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

[Daystar Clarion]

"I'm glad you're well, Lilith. You should let Maria take a look at that once we're safely away from the city."

"That's gonna need some stitches but I guess that itty bitty band-aid will just about cover it for now."


Lilith raised a hand to her cheek, before waving her fingers dismissively. "Pfft, 'tis but a flesh wound."

"I'm glad ya' came back ta' me, Lily. Next time, I'm goin' with you."

Furrowing her brow, Lilith looked down at the chip in her hand, the leather necklace dangling between her fingers. Turning to face Axel, she unzipped her jacket slightly as she looped the poker chip around her neck, ignoring the bruises there as they cried out in protest.

Lilith could have dismissed the boy there and then, tell him he couldn't handle the kind of situation that she had just found herself escaping. She wanted more than ever to hide him away from the worst parts of this life, but she knew that was never going to happen.

"Okay." She said simply, her eyes locked to his. "Next time."

Lilith wasn't going to shelter the boy, that would do more harm than good. No, she'd merely be a shield between him and the fire. He'd still feel the heat, but maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't get burned.

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

"Brief me on what you know about them."

Asad fixed his eyes ahead. "Axel 'Sprout' Monroe, kid of the Queen herself, although I've heard nothing particularly outstanding about the boy, mostly due to his general absence from the more notable Maiden heists. Next up is Lilith 'Casino' Valentine. I've heard lots of things about this one. Best sharpshooter in the Maidens, never loses at gambling, seems to walk away from situations unscathed that would otherwise kill anyone else. How many of those are true, I have no idea, but I've heard some first hand accounts of the woman's skill in combat. She's a fighter, no doubt about that, she won't go down easily.

Asad scratched the stubble on his chin, furrowing his brow. "I've heard very little about The Cook, and what I have heard seems so implausible that I question it's validity, However..." He turned head to look at Ortega. "The fact we know so little about him, is enough to be doubly wary."

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Sandringham waited, none too patiently, for the reunion to run its course. It occurred to him, standing there, that all their troubles could well be avoided by handing over the Maribel girl to Basilio's men here and now. It was Casino and the boy he was tasked with protecting, and he had only made no issue to Lady Elizabeth coming with them, because of how much more difficult it would have been to persuade the others to leave without her. As it stood though, it might be worth gauging his chances of being shot by The Cook for so much as suggesting it.

"Time's up." he announced curtly. "Everyone get back in the trucks, double time. We'll keep the two packeges split up, reduce the chances of them both getting caught in case we're ambushed in transit."

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

"Why must you make this such a dull affair?"

"Forgive me, it's been a truly miserable couple of days." The Gentleman replied sardonically.

"If I may ask, why are you out here?"

"I had not thought to be here." he said, for once truthfully. "If I'd had it my way, this lunacy we see around us would have been avoided. Before I say any more, however, I'd like to know how you even knew I was in Frostfall. I don't recall keeping Lady Contessa up to date with my appointments."

"I win our bet,"

The Gentleman worked hard to settle for merely giving Owain his most patronising smile.

"If this is the part where I'm supposed to bargain for that hapless fools life, then you've made a miscalculation. I'll admit he's with me, but he was a minor amusement, and to tell the truth not half as interesting as I'd hoped. Nevertheless, shoot him, and I gun your sister down where she stands. I know for a face that your relationship with her is by far the more intimate of the pairings here, so you would walk away with the greater loss of the two of us."

 

[The Funslinger]

"If this is the part where I'm supposed to bargain for that hapless fools life, then you've made a miscalculation. I'll admit he's with me, but he was a minor amusement, and to tell the truth not half as interesting as I'd hoped. Nevertheless, shoot him, and I gun your sister down where she stands. I know for a face that your relationship with her is by far the more intimate of the pairings here, so you would walk away with the greater loss of the two of us."

"Well you are right about that," replied Owain, turning so that the Gentleman was to his side, rather than behind him. "But I mean... that gun you snatched and now have trained on Severa is your standard Glock 17, aside from the silencer. So it's got a fifteen round mag. As you might imagine, I'm a meticulous man when it comes to these things, so believe me when I tell you that that pistol is empty." The laughter was bubbling up, now. "I mean, why would I shoot the Priest..." he patted one of his few visible knives, "...when I could get up close and personal with him?"

He returned the Gentleman's condescending smile with interest. "So, you can shoot my sister and be shot by me, or shoot me and be cut roughly in half by my sister's frankly over sized piece of ordinance. If you think a little carbon gives you immunity to that, then maybe you're overestimating just how much we really care about our dear aunt's interests."

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

As Aesop stepped down, Ruffles nudged him. "Hey don't worry, buddy. If ya fall off the wagon, I'll try out that radar dish rifle thing on ya!"

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

Millie looked around nervously. There were maybe twelve other children in the room with her, but the little girl she had been occupying the trunk with seemed to have vanished. Who were these people? Why had they taken her?

Pushing through the other children, Millie tugged on the sleeve of a passing woman, ignoring the rifle hanging on her back. "Excuse me, miss? Are you taking me back to my mommy?"

 

[Fappy]

After Aesop spoke, a long silence followed. For what felt like an eternity, only the sound of the ash-filled wind could be heard as it coiled around their still forms. Pixie looked to Bennie who bowed his head in return, unable to meet her gaze. Perhaps he'd wanted to say something, but found himself unable to. Pixie frowned under her breathing mask.

Then suddenly, Brock stepped forward. In this moment, the large, monster of a man looked so small. Slouched over, he bowed his head. Brock was trembling, "P-Parker was my bestfriend. I-I-I---" He choked up. "God man, why? We made it out of Boomhower together! W-w-why did it have to be you?! I-I-I don'... I don'..."

Furrowing her brow, Pixie approached him from behind, placing a hand on his shoulder. Staring down at Parker's corpse, Pixie shook her head, "Silo, Barrot, Parker," She looked up to the horizon. The twin suns were setting. "Half of the brothers an' sisters I sent ta' Boomhower. Likely all of ar' comrades back on the Maiden. An' now Parker. I'm sorry, I failed you." She apologized as her eyes fell upon Parker once more.

Stepping past Brock, Pixie unhooked her breathing mask, much to the surprise of everyone. Kneeling down before his body, Pixie bent over and planted a kiss on his forehead. With a sad smile, Pixie whispered, "Fly my Valkyrie. Find yer way ta' the halls of Valhalla." Standing back up, she secured her breathing mask once more, before she got nauseous.

Spoiler: Sad times

After retrieving the liquor bottle from Bennie, Pixie poured the entirety of its contents across the linen bedding. Lighting a match, the flames burst forth violently as they devoured the thick methane in the atmosphere. She held the burning match out in front of her, "Let yer spirit return to the heavens, ol' friend." She dropped the match, igniting the accelerant, violently. "An' yer body to the ash."

Pixie remained standing before the rising flames, basking in their warmth as the surface of the Rock began to cool. She'd lost so much already. It was hard to imagine this war had just begun. Could they make it through this? Was it even remotely possible? Everyday. Everyday they lost more people. More lovers, friends. Brothers and sisters.

What was the point?

What were they even fighting for?

Pixie clenched her jaw. She knew the answer, but she didn't want to admit it to herself.

They fight fer you, darlin'.

She'd failed them again and again.

She didn't deserve their loyalty.

Their love.

Bowing her head, she inhaled deeply before turning around to face her Maidens. Pixie stood tall as she looked upon all the faces that had counted on her. That had sworn their souls to her. Clenching her fists, she began to tremble. It was not despair or fear she felt.

It was rage.

"We're gonna avenge 'em all. Every. Single. Last. One. They all died protectin' us an' there ain't no way--NO WAY in 'ell, I'm gonna let 'em die in vain. We honor their memory with every enemy we cut down. With every tyrant we topple. The Iron Maidens ain't finished. Oh no, we're just gettin' fuckin' started." Pixie looked back towards the sunset. "We're comin' fer you, Austin. Hope you've got yer lube ready 'cause we're gonna make you fuckin' scream before we're done with you!"

Another long silence followed as Pixie continued to stare off towards the horizon. The flames had already engulfed their friend's body and were beginning to wane. Though no one applauded or cheered, Pixie knew they'd gotten the message. She knew they felt the same way.

Looking at the bottle of liquor in her hand, Pixie grinned under her mask, "We'll honor yer death the only way we know 'ow, ol' friend."

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

"Next time."

Sprout smiled and nodded. She was telling the truth.

"Time's up. Everyone get back in the trucks, double time. We'll keep the two packeges split up, reduce the chances of them both getting caught in case we're ambushed in transit."

Sprout and Elizabeth looked around the group, unsure of where they were supposed to go. Catching on to their confusion, Cranston approached them, "The four of you are with me, don't worry, I won't let them split us up. Elizabeth's the only one they need alive, anyway. We stick together no matter what. Got that?"

"Damn straight!" Sprout chirped.

Elizabeth nodded, nervously, "Y-yes, of course." Biting the inside of her lip, Elizabeth turned away from the group. She felt horrible. Were they going through all of this... risking all of this, just for her? If she surrendered herself, would they be allowed to leave the city without further incident?

If that were the case, you'd have been given up a long time ago.

Though she couldn't see any other way, she was drowning in guilt. If only she could be useful to them, at the very least. No. Instead, she was just dead weight.

Piling into the back of one of the vans, Cranston looked to the three women and Sprout, "Everyone ready?"

"Yup." Sprout replied.

Elizabeth simply nodded.

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"The fact we know so little about him, is enough to be doubly wary."

Ortega shook his head, "You have no idea... Asad, was it? Yeah, we know 'The Cook'. He's the most dangerous man in this city right now. Whatever stories you've heard, well, I don't imagine they're too far from the truth." He looked to Asad. "Stay on your toes."

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

"If this is the part where I'm supposed to bargain for that hapless fools life, then you've made a miscalculation..."

Severa couldn't help but grin. He was important. She'd have the priest now. It was settled.

"So, you can shoot my sister and be shot by me, or shoot me and be cut roughly in half by my sister's frankly over sized piece of ordinance. If you think a little carbon gives you immunity to that, then maybe you're overestimating just how much we really care about our dear aunt's interests."

"Oh, how I admire your bluff, Brother. Or is it a bluff? Unless this man can see through steel, there's no way to know if Owain's claims are true without investigating it yourself." She began strafing around the Gentleman's side, closer to her brother and the priest. "I know how we can make this fun! How about you let us borrow your friend for a bit. We won't break him, I promise!"

 

[Dogmatic99]

This was it? No lightning fast assassination attempt, no barrage of bullets. Oh no! People were dying all around them as innocents fought for their lives, swept up in the madness of a few who thought they could make themselves gods... and the self proclaimed 'BEST' stood around making bitchy comments like teenage school girls! What Florian would have given to have Cyka at his side.

Still there were guns scattered almost everywhere if he tried to look, knives and pipes too. Hell the brother was almost covered in knives he could just close the gap and borrow one off of him. Relive the old magic or die in a bloody gutter like the other poor souls he'd doomed to the same fate. Why not? Anything just so long as it ended this inane prattle.

'Don't fall into the old traps. You can't afford to get angry right now.'

I have more important places to be! They refuse to let me pass, then kill them and be done with it! Do what they're all too self absorbed to do!

'That's not who you are anymore. Remember your vows, you made a promise.'

And look where that's gotten me! How many have died because I refused to act? Fuck the vow! Fuck my promises! Fuck them all!

"We won't break him, I promise!" The sister one was closing in and Florian was getting a draining sense of deja vu of his first meeting with The Gentleman.

He could let her get close, let the see just how fun he could be. Let the ***** lose herself in self absorption... then open her from neck to navel.

Stop this Florian. Keep getting this arrogant and your just the same as them and all this will have been for nothing.

The collar had never felt tighter.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"Everyone ready?"

Letting out a satisfied sigh as she sat, Lilith rubbed the back of her neck as a wave of exhaustion washed over her. "Let's blow this scene." she chuckled tiredly.

Her eyes fell on Elizabeth, the girl seemed wrapped in thought. Putting her hands behind her head, Lilith closed her eyes as she leaned back. "Elizabeth." The girl was obviously troubled by the entire situation, whether she felt responsible or not, Lilith couldn't say, but something was bothering her. Lilith cracked open an eye as the girl looked up at her. "Don't worry about it." She smiled, her gaze lingering on the girl. "We're all in this together." Nudging Sprout with her shoulder, she yawned slightly. "Ain't that right, kid?"


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


"Stay on your toes."

"Roger that." Asad nodded as she crossed his arms over his chest as one of his points seemed to have been dismissed.

It wasn't that he suspected Maribel of causing trouble, the fact of the matter was that if she was willingly with the Maidens, then who were they to 'save' her?

The girl obviously wanted nothing to do with her arranged soon-to-be husband.

'Things are about to get very interesting.'

 

[ProtoChimp]

"Excuse me, miss? Are you taking me back to my mommy?"

The woman turned her attention to what had to be the most adorable little thing she had seen all day, granted Troy was a cute little newborn but the selfish Franklin had locked himself in a tiny bedroom with him. Honestly she had no idea what they were going to do with him.

She smiled at the young girl and said, "Yes we are little munchkin," she crouched down and continued, "she bumped her head and she doesn't feel too well. But when we found her she looked real good, we think its best to just let her sleep for now, 'kay doll?"
====================================================
Franklin was resting Troy on the bed, the baby lying on his back crying. Isabel had transferred milk into a bottle and he was feeding the little lad, but he still cried. He didn't need his nappy changed, he had been burped, he slept incredibly well, what the hell was the problem. God it was so stressful looking after someone who couldn't speak.

"Franklin!" Came a shout along with a loud knock on the door. Franklin wanted to remain quiet but everyone knew he was in there with his son, or his brother as everyone wanted him to believe. "Franklin let me in!" He kept banging on the door.

"Yeah, yeah just gimme a sec Troy's crying." He eventually replied.

"Don't care let me in!" His tone became harsher. Franklin cursed quietly as he lifted himself up off the bed, his leg hurting like hell. They had gotten the bullet out, but that's all they did. He and Isabel had to sanitize the wound themselves, and despite years on the street learning how to patch themselves up, the bullet had dug in deep and he really needed help.

Hobbling and hopping over to the door slowly and retching in pain, he rested his head on the door. Would this be the day he died?

"Franklin!"

"Alright!" He hissed back as he swiftly unlocked the door. If he co-operated maybe he'd live for just a while longer to escape with his son?

The other man swanned into the room, looking over the place like it was a shithole. "This isn't a good place for a baby."

"Its the only quiet place on the ship, wha'da you want?" He said with a sharp edge.

"Dad wants to see you and Troy." This one had a gaunt face and stood adjacent to Franklin, the air of smug superiority that emanated with him made Franklin damn near gag in anger.

"What for?"

The other man stepped closer to him and got up in his face. "Did you really just question father's orders?"

"Fuck off I just wondered why, you gonna lynch me for that dickhole?"

The delusional one clicked his tongue before answering, "Maybe not yet," he looked over to Troy. "Trea'cha brother well," he then got uncomfortably close and whispered, "and remember who your brothers are." He then left and slammed the door. Franklin waited and punched the door before heading back over to the bed and his son, the pain in his leg hurting like absolute hell.

Looking down upon his son, he stroke the crying baby's cheek just underneath his eye, remarking, "I'd take your crying every second of the day over this." Tears fell down Troy's face, but they were not his own. Franklin picked up his son and held him close as he began weeping. "I'm sorry I made the wrong choice. I thought we'd be safe just until you were born, but we should have hacked it on the street. Now you're... stuck here... with them... Jesus God please forgive me son." Franklin's crying was now far outmatching Troy's in volume and velocity. "I'm sorry."
==============================================
This had to be the hardest funeral Aesop had ever attended. Maidens had died, but Parker's official funeral felt like a send of to everyone that had died on the ship, in Boomhower, anyone they didn't have time to bury. Aesop wanted to shut his eyes tight and be away from it all, he could never handle the aftermath, running had always seemed so good, but here. Now. He, he truly had no idea what the course of action was.

He knew what they would do. Fight Austin, take back the ship, move on and kill anyone in their path. But as of that very second, he had no idea if he even could spell out his feelings. Aesop always struggled trying to understand his emotions, yet here the confusion of how he truly felt was whirling his mind all over the place.

Oddly enough, at least for now however, he didn't want to cry. Or scream. Or kill something. He felt like a nasty ass drink, but to do so would insult Parker and Pixie and Ruffles and all those who had helped him get off the sauce. No, he had to take this on his back; but unlike those many nights when everyone else partied and he spent his nights either alone or speaking to Sprout or Florian or anyone who he assumed he creeped out and annoyed, he wasn't frustrated or upset. Or rather he felt all of these things, crashing down upon him like...

Looking over at Brock he realised the entire monologue he had been saying about his own suffering was total horse shit. This man had lost his best friend, had watched him die even, felt his pulse get slower and slower until finally the beat stopped. Aesop had a right to be upset, but this was just self indulgence. He needed to be there for a maiden, for someone he felt privileged enough to call an ally-hopefully a friend. But as he always did, Aesop assumed no one wanted that, his own insecurity blinding him.

Now was the time to buck up, to take this shit on the chin. Who cared if it was Austin they were against, Aesop had spent the whole damn year bitching and moaning, when he wasn't making stupid goofy jokes to the amusement of no one. They didn't need him to be crying tonight, this was his job. For once in his life to be a man!

He stepped forwards, not thinking at all about the repercussions or what she thought about him, or what anyone thought about him, Aesop wrapped his arm around Pixie's shoulder, unhooking his mask for a second and kissed her on the top of the head. He tried to do so more affectionately than condescendingly, knowing how easy it was to make that mistake when comforting someone.

Softly, he said to her, "I love you Meredith. We all do." He wanted to embrace her, but instead he just kept an arm around her. He knew he'd be forever loyal to her, no matter what she did. He hoped she knew that too.

He hoped she didn't hate herself for their loyalty.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"you're overestimating just how much we really care about our dear aunt's interests."

"And you are underestimating the self-restraint it has taken not to have shot you both already." The Gentleman responded coldly. He was just about out of patience with these pampered, psychotic buffoons. "I don't know if Contessa choosing to dispatch you two was simple nepotism, or if she actually wants me to put you down before your antics can embarrass her further. In either case, do not make the fatal mistake of assuming that being outnumbered makes me outmatched. I kill better men than you on my days off, boy, and you're on your last warning."

 

[Terratina.]

"Everyone ready?"

"Yeah." Maria said as her right hand rubbed her left arm a bit after she had got back into the van. Then, she stopped that and turned her head towards Elizabeth, conscious of her sudden dive into silence. Meanwhile, part of Maria was inwardly cringing at Lilith's little speech - there were far more grounded ways of saying that without plunging into clichés. Another, perhaps overprotective, part of her made a little mental note about Lilith's little nudge. But all of that was overshadowed by the dire situation they were in - who in their right mind would leave a young woman like Elizabeth behind?

Probably some spineless coward desperate enough to sacrifice others for their own sake.

Maybe the clichés weren't so bad...

"No worrying allowed, Tigerman. It's bad for your health." She japed.

 

[Fappy]

"... I kill better men than you on my days off, boy, and you're on your last warning."

A shiver ran up Severa's spine. It seemed they had struck a nerve. She giggled, "Oh, Sir, why invoke such a tone with my dear Brother? Are you not enjoying yourself?" She grinned, insidiously. "Please, do not lie to me, Mr. Gentleman. I know you have some odd obsession with keeping strange, dangerous women under your thumb. Why kill me when you could have me, body and mind, in whatever sick, twisted way your imagination devises? Why kill me when you could have another deranged slave wrapped around your finger? Am I not as savage as the Pirate Queen? Am I not a beautiful as your Golden Rose?" Severa looked to her brother and pouted. "I don't think he likes me!"

Before her brother could properly reply, however, the sound of heavy booths and rustling leather sounded from behind Severa and the Gentlemen. As the group of Boykov soldiers rounded the corner, Severa looked over her shoulder, "Uh ohhhhhhh."

"TAKE THEM OUT!" Their apparent leader shouted as he and his men brought their rifles to bare. Severa turned on her heel, unloading her precious Miranda on the newcomers just as soon as they'd begun firing themselves.

"GRAB THE PRIEST! I'LL COVER YOU!" Severa shouted over her shoulder as she backpedaled behind a nearby building. There were too many of them. Catching the Gentleman's eye from across the street, Severa shouted, "I suppose we'll have to---" Her words died in her throat when she noticed the ancient looking tank roll down the street, behind the Gentleman, its enormous barrel looking right at her. "Oh, dear."

An ear-shattering explosion echoed down the street, shattering the windows of every storefront in a quarter-mile radius. The Gentleman could feel the force of the shell as it sailed over his shoulder, and then, the subsequent shockwave it released when it impacted against the corner of the building that Severa had been taking cover behind.

The young noble had thrown herself into a nearby alleyway, narrowly escaping the explosion with her life. Dust and soot from the vaporized concrete caked her back and her arms and hands were banged up, but other than that she was unscathed. As she got to her feet she didn't bother trying to look through the enormous dust cloud to get a visual on the Gentleman. Better to escape now and leave the tank to him.

I'm sure he'll make a fun playmate.

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

"I love you Meredith. We all do."

Pixie didn't say anything at all. She simply nodded. Lifting her hand up across Aesop's back, she placed it on his should as well, squeezing it firmly. Her eye found its way back to the smoldering remains of her comrade.

Bennie watched her for a long while before retreating back underground with the rest of the Maidens. They'd finish getting things setup for the party while she remained above for just a little longer. It was her duty to see him off. To see his body returned to the ash. To see the dusk take his soul.

Some had lingered, but eventually even Aesop had left her side. Alone now, she watched the light of the twin suns waning over the horizon. She felt the air cool around her as timid winds kissed her weathered skin. Darkness had taken the land and what little remained of the man once known as Parker had become difficult to make out.

How would Pixie die? Would they give her the same treatment? Would she die in pain? Would it be slow or quick?

Would there even be anyone left to see her off?

In this moment, she wanted nothing more than to be with her son.

And her daughter.

"Come back to me, please."

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

"We're all in this together."

Elizabeth nodded halfheartedly.

"Ain't that right, kid?"

"Damn fuckin' straight!" Sprout jeered.

"No worrying allowed, Tigerman. It's bad for your health."

"I suppose that's true," Elizabeth giggled.

"Listen to your Doctor." Cranston said as he cracked a smile. "You four are..." The old man stopped mid-sentence as he considered his words. "This isn't your fight. This isn't your war. Whatever happens tonight... whatever happens tomorrow. It's going to be difficult, so stay like this. Remain together. Understand?"

Elizabeth and Sprout nodded silently.

It had come down to the wire. It was likely that someone in this very van may not be leaving the city tonight... or ever.

 

[The Funslinger]

"GRAB THE PRIEST! I'LL COVER YOU!"

Owain reacted before the sentence was even finished, turning on his heel he sprinted towards Florian, throwing the full weight of himself at the Priest. His momentum sent them both careening through the air and they slammed through the boarded up window of a disused shop. Their crash landing amid a fierce grappling set the pistol spinning from Owain's grip, lost among the explosion of dust their landing created.

Rolling off the Priest with the last of his momentum, Owain came to his feet, his eyes set on Florian. As he watched, he reached for his preferred fighting knife. Where the others were small fixed blades, this was a large balisong. Owain twirled the weapon, deftly manipulating the three limbs over and under in a series of complex arcs before bringing the two halves of the handle together in his firm grip. There was a snick as the magnetic clasp fell shut, locking the knife in position and he flipped it into a back hand position.

"Come quietly, Priest," he said. "I'd like to be able to assist my sister, and perhaps wipe the smug grin off of the old man's face before he gets away. Don't tell me you've never wanted to break your vow of pacifism and wring his neck." He shrugged. "Hell, if we actually manage to nab him, we won't have any reason to keep after you. Our orders didn't say anything about harassing a man of the cloth."

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

"Not gonna lie, mate, I have a bad feeling some shit's gonna get pulled," Bryan said to Jun. They were sat in an open topped Crawler by the South East gate. Bryan had delegated the wheel to one of Dio's soldiers and now occupied the passenger seat. If the Maidens did come this way, he thought it best he and Jun actually be able to fight. Aside from them, there was a second Crawler parked adjacent, and a few men on the ground. Twisting in his seat, Bryan called to them.

"Hey lads, be ready to open the gate."

"Why would we open the gate, sir? We're trying to keep them from passing through, aren't we?"

"Aye, but just be ready."

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

For the longest while, Whiskey just stood in the shower as hot water soaked through her hair and sprayed down her back. After a while, it started to run into her eyes, and she wiped it away with a palm. This was such shit. It had been made abundantly clear the well being of her mother and daughter were the price to pay if she hadn't obeyed the order to bring in Eddie. Eddie, whom she'd believed dead for three years. It was one hell of a mind job. Still, she'd done as ordered, and taken the love of her life down a peg. But now, not only had the guillotine not been lifted, it had been brought further down. Millie had actually been taken from her and squirreled away fuck knows where as an insurance policy on Whiskey's own good behaviour. Still, she was complying and surely that meant Millie was safe as could be. But she couldn't shake the feeling that her daughter needed her, desperately.

After she had washed away the sheen of soap she had mindlessly applied to her body to clean away the last of the dirt, Whiskey cut the flow of water and stepped out of the shower. Toweling off, she pulled out the large travel bag she had brought with her in anticipation of her stay with the Maidens. Pulling out a pale grey tank top, jeans and fresh underwear, then threw the lot on her bed and proceeded to dress. Leaving her damp hair hanging loose, she tucked it behind her ears and headed out. She was hardly a prisoner, even if they hated her boss nearly as much as she did.

Walking aimlessly, she considered heading up to drop in on Parker's funeral and dismissed the idea out of hand. She liked the Maidens well enough, but she wasn't one of them and had no right to be there. Funerals were a time for friends and family to grieve. Nobody would appreciate hollow sympathy from her. Adjusting her course, Whiskey headed to the kitchen. Raiding the fridge, she found a jar containing something absolutely mouth watering: Pineapple. She was again surprised at what a luxurious place this Carlos kept. Grabbing a knife, she took the pineapple and set to it.

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

"she bumped her head and she doesn't feel too well. But when we found her she looked real good, we think its best to just let her sleep for now, 'kay doll?"

Millie tried to smile, although her heart skipped a beat when she found out her mother had been hurt. She wasn't quite successful. "Mommy once said she saw a man get hit on the head and afterwards he couldn't speak right. I... I hope that doesn't happen..."

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"This isn't your fight. This isn't your war. Whatever happens tonight... whatever happens tomorrow. It's going to be difficult, so stay like this. Remain together. Understand?"

Lilith smiled weakly, nodding her head sagely.

Cranston was wrong about one thing though. This was going to be their fight, their war, whether they wanted it or not. They could either spend their time running away, hoping everything would blow over, that no more of their friends and family would die. Sit in a hole somewhere for weeks, maybe even months.

Lilith clenched her jaw, she couldn't avoid fighting, she couldn't avoid killing, it always sought her out. She was done running away, if she couldn't escape this life, then she'd kick that son of a ***** in the teeth, they only way she knew how. By not letting it change her, not letting fear and anger rule her life.

A small smirk curled the corner of her mouth.

 

[Dogmatic99]

"...Don't tell me you've never wanted to break your vow of pacifism and wring his neck."

Like you wouldn't believe. But this was no time to make friends through mutual animosity. This was The Gentleman's concern, Florian's were all burning in the ivory tower. There had to be someone there he knew, that he could get some answers from. Or at least some way to fight the madness that was running rampant through Frostfall and was proving infuriatingly catchy.

He could just let loose right now, fight back, take advantage of the chaos and get in enough cheap shots to get past and on his way. Butt he chaos was apparently having none of it as the tank rolled round the corner and proceeded to make the street it's *****. Blasting a crater into an unlucky storefront and leaving the others shaken and scared beyond recognition. Shards of glass and rubble showered down on them, adding to Florian's growing total of cuts and bruises as well as sending him staggering for balance.

The ringing in Florian's ears died down quickly as the dust settled and a shadow fell over him, quickly followed by the feeling of cold steel at his throat.

Laugh, cry or scream, decisions, decisions. The mad noble gently guided Florian to his feet as the flat of the blade pressed against the priest's chin. The manic rich kid's smarmy grin would have been insufferable if it wasn't well earned. At least he actively backed up his smugness. Nothing to do now... endure and survive... don't let this be the end.

"Let's just get this over with." Florian grimaced, his eyes wandering away from the man who had him at knife point and back to the burning tower on the horizon. Welcome home you stupid bastard.

 

[The Funslinger]

With his knife to the Priest's throat, Owain reached out with his left hand to take the man's forearm. In no position to resist, Florian's arm was brought up behind his back with Owain gripping the wrist firmly. Even if the Priest got the his exposed throat away from the blade, it would just take one sharp pull on Owain's part to pop Florian's arm out of its socket.

Both men jogged out of the ruined storefront as the sound of Severa's LMG filled the air. Moving quickly across the street, Owain ducked behind a large pile of rubble next to Severa, forcing Florian down with him. With the extra set of eyes provided by his sister, Owain took the knife from Florian's throat long enough to pick a pistol up off of the ground and drop it into his holster. Putting the knife back against his hostage's neck, he grinned at his sister.

"Time to go, I think. Unless you think we can somehow drag the old man out of this mess with us, we might as well find somewhere nice and private to have a chat with the Father here."

 

[ProtoChimp]

"Mommy once said she saw a man get hit on the head and afterwards he couldn't speak right. I... I hope that doesn't happen..."

The woman frowned slightly before patting the little girl softly on the shoulder. "I hope so too, but Father says Mother is too strong for that. Try not to worry kiddo." The woman smiled and walked away from the small child. Rounding a corner she found one of their on ship doctors. "Hey is mother okay? One of the newbies is worried."

"Uh?" paused the shaky looking man. "Uh yeah yes, she looks good she just needs to rest."

"You okay bro?" She asked, the man shaking visibly.

"Yeah, just lotsa caffeine."

"Is uh-"

"Its a great idea I need to work, now now, come help me move this little boy's bed into where you just came from, he should be around others his age.
=============================
The young Austin North panted as he slowly became in control of his own breathing. The water felt good, and he even felt much cleaner than when he was in the sewers.

"Why," he breathed in, "don't I smell?"

"We had one of our sisters give you a sponge bath." Answered the woman nursing him.

"Sponge bath!" He suddenly breathed in sharply and clutched his chest.

"Sssshhhh its alright, we didn't take off your grundies, we figured we'd need your permission first, brother." The woman held his arm softly as he started panting even harder.

He was only going to make a joke about sponge baths, yet even the slight shock had brought a sharp pain to his chest. He nodded and sighed. "Thanks, why's my chest hurt?"

"Probably dehydration, let me refill your canteen hun, shout if you need something." She smiled and left the room in search of more water when another doctor and woman entered the room.

"Sorry young sir but we wondered if you wanted to be moved in with your siblings?"

"Siblings?" Austin asked.

"Others your age." Answered the woman.

"Oh, I thought it meant brothers and sisters."

"Yes, it means that too." Replied the shaky doctor as he began slowly pulling out the bed.

"Wait what?" Austin kept asking confused as he was moved out of the med bay and into a small-ish room where other children where. The two people moving him weren't answering any of his questions, and as he left the room he lay there confused on the bed. He slumped his arms at his sides and lay his head back. At least he was safe.
==================================
Feeling Pixie's firm squeeze on his shoulder calmed Aesop. He felt privileged to even know someone as downright good as Pixie. 'Course she had fucking problems, but there was no one else with the balls and the compassion to do what needed to be done in the world, but also knew that people were people, not just background to the play at large. And for him to say anyone else had problems was certainly rich.

He stood there, with his arm around her and her hand on his shoulder for a while, until finally he thought she may want to stand alone. He assumed this was always the way, and she stuck around to watch the last bit of her Maiden's body burn away at every funeral; it was this way with the others.

Heading back down he took one last glance at Parker and Pixie before descending into Carlos's hideout. He found the man and tapped him on the shoulder, after taking off his breather, and asking, "Hey, you know any non alcoholic ways I can get fucked up tonight? I can't stay sober tonight, I'll do something stupid and crazy I just... can't."

 

[Terratina.]

"Not gonna lie, mate, I have a bad feeling some shit's gonna get pulled,"

Jun frowned and looked at the formidable defences the Maidens would have to get through, of course they would need a trick or too get through that lump of metal. In addition to that, they would probably fight like the hellions they were just for a chance of escape. Still, as long as Dio's soldiers had control of the gate, the Maidens and the Noble would be trapped inside a very hostile Feroxi. But which gate? It was kinda like goddamn roulette. He turned his head back around, there was no point in worrying about such things, at least, not until the shit hit the fan anyway. For now, though, best to enjoy the little bit of calm before the storm - worrisome Irishman or not worrisome Irishman. But Jun had to admit he could feel a twisting sea of grim anticipation churn inside him.

Outwardly - however - he just replied with, "Unease solves nothing."

 

[Fappy]

"Time to go, I think. Unless you think we can somehow drag the old man out of this mess with us, we might as well find somewhere nice and private to have a chat with the Father here."

Severa giggled so hard she snorted, "Who needs the old man anyway!? This one looks far more interesting! Now, come Brother, let us take our leave from the stage!" She suggested as she ushered Owain and their prisoner into an alleyway while laying down cover-fire.

They would return to their hotel for now. Chances were the place had been abandoned during the chaos. Who would stay and work when there was war in the streets?

Owain had dragged the prisoner along, allowing Severa to take point on their journey home. She'd cut down countless Bejics and Boykovs before finally reaching the hotel. Kicking down the front door, it appeared her theory had been correct.

The lobby was empty.

"I can hardly wait to play with this one, Owain! Hurry and take him upstairs!"

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

The rest of the trip had been made in relative silence, as the Maidens mentally prepared themselves for what was to come. Then, suddenly, the driver of the van radioed his superior, "Uh, Sandringham, Sir... We've got a problem..."

Getting to his feet, Cranston walked up to the front of the vehicle and leaned over the driver's seat to get a better look. The South Gate was dead ahead.

It was sealed.

"Shit! They're onto us!" Cranston shouted as he readied his weapon. Grabbing onto the frame of the sliding door, the old assassin looked to Lilith. "They've got soldiers posted at the gate. Get ready to fight!"

Noticing the fear in her eyes, Sprout put an arm around Elizabeth's shoulder, "Don' worry none, Liz. You've the meanest badasses in the ashlands coverin' fer you. This'll be a rout fer sure!"

"Be careful," Elizabeth muttered to Lilith.

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

"Get ready, Harel," Ortega suddenly blurted out as they closed in on their destination. "Those vans ahead? They might be our guys."

He sped up his crawler.

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

"Hey, you know any non alcoholic ways I can get fucked up tonight? I can't stay sober tonight, I'll do something stupid and crazy I just... can't."

Carlos gave him a stern look before shaking his head, "Pixie'd kill me if I got you fucked up. Besides, you've got a disease, brother. It'd dishonor your friend to indulge in such weakness while mourning him. The others do it because they can handle it. If you have to come to me and beg under your Captain's nose, clearly, you can't." Brushing past Aesop, he waved without looking back. "Little advice: eat until you can't move and then pass the fuck out."

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

An hour after Parker had been laid to rest, the party was already in full-swing. Carlos had prepared a grand feast for his guests and the main course had long since been served. Despite that, most of the Maidens were still seated around the dining table, drinking and laughing.

Naturally, Pixie was seated at the head of the table with Amy on one side of her and the cowgirl, Whiskey, on the other. She'd already put away enough liquor to down a horse by the time dessert had come around. She was quite drunk, "... Purdy sure that was the stupidest fuckin' thin' I think I ever heard in my life. But you know what?" Pixie snickered, knocking over a wine glass as she leaned in closer to Whiskey. "He fucked me right'n good, I'll tell ya'! Fucker was a dumb twat but he had a mean cock on 'im! Almost made me sad ta' rob 'im blind every night after he passed out."

She grinned before adding, "Almost."

Looking to Amy, she laughed and grabbed her forearm, "Don' get me wrong though, darlin'! This girl 'ere's a fuckin' jackpot, ya' know! Makes me holler louder'n the thickest sausage on the Rock, I reckon!" Leering at Amy now, Pixie started chuckling like a horny, teenage boy. "Yer tongue writes fuckin' Shakespeare on my cl---"

"Christ, woman!" Cameron interjected, "Get some goddamn soap for that noise hole of yours!"

Pixie waved her off, "Ah, fuck off prude! Go jump my ex's bones again, why don't ya'!" Pixie laughed.

Cameron simply rolled her eyes before getting up and walking across the dining room. Grabbing up a bottle of vodka from the center of the table, she took a swig. Straight. She'd do it again, too. Again and again, until everyone's faces got blurry.

For Parker!

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

Bennie watched the shenanigans unfold before him like he had so many times in the past. It had been awhile since he'd attended a Maiden funeral. Somewhat drunk himself, he nudged Ruffles who was seated next to him at the end of table, opposite Pixie, "Get your shit out, man. This booze ain't doin' it for me."

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"Shit! They're onto us!"

"They were bloody quick!" Lilith replied as she quickly got to her feet.

"They've got soldiers posted at the gate. Get ready to fight!"

Lilith's eyes met the old man's, a knowing look in them, she nodded firmly. Rifle, where was her rifle? "'Scuse me, ladies." She muttered as she shuffled by Elizabeth, Sprout, and Maria. Kneeling down next to her things, she grabbed a couple handful of rounds, stuffing them into her jacket pockets. Grabbing one final handful, she shifted back across the van.

"Don' worry none, Liz. You've the meanest badasses in the ashlands coverin' fer you. This'll be a rout fer sure!"

Opening the chamber on her rifle, she quickly fed in five rounds. "And then you have me." The rifle made a satisfying 'clunk' as Lilith locked the bolt into place. "I ain't too bad though." She smirked as she looked up at the other three.

"Be careful,"

Looking at the girl, Lilith's expression softened. "Count on it." She winked. Looking at Sprout, she smiled warmly. "One last shindig before we get to see the Queen ***** again, think you can look after these two harlots while I go make a mess?" A shiver of fear ran through her, she was scared, of course she was, that was never going to change overnight. There was a calmness in her eyes however, one she hoped Sprout would see. If she appeared to not be afraid, then neither would he.

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

"Those vans ahead? They might be our guys."

Asad clenched his jaw as he tightened his grip on his rifle.

'God, I hope not.'

 

[The Funslinger]

Whiskey grinned as she listened to her exuberant host. "Darling, I reckon you and I are gonna get along just fine." Reaching across Pixie, she poured herself another drink and knocked it back. "So right, I'm prepping for this hostage negotiation, y'know, the one with those friends of yours. So I'm just sitting there in my apartment, this fuck off box of carbon on my desk and I get asked to buzz someone up. And it turns out it's some bounty hunter chick. She'd be kinda hot if she weren't so frigid." Whiskey paused to sip at what remained in her glass.

"So she starts being all like "I want info on these people you're dealing with' like it's in my best interests to put a deal on the line for this *****. So I'm all 'candy ass' this and 'sugar tits' that, and she's got a fucking thunder cloud forming above her head like 'don't you dare call me that,' and I'm just thinking... 'damn, this girl needs to get her pussy licked.'" Whiskey gave a drunken laugh. "Of course I'd have volunteered, but I swear to Christ, she's probably have shot me! Aw Jesus, the look on her face!"

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

"Get your shit out, man. This booze ain't doin' it for me."

"Sorry," replied Ruffles. "My travel stash is tapped, man. Didn't expect to be away from the ship this long. Hell, if I had any, I'd give it to Aesop. Dude needs it bad." He clapped Bennie on the shoulder. "Just one more thing to think about when we're getting the Maiden back, huh? I swear to god, if those psychotic brats have touched my garden I'll run 'em over with the ship."

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

"I can hardly wait to play with this one, Owain! Hurry and take him upstairs!"

Having paused to tie Florian's wrists, Owain shrugged, hefting the Priest into a fireman's lift and headed to the stairs. "Fine, but you should probably let me deal with actually getting the information," he said. "You always seem to kill them."

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"Please, do not lie to me, Mr. Gentleman. I know you have some odd obsession with keeping strange, dangerous women under your thumb."

The Gentleman raised an eyebrow.

"Why kill me when you could have me, body and mind, in whatever sick, twisted way your imagination devises?

Both of his eyebrows were now elevated past the rim of his hat.

'Not for nothing, my dear, but I'd rather take a tumble with Vasa.'

"Am I not as savage as the Pirate Queen? Am I not a beautiful as your Golden Rose?"

'On both counts, not by half.'

As the Boykov's interrupted their stand-off, The Gentleman made a snap decision and dropped the pistol he'd stolen from Owain. The boy was probably bluffing, but The Gentleman wasn't chancing it. Besides, he was more than quick enough with his own signature weapon that dual wielding was necessary. His first thought was to go for Severa, who was both the greater threat, and also a completely open target at this particular moment. However, out of the corner of his eye, The Gentleman spied Owain making a lunge for Florian, and shifted his aim. Just as The Gentleman was squeezing the trigger, a tank shell came howling down the street, passing by no more than a couple of feet from his head, the vortex of air being pushed unceremoniously out into it's wake was powerful enough to blow him clean off his feet, knocking the wind out of him.

'Out of all the things... nobody's ever shot at me with a tank before... I don't like it.'

Rising to his feet, The Gentleman tried to get a bead on Owain once more, but he and Florian were inches apart now, and the air was so full of dust The Gentleman had no clear shot. Besides, he had to remind himself, he was a sitting duck out in the open, and had no interest in being shot himself.

Florian would have to fend for himself for the time being.

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

"Uh, Sandringham, Sir... We've got a problem..."

Without reply, Sandringham calmly assessed the situation in front of them. It certainly wasn't ideal. The soldiers almost matched them in numbers, were more heavily armed, and had overwatch from the catwalk. Still, if they had expected this to go smoothly, they never would have bothered with disguises.

"Copy that." Sandringham replied, before turning round to the back to face the Maidens, who were gearing up for a fight. "Stay put. If we're not blown already, we will be if any of those men out there get eyes on any of you. Let's not start a firefight as long as we can still do this the easy way."

Slowly, and steadily, the vans crawled up to the checkpoint, when one of the soldiers drew closer, Sandringham wound down his window.

"What's the hold up?" he asked, sounding more tired than tense. "I got a 4-hour perimeter inspection to get through." He tapped the ID badge pinned to the breast of his protective suit. "You people wanna let me do my job?"

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

Amy sat beside Pixie, feeling awkwardly conspicuous as Pixie loudly regaled the table with previous sexual exploits. She was trying her best to do as Pixie said, to be 'herself', and she felt remarkable like a mouse that had been let out of its cage for the first time, constantly fighting the impulse to scurry back in and find a place to hide, where the confines of the bars could give her perspective.

She wouldn't though. Amy could do better than failing at the first hurdle.

"Yer tongue writes fuckin' Shakespeare on my cl---"

Amy giggled stupidly taking Pixie's hand, while simultaneously brushing her foot up Pixie's calf under the table.

"And yours plays heavy metal on mine." she whispered, leaning in close to Pixie's ear.

Perhaps all this didn't have to be so scary?

The moment was soured, however, when Amy briefly caught the look on Bennie's face, before he leaned over to Ruffles in the pursuit of some thing stronger than what they were drinking. She hung her head a a little and sighed. She was going to have to talk to him tonight, one on one. If this party was the beginning of a new era for her, an era of confronting her problems, then she had best start with the elephant in the room.