carry one by himself.

Florian scooped the girl that Ruffles had killed up in his arms and carried her out to the railside. He got there just in time to see the captain going ballistic on one of the passangers and forcing a slow death on him. Florian had only seen her like this a handful of times. Her devil's rattled and raging...

He was about to say what little he could but Ruffles was way ahead of him. Florian laid the body down and gave the mechanic an approving nod. This was far from their smoothest job and Ruffles had no doubt brought some wrath down on himself but Florian had to believe that deep down the captain knew this was right.

Florian quickly said some words over the woman, his muffled voice echoing out the words of a dead language that only the church still kept, its name had long faded away with time. Florian had only recieved a basic education in it and the meaning of these strange words wasn't something he fully understood, more something he felt.

Once he was done the priest took a place by Lilith's side, if there was time he'd go back to the train and attend the large man but right now it looked as if things might get chaotic again.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

The Gentleman watched the scene in front of him unfold, impassive. He felt a twinge of something that was not quite so strong as displeasure, and closer to annoyance. The man's life was worthless, beneath even his contempt. Yes, this specimen was morally warped, but how much was that really even worth in a world that had long ago forgotten the meaning of such things? Regardless, if Pixie wanted him dead for his 'crimes' then that was nothing to The Gentleman. He only wished that she wouldn't be so... unprofessional. Put a bullet between his eyes and have done with it. This show was naught but folly?

What did amuse him was Lilith and Ruffles choosing that moment to develop a sudden case of the high-horse, and come to the man's aid.

'Good luck trying to get the rest of this rabble to take your threats seriously now.' he thought wryly.

The Gentleman was getting impatient. Part of him relished how Pixie was going to respond to this disobedience. However, he had business to attend to, and every second they stayed out here was one more second that they were at risk. Once again, he pulled out his pistol and aimed it squarely at the man's forehead.

"I see a simple way to resolve this." he mused.

 

[The Funslinger]

Having saved him, Ruffles felt that it was his responsibility to bear this out. On top of that, he was getting pretty fucking tired of this man pointing pistols at everyone. Near as he was to the sprawled Noble, he put how a hand and shoved the Gentleman's gun away from the Noble's head. "This doesn't concern you. We agreed to take you with us, so can you not just fuck off and stay out of it for once?"

With that, his concern was directed back to the brewing response of his Captain, though he stepped yet closer to the Noble, so that now he was also between him and the Gentleman.

He had accidentally killed one woman where he meant to wound. The unnecessary killing was done now, he decided. That on top of how Pixie's outburst of sadism had made his skin crawl.

 

[Fappy]

Pixie stood by and did nothing as Ruffles moved by his own accord. Something in her commended his courage, but a blatant breach of her command would not go unpunished. That however, was a conversation for a later date. It would have been easy enough to remedy the situation if the Gentleman had more forethought. Perhaps waiting for her reaction would have been a better choice. Instead, his actions would only further complicate the situation.

"Pixie" was not given her nickname for nothing however, it was time to work her magic. She smiled at the groveling man before her, "Please Gentleman, enough teasin' the poor guy! He really believed he was gonna die fer a minute there, but pointing a gun at him now'll get us nowhere. He already knows he ain't gonna die!" She turned to Ruffles who looked like a wolf on its haunches and placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "Good improvisation by the way, Ruffy. I really felt it!"

The man, still choking on his own vomit spoke out, "B-but, w-weren't you actually going to let me die?!"

Pixie chuckled and shook her head, "I reckon you never seen a man suffocate before, have ya'? You lose consciousness before ya' go. Lack'a oxygen in the brain is a process, not instant death. Why do ya'think my man here 'saved' you right before ya blacked out?" She pried open the eyelid of her one good eye in a comical fashion. "So's you can see the truth of the matter. Your ass's mine now. I choose when and where ya'get to take yer last breath."

She looked to the rest of the nobles to gauge their reactions. Would her deception bare fruit or backfire horribly?

The man looked to the ground in silence for several moments and then looked back up at Pixie, "S-so, you intend to take me prisoner then?"

A smile broke out across her face that you could only see in her eye. She had them, "Why the fly'n fuck would I kill my most valuable hostages?! I'm a business woman, after all. Now, the rest'a y'all! Shut the fuck up until yer all cataloged. And don' you even think about lien' 'bout yerselves!"

And with that she began the questioning.

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

Elizabeth wasn't buying it. Despite her groggy state she knew something was up. Whether it was insubordination or something else, she didn't know. She was just glad she would make it out of this with a minor bullet wound.

Sprout on the other hand... well, he had no fucking idea what had just happened.

 

[The Funslinger]

Ruffles stood back as Pixie went to work interrogating the hostages. He gave a gentle sigh. Ruffy. She never called him Ruffy unless she was hiding some serious rage, be it at him or anyone else. It was a quirk he'd noticed. And he couldn't quite remember ever disobeying or going against her before. Not on such a drastic level, anyway. As he stepped back in line next to Lilith he gave a wry smile under his mask, and began softly humming a funeral march.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Lilith smiled sympathetically, which thankfully, given that she wore scarf over her mouth, showed in her eyes. She placed a hand on Ruffles' shoulder

She leaned in, "If it's any consolation, you probably prevented the kid from get any more messed up than he already is." She paused and glanced over to Sprout, who had his typical I have no fucking clue what's going on expression. "At least for today."

As she glanced over the Nobles, her eyes rested on the woman with the injured shoulder.

"I don't think she bought it though." Lilith said, nodding towards her discretely.

 

[ProtoChimp]

Aesop gave a little salute to Sprout as he made his way towards the commoner carriage. He climbed up onto the walkway when he realised 'Hey, my guns should still be on those walkways, unless they fell off... And they probably did. What's up with me today?' Aesop wondered to himself. Why had he been so shaky today. He usually did make bad decisions when things went to hell but today a bit more than usual. At least now things had gone all to plan. The nobles were rounded up, no doubt Pixie would let 'em know who's boss, and soon they would all be relaxing back at their on site bar in the sky. Well, Aesop would be having a little less fun nursing an orange juice. He'd gone eleven months clean now and he didn't want to fuck that up.

Knocking on the door to the commoner's carriage he opened it slowly to see an anxious young man holding a knife. He was shaking with the knife and stood back. If he was going to attack clearly he would have done it already, before he even spoke Aesop knew he would only go for him if he was scared for his own safety. Aesop had his eyebrows raised at him but then smiled and said aloud for all the car to hear "Patrons! I come bearing gifts!"

"W-we don'' wan'' no trouble-" the boy stuttered before being interrupted by Aesop.

"And you wont get any. In fact you will all be rewarded for your troubles!" Aesop held up the luggage in his hand and unzipped it just a smidge, pulling out a small rock of carbon. The boy dropped his knife on the floor. "Oh keep hold of that knife young man. Its always foolish to trust bandits." The boy quickly and nervously picked up his knife-just as Aesop swiftly made his way around him, the passengers all looking at him unsure of what was happening. "Fortunately for all of you I'm not a bandit, at least not for the next few minutes."

"Then what are you?" said a puzzled old man, looking weak as a young girl held on to him trying to comfort the man.

"Right now?" Aesop spoke softly before twirling around theatrically and exclaiming "I am the man who gives you what you work too damn hard for!" He pulled out a carbon and slammed it on a nearby table where a family sat, who jumped aback thinking he would hurt them until they saw his gift. "I am your dark skinned giver of gifts!" He continued planting another piece onto another table. "I am your friend who gives you that little bit on the side to help you by!" Planting another down. "I am the one who fights for you and gives you what you deserve!" Slamming another down. He then stopped and gave a female twirl and curtsy while saying softly and very womanly "I am a maiden helping my fellow man," a few children giggled in response, Aesop then turned and gave an over dramatic strongman pose, "I am the Iron that hammers in the weak nobility and bends them to my will!" Jumping upon a table where some young women where sitting at who gasped at him, "Put that together and you get the Iron Maidens. Mother fuckers who take from the greedy!-" he took a carbon out of the suitcase and threw it into the hands of a teenage boy, "-and give to the poor. Or rather, those who work hard and are NOT PROPERLY REWARDED!" Some teenagers were beginning to cheer in appreciation. "Oh but I'm not the only one. There's a whole group of us who took this here fine carbon from those bastards in front and... I'm sorry to say cut short your ride. So let us reimburse you." Aesop tipped the suitcase upside down as black gold fell out of it onto the floor to which people cheered and clambered to. Aesop took a handful and began handing it to small children and disabled people who couldn't stand up themselves saying "One for you. And one for you. And one for you" etc. A little girl ran up the aisle and poked him in the back, to which he turned his head and she held out her hand with a wide grin. The girl's mother was making her way quickly up the aisle to her-but Aesop just smiled and handed her a small carbon. "And one for you cutie." He ruffled her hair and then handed a much larger piece to her mother saying "Kids huh." He winked and turned back down the aisle at the disapproving mother as she scolded the child, though she was pleased with her reward. This was a boss part of the job.