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

[Terratina.]

"You with me?"

Jun was busy brushing himself down but he caught the gist of Tsubaki's spiel well enough. He couldn't help but think of petty little barbed retorts to the stream of hypocrital patronising bullshit coming out of that *****'s mouth. Woman was insane, back and forth like a goddamn yo-yo. Or perhaps she just didn't know what to do and had resorted to a stock mortal-boosting speech? Or a break in her latest facade? Saburo had switched gears even since that skirmish months ago. Probably thought the scar made a grizzled hardass. Nope. But at least the tryhard hardass routine was more bearable than the fucking friendly teamwork coach one. It was tempting, oh so tempting, to repeat the same mistake; rip that lying tongue right outta her mouth. But he would look like a right dumbass. Jun didn't grace the question with a verbal responsse, simply folded his arms and gave a weak nod.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"Mmmmm." A hooded Lilith inhaled deeply, resting against the inside of the door frame to Gale's room. "Smells like drama." The woman smirked as she looked down at the two younger girls, taking a small sip from her hot mug of tea. Lilith had eavesdropped on most of the argument between Amy and Gale.

"Can't be dealing with your overly emotional shit right now, ladies, either make up or fight it out, I don't care what you do, but any more of this prissy back and forth 'woe is me' bollocks and I'll sort you out myself." Lilith narrowed her eyes playfully.

The impact of the statement was slightly dampened by the long sleeves hanging loosely over her hands.

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

"Right! Your turn Harel! Shall we hear the dashing tale of how you rescued the princess, or something more exciting?"

Asad grunted, he wasn't really one for telling stories, but he was drunk and tired. "Have you ever heard of a robotic swordsman?" He started, a tired smiled curled his lips as he began the tale of how he and Elizabeth has escaped Feroxi.

 

[Dogmatic99]

Well it seemed she'd have no more interruptions. Lovely, gale could just close her eyes and play...

Spoiler: Play it, Gale.

That was the stuff. That was home right there. It was always kind of tricky for Gale to really enjoy the music she played. It would always sound different to the one doing the playing. Her mind was never fully on listening as it focused on keeping her hands working properly to keep in time. Posture could be a big thing too but she didn't have to worry about that with this little guitar. The one doing the playing could never really relax and let it just wash over them, sure they could see a song from a different angle, get their own experience out of it... but something would always be missing from it for them that only the idle listener could get.

Not with this nameless number though. This one had followed Gale around all her life. It was home, warmth and even in those odd moments when the notes would jumble together in an unorganised mess could give her a sense of calm. It didn't matter to Gale how she played it, to her how she played it. It would always sound as beautiful as the first time.

'Sorry I forgot you...' She'd been letting little bits of home slip away over her time on the road, not just since she'd joined the maidens. That would have to change. Gale played on for just a little, the song actually had no set end, it would go as long as the player wished and then quietly sleep till they called it up again. She only needed to hear it a little tonight. It had done its job beautifully.

"About a month ago Axel and I had this big fight..."

'Oh shit, she's still here!' Gale's eyes flew open and she almost jumped out of her skin. She thought Amy had left in a huff! As it turned out Amy was just getting started again. Spirits below can she not go on.' At least it felt a bit less like bullshit this time, if a little whiny, as was the way around here. Still, Gale listened to the end.

"Smells like drama."

'There's another one!' Gale was just getting all the blondes tonight. Why was everyone coming into her room and demanding attention tonight, had she left a sign up? Whatever she'd have to practical wise woman the shit out of these two.

"Okay... so to your thing." She looked at Amy. "I would try, like, taking a breath and counting to ten next time you wanna wreck folks. Then maybe stuff doesn't seem so bad. And you, Princess." It was Lilith's turn now. "There better be booze or cards up one of those sleeves." Because you know that Gale and Lil had to have card nights where very little playing got done and lots of gossiping was had.

And that was the extent of her life advice. What did they want from her? She was tired!

 

[Terratina.]

"uh, hey Maria. It's me. You there?"

Maria rushed out of the bed as soon as his voice crackled out of the radio. The first call in months... Well, Ruffles had racked up a lot of bad boyfriend points and then some.

"It seems my radio's picking up ghostly broadcasts, and now my boyfriend is among their ranks." Maria snarkily thought aloud, "Shame, he could really use a good wallop."

"Well hey, someone beat you to it by like two months," Ruffles replied, rubbing the spot on his head where the guy in the spec ops goggles had hit him. "And to be fair, there's a really good reason I haven't been calling!"

Terratina: Maria sighed, "Let's hear it."

"Well..." Ruffles began, as he went about fishing his rolling supplies from his jacket pocket. "I've kinda been held prisoner for the past couple months."

"WHAT?" The question escaped her mouth before her mind kicked in. Of course trouble was no stranger to a Maiden but it was supposed to be a simple mechanic job. However Payton was involved so...

"Hey, hey, don't worry, I'm okay now," Ruffles said quickly. "Buncha spec ops guys stormed the prison ship and broke us out. It was really badass."

"Just... how did you get yourself clapped in irons?" Maria replied, scratching her head.

As Ruffles rolled, he told her how he'd stumbled across Eddie being held prisoner, their unsuccessful escape attempt and then their more successful escape from aboard the prison ship.

"So yeah, Elizabeth's building Yuteni back up. It uh... kinda seems like she needs all the help she can get."

"All grown up now is she?" Maria mused, thinking back to their first meeting.

"Well I don't really know," Ruffles said, taking a toke. "I haven't had a chance to see her yet."

"Vale." Maria nodded, "Well, on my end, Bennie's just been havin' us do heist all the time. Been busy."

As Maria spoke, Ruffles puffed on his joint and looked at the spherical casing he'd bought. He'd need it in two halves for what he intended, which meant he'd have to remove the clasp and hinge, then forge out the flaws.

"Well I hope I haven't missed anything good," he said, dropping the casing back in the bag.

"So how's Allie getting on?"

"Fine." Maria stretched, "Though Bennie had a go at her recently. He wasn't a fan of the laser disco bot thingy she unleashed in a middle of a gunfight."

"Oh, she's in her lasers phase, huh?" Ruffles said. "Don't let her near any mirrors and she should be fine."

"Mhm." Was the only thing Maria had to say to that. She jumped back her bed, "I've missed you a lot, y'know."

"Yeah..." Ruffles said, deflating a little. "I've missed you too. Thing is, I... y'know... I kinda think Liz needs all the help she can get right now. I don't think I can leave yet."

"Fiiiiiine. Long as you gimme as much attention as Tigerman's gettin' - call regularly if ya can." Maria said as she leant forward.

"I think I can manage that," Ruffles said, grinning. "Oh, and by the way, I totally have an afro now."

Maria raised an eyebrow, "How big?"

Ruffles shrugged. "It could be bigger."

"Helpful." Maria replied, "Just make sure small animals are kept out of it."

"You sure?" he asked, smiling even wider. "I've always wanted a pet."

"Thought you had one: Allie." Maria grinned.

"She's my apprentice, there's a difference!" Ruffles said defensively. "For starters, she feeds and walks herself."

"Well tell her to sort those curls out and perhaps speak a little clearer!" She said, "She's quite feral!"

From there the conservation cascaded onwards until they talked their throats dry. Maria gave out a laugh as she said goodbye and turned off the radio, thinking of an afroed Ruffles with little canaries in his hair.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"I would try, like, taking a breath and counting to ten next time you wanna wreck folks. Then maybe stuff doesn't seem so bad."

Amy sighed and looked down at her knees.

'They keep making it sound so easy.'

"There better be booze or cards up one of those sleeves."

Amy shook the depressing cobwebs out of her head and turned to Lilith, smiling.

"Yeah, come on." She said "You had a good day at the tables, somebody has to break your winning streak."

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Harry and the others listened intently to Asad's story. At first, they looked sceptical, before the story passed a level of lunacy that none of them could see Asad being able to make up.

"That is the most fucking metal thing I have ever heard. Pun fully intended." Bigsy said with a low whistle, after Asad had finished.

"Kinda wished I heard this story before I signed up..." Croft added grimly "'Hey, so the bad guys have a cyborg ninja assassin, but at least we have dental!'"

"Look at it this way..." Harry replied "So far Masawhodawhat seems to have done a lot more damage to his own side than any other so far. If I was His Lordship I'd be regretting my investment somewhat."

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"If I was His Lordship I'd be regretting my investment somewhat."

Asad gulped down his latest drink and slammed the glass on the bar, coughing as the whiskey burned his already ragged throat. "And that's the story of how I betrayed all my friends, my colleagues, my boss, and..." He smiled sadly, blinking drunkenly. "Well." A short laugh escaped his nostrils as he seemed to deflate, holding out his hands as if conceding.

"The things we do in order to sleep better at night."

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

"You had a good day at the tables, somebody has to break your winning streak."

Lilith snorted as she held back a laugh. "Y'all bitches can't even handle me right now, we didn't even need to rob that place, a few more hours doing my thing and we would have walked out with all the carbon fair and square." She struck a heroic pose, raising her pinky finger as she took a refined sip from her mug of tea.

 

[Fappy]

"Just you and me now, honey."

Bennie flashed a weary grin. In a perfect world he would have asked her, 'business or personal' and then she'd have gotten down on her knees and answered his question. Unfortunately, despite what the big man wanted, there were pressing matters to attend to.

That didn't mean he couldn't enjoy the conversation, however.

Meeting her halfway across the bridge, Bennie brushed a stray hair out of Whiskey's eyes and kissed her on the lips. "Hey, baby," he replied in a cool, deep tone.

Though the flirting started shortly after Pixie left the Maiden, the new Captain and his first mate weren't an official item until two months after their first job together. Sprout was hesitant at first, but had warmed up to the idea overtime. As for Millie, she was on-board from the get-go. She was a smart girl of course, but Bennie figured she just wasn't old enough to fully understand the situation.

Whatever void Eddie was meant to fill in her life was on Bennie now.

No pressure.

"Bills are being counted as we speak," he told Whiskey. "Once we've got the total I'll call our contact in Paradiso and finalize the exchange. Hopefully the kids don't get too rowdy tonight. Still got a lot of work to do."

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"Literally everything I do goes over someone's head."

Piper looked him up and down, arms crossed. He clearly wasn't in the mood for this.

Too bad.

"You and I both know how this'll end," she told Erik. "No matter what demands your boy makes, both of you will be coming back to Yuteni with us tonight. We all have too much to lose if this deal doesn't work and you know it. So just promise me you'll steer him towards a realistic deal, okay?" She clenched her jaw. "Neither of us are politicians. We don't bicker on-and-on like they do. We reach consensus. We plot a course and we commit to it. So let's get this done."

She held her hand out for him. "Will you go to war with me, Ablev?"

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"Sure thing, boss. I'll get right on it. But hey, I hear they make a pill fer that."

Caputo's face flushed bright red. "What'd you say you fuckin' smart guy? Eh?" he barked, making ready to strike the Irishman. Before the scene could escalate, the door to the warehouse flew open. It was the rest of Samsara squad, with Tsubaki front-and-center.

They looked like hell... in more ways than one.

"Fuckin' finally!" Caputo exclaimed, turning towards the Colonel. He'd apparently forgotten all about Bryan's trespass. "The cops give you any trouble?"

"No," Tsubaki answered briefly.

Looking at the others, Caputo cocked an eyebrow. "Somebody die?"

Tsubaki grunted, slightly amused, and brushed by the mobster. "Got any drinks around here?" she asked, shedding her extra layers as she approached the cooler in the back of the warehouse.

"Yeah, jus' don' go drinkin' any of my shit," he warned. Looking to the others, he scratched his mustache and frowned. "Don't relax too much. We're expectin' Morello's son tonight. Remember that."

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Amy had been gone long enough for her spot on the bed to go cold.

It was okay though. Solitude was a rare commodity on the Maiden, after all.

Sprout lay in bed, wide awake, gazing at the stars through the port window. It was times like this that he really missed her.

She used to walk the halls of the Maiden late at night, as if she were looking for something she could never hope to find. And when she gave up she would just... sit down and enjoy the view. Lose herself in the vastness above. He would follow her and watch her.

Back then, he didn't like being alone.

"Who were they?" he whispered, half to himself and half to her ghost. "Were they good people? Why did they die?" Sitting up, he reached over and opened the bedside nightstand. Inside, he found a faded photo Pixie. The picture was old. She was so young. So full of life. "Is there a chance... could they still be..."

He closed his eyes. "No," he choked. "I'm sorry, I jus'... I know that--no one can replace you. No one ever will."

He opened his eyes again, brushing the tears away before they could fall upon the photo.

She was so young.

 

[Dogmatic99]

Erik didn't bother trying to stop his eyes from rolling, as if he ever would. Apparently no one was ever too old for this shtick. Honestly after all the times they'd worked together he would have thought Piper would have stopped bothering with this act, at least with him.

'You still give others too little credit it seems.' Maybe finally getting her own Florian was making her broodier than she'd admit, Erik knew how these things were. He also knew she was right.

"Will you go to war with me, Ablev?"

"Shit... I was going to do that anyway." He grumbled, wrapping her hand in his own, still a little hungover.

 

[The Funslinger]

"What'd you say you fuckin' smart guy? Eh?" Caputo snarled, going bright red.

Caputo started moving to hit him, arm drawing back and everything. Though Bryan was stood stock still, he could feel the gears of his internal mechanism turning. Caputo was going to take a swing and Bryan would, in turn, wreck his shit on autopilot if he didn't check the motion. 'Aw fuck, I've fucked it, fuck!'

Then, suddenly, the warehouse door opened, distracting Caputo. The mob boss turned to see the rest of Samsara striding in. His arm fell to his side as though he'd forgotten about his own anger.

While Tsubaki and Caputo exchanged a few terse remarks, Bryan thought back to Caputo's reaction to his comment moments earlier and broke out in a grin. Catching Tsubaki's eye as she passed Caputo by, Bryan's smile of amusement widened and he had to fight the urge to start laughing.

Brushing a hand down his face and composing himself, Bryan turned and followed after Tsubaki. They had their role to play, after all, even if it was starting to make him feel a bit sick.

Matching her stride, he looked at her sidelong. "Hey honey, I was worried about ya. You okay?" The concern was real, but he played it up lovey, even slipping an arm around her waist.

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

"Once we've got the total I'll call our contact in Paradiso and finalize the exchange. Hopefully the kids don't get too rowdy tonight. Still got a lot of work to do."

"Yeah," Whiskey said, wrapping her arms around the small of Bennie's back. "Gotta keep ourselves busy, right?"

Being as tall as she was, it wasn't often that Whiskey had to look up at anyone. Bennie was an exception to that rule, and so she looked up at him now. Admittedly the view was mostly jawline, embraced as they were, but she did it anyway.

"Maybe you oughta ease up on 'em a bit," she said. "They're only kids."

 

[Fappy]

"Hey honey, I was worried about ya. You okay?"

Tsubaki didn't bother responding until she had a beer in her hand. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied curtly. The Colonel popped open her drink before meeting Bryan's gaze. "How's the package?"

She'd keep their discussion focused on business. He didn't need to know about Jun's little outburst... at least not right now.


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

"They're only kids."

Bennie frowned. "They gave up being kids when they signed on to this gig," he explained. "Their lives are in my hands. We've been lucky so far, but we have lost a few. I barely knew them, but it still hurt like hell. Hurt even worse for the rest of the crew, I'm sure."

The big man let out a deep sigh, one he'd clearly held in for awhile now. "Are we doing the right thing?" he asked Whiskey bluntly. "Back in Yuteni, we took those kids in because they had nowhere else to turn and we needed the bodies. We had no money, so we couldn't hire new hands. We had to rely on a handful of professionals to teach a bunch of kids how to kill and steal for a living. We've got money now. If this deal in Paradiso goes down without a hitch, we'll be practically swimming in it.

"I've been thinking for awhile... maybe we should find the younger ones a home. A real home. We could give them or their caretakers money to get by and we could use the rest to fill our ranks with professionals. People who've already condemned themselves to... whatever 'this' is."

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It was time now, the deal was about to be made. Just down the hall - beyond the ornate double doors - sat Florian and his entourage, waiting for her. Waiting to see what she could possibly offer them. She would ask them to move heaven-and-earth. To put their entire civilization on the line. And for what?

Hopefully they don't ask that, Elizabeth thought, choking back her anxiety.

And then, before she'd even realized it, she was standing before Florian's court. She greeted them with a brave grin. Edea stepped forward, pulling a chair out for her charge. Once she was seated, the young noble cast her gaze across the large table and spoke. "Well now, shall we begin?"

 

[Dogmatic99]

Florian had managed to arrive early this time and had eagerly sunk into the padding of his understated yet ornate chair at the head of the table. His muscles were still screaming from earlier and he had to keep reminding himself that the day was just starting. It probably wasn't going to get any easier either. Though he was flanked by friendly faces here, he knew he'd be answering to the collected voices of the dome council and the media and public opinion polls and drunk guys he might pass in the street and- oh Christ, it was all so much.

'Well this is what I signed up for.'

He turned to Irena who was sat to his left. She gave a little nod and brandished all the updated files she and her people had penned. If nothing else Yuteni would be coming out of this happily. They didn't have long to wait and discuss game plans before their guests arrived. Erik was almost late, of course.

"Well now, shall we begin?"

"Let's." Said Florian. "You've had our opening offer." He kept things formal for now and held back on their own offers for Yuteni. You never showed your hand early in bandit negotiations and Florian didn't see a reason for that to change here.

Elizabeth glanced over at Beatrix who had already been seated before she entered the room. The older woman responded with a reassuring nod. "I can promise you half," Elizabeth announced. "Unfortunately, I cannot be certain how much my family still has to their name, so I must temper your expectations. The remaining balance can be paid off over the next three years." She paused momentarily, taking in the alarmed response of those gathered around the table. "Frostfall, Boomhower, Yuteni - these cities need us. They need this alliance. Once this battle is over, we can rebuild, and as our allies prosper, so will we. I'm not asking for an army - I'm asking for a partnership. One strong enough to weather the coming storm. Carbon isn't the only thing you stand to gain from this."

"Isn't the only thing to gain. Look at this she's stealing my line, everyone's stealing my lines this week." Florian looked around at his assembled advisers, doing his best Frostfall stand-up voice.

They weren't going for the joke. Some could give a shrug, others were grumbling. Erik was saying three years was a good deal. Others said there was too much uncertainty, girl didn't even know how much money she had!

He heard out the expected arguments before quietening things down. "So this is our reply to that plan... and we think you might like it." He grinned.

The file got slid across the table. It was as dry as all the others they'd drowned Elizabeth under but it made it clear that Frostfall was willing and able to go halves on the Yuteni reconstruction.

Franz stole a quick peak and grinned. "It seems you're a natural diplomat, darling," he told his betrothed. "Mother will be proud."

"Oh, I bet she will," Elizabeth muttered under her breath. "This is acceptable." She said, looking at Florian now.

And that was that. No drawn out negotiations. No arguments. Nothing like the political battle Elizabeth had prepared for.

How much of this was Beatrix's doing?

"Now, logistics," she began. "How soon can you get your army to Yuteni?"

"Acceptable she says, Ooh." Erik grumbled cattily. Florian ignored him.

"I'll need to talk to the experts but the guard should be able to mobilise in a day or two, the airships not much longer. You'll need smaller units from us. The uuuh agile options but I'm getting ahead of myself in tactics. Erik, you'll want to bring your boys, how long do you think they'll need?"

"Eh, they can go tonight if you like. I'll bring drinks they can bring the music." The big man practically waved them off as if he was talking to friends at the bar.

Piper smiled. "Yuteni's life support capabilities aren't fully operational yet, but we should be able to house one or two modestly sized battalions for now. We'll use the city as a staging area, and once the remainder of your forces arrive we will mobilize."

"Ultimately the two of us command our own forces," Elizabeth said to the young Bejic, "but I propose we split command of the joint-force between Captain Russo and Mr. Ablev, with Ablev leading the ground forces and Russo providing air support."

"That sounds agreeable to me. Erik, how would you feel about having command of the ground troops?" Florian turned to his advisor.

"The ground is where I live."

"He'd be delighted."

Elizabeth chuckled and rose from her seat. "Well then, I think we've come to an agreement," she said as she crossed the room, joining Florian at the other end of the table. Once he was on his feet, she took his hand in hers. "This is the start of a long and fruitful partnership. It's an honor, my Lord."

"The feeling is mutual." Florian nodded as he gave Elizabeth's hand a light, symbolic, shake.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Kat stood on ceremony during the meeting in stiff silence. It really was just for show. Clearly, everything worth deciding had already been decided in back rooms before anyone had sat down.

Was Katya cynical? Of course she was. It was her job to protect her lord, and part of that job description meant keeping his feet on the ground. Such an alliance, so much of which essentially amounted to an I.O.U, went against a grain in so many ways.

She didn't say anything, however. It was her duty now to follow Florian and get him safely to the end of this endeavour. She would not fail.

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

Harry's head was more than a little sore when he woke, but he'd had much worse. Nothing that a shower and a cooked breakfast couldn't fix. On the much brighter side, he still had his memory and as such was not surprised to feel a particularly lovely barmaid stir next to him. Her name was... he'd sure he'd asked at some point during the night? Was it Bella, or Bethany? Something like that.

Okay, maybe his memory wasn't quite crystal clear.

"Morning." he whispered soothingly as she woke "I was just about to make some breakfast, do you want anything?"

"Ohh, breakfast in bed." she cooed, batting her eyelashes at him. The effect didn't quite work thanks to how sleepy she looked, but it was endearing nonetheless. "I wouldn't mind, but I'd like to sink my teeth into something else first..."

That suited Harry just fine, as Becky wound her arms around his neck and pulled him into a close embrace. Breakfast could wait 20 minutes.

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

They had set off pretty much as soon as the others were all packed (Sandra has wasted no time prepping a crawler for them) and had driven from the early hours of the morning all the way until dawn. Nobody had said much, during that time, least of all Sandra, who was driving. A part of her figured she probably should. It was her errand, after all, that was dragging them all out here at such short notice, and it was apparent from her mood that this was no vacation. At least she'd had concentrating on where she was going as an excuse not to talk, but now the quiet was beginning to get awkward even for her.

"We'll be in sight of Greenhill before long." she announced to Maria, sitting in the passenger seat, before turning around as much as she could in her seat. "You alright in the back there Tal?"

 

[The Funslinger]

"I've been thinking for awhile... maybe we should find the younger ones a home. A real home. We could give them or their caretakers money to get by and we could use the rest to fill our ranks with professionals. People who've already condemned themselves to... whatever 'this' is."

"Maybe," Whiskey said. "But y'know some of 'em ain't gonna wanna go, either 'cause they ain't known anything like a family, or 'cause they're scared. But the question is, honey, what do you mean by 'younger ones'? Which ones are ya planning to keep? 'Jesse' burned his old life to the ground and pissed on the ashes for us. Gale, on the other hand, could probably pick up and leave any time she wanted, it's how she was raised. Hell, what about Allie? She's young as hell and she's acting out, but you gotta admit, Ruffles has an eye for talent."

 

[Fappy]

"You alright in the back there Tal?"

"Absolutely," the cowboy said. He lifted the brim of his hat with his pointer finger and grinned. "Been ridin' in the back my whole life. Always gotta accommodate the ladies, I reckon."

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

?... Hell, what about Allie? She's young as hell and she's acting out, but you gotta admit, Ruffles has an eye for talent."

Bennie shrugged. ?A girl that brilliant doesn?t belong on a pirate ship, Whiskey. She could be working in some lab somewhere, making a real difference. She could--? the big man cut himself off and began rubbing his eyes intensely. ?I?m starting to sound like her, aren?t I?? He chuckled sadly. ?Sorry, I?ll drop it. We should be celebrating, right??

Pulling her into an embrace, the despair in Bennie?s smile evaporated. ?Think it?s about time we retire to the captain?s quarters. We can worry about work in the morning.? He kissed her softly before suddenly sweeping her off her feet and into his arms. ?It?s time for your debriefing, Ms. Fifer.?

It was a long, sleepless night, but nothing a shot of whiskey couldn?t cure?

If you know what I mean.

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Sprout got up early the next morning. Amy never returned to bed, though that wasn?t really unusual. She had a lot going on. Sprout could respect that.

I can relate to that, more like.

After scarfing down a quick breakfast, the scrappy lad sat down in the observation deck just in time to see Sandra and the others leave for her hometown. If he was in her position he?d be doing the same thing.

A small part of him resented her. She had a place to call home. She had a family.

Bennie and Whiskey were great, but? it just wasn?t the same.

At least I still got you, Lily, the boy thought, smiling sadly.

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

Elizabeth could still feel his hand in hers. The moment had been brief, and yet it lingered in her mind, even now. Cloaked in a thick, fur coat, Elizabeth stood at the stern of her ship, watching as Frostfall shrank on the horizon. She could feel the turbulent, ice-cold winds in her bones. Her breather fogged up with each shivering breath she took, but she didn?t care.

The view was well worth it.

?He?ll be right behind us, you know,? Beatrix said, suddenly appearing beside her Lady on the deck. ?There?s no need to be dramatic.? Elizabeth ignored her. ?Come inside, my Lady. You?ll catch a cold out here.?

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. ?That?s not how it works.?

?Even still,? she replied. ?Franz is looking for you.?

?Let him look.?

Beatrix sighed, clearly frustrated. ?It?s customary to celebrate political victories. You know that. This agreement was? monumental. The first real step you?ve taken as a political figure. Your absence from the festivities is--?

?Fine, okay, I get it,? Elizabeth relented. ?Just let me put my smile on.?

?Good.?

?Is there booze?? Elizabeth asked.

Beatrix grunted. ?What do you think??

?At least there?s booze...?

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

After getting patched up the night before, Theresa and her hired friend hit the town - shopping, eating and drinking in some of the dingiest locales in the city. That said, even the ghettos of Paradiso offered passable cuisine.

Nothing like a back alley pasta dish to nurse a hangover.

While Theresa hadn?t shared much about herself, she?d somehow managed to bleed Ada?s entire life story out of her. Honestly, there wasn?t all that much to tell and Ada wasn?t particularly secretive, but there was something about Theresa that just made it easy. Like no matter what she told her, Ada wouldn?t be judged. Even the darkest, dirtiest stories elicited little more than a hearty laugh from the woman.

She had to find out more about her! She had to push harder! Theresa couldn?t evade her forever!

?So,? Ada began awkwardly, ?how do you like your line of work, anyhow??

Theresa took a swig of her sweet tea and grinned. ?How do I like killin? people, ya? mean?? she replied, candidly. ?I don? reckon I do. Not anymore.?


Ada cocked her head. ?Then why don?t you quit??

?I can?.?

?Oh. Well, would you if you could??

Theresa shrugged. ?Quit my job or quit killin???

?Both??

?Yer askin? fer one answer to two different questions,? Theresa pointed out. ?My job - bein? a merc - I can? walk out on it. Got obligations, ya? know. I don? like it, but I do what I gotta do. If I didn? ?ave those obligations, I?d walk. Killin? on the other hand?? She looked down at her glass and swirled the tea around with her straw. ?I can? quit that.?

Ada frowned. ?Oh??

?Not much of an answer, eh?? she said. ?Let?s jus? say it?s a part?a who I am. To leave that behind would be like? cuttin? off?a hand. It?s like a drug. An itch. I ain?t doin? it right now, but it don? mean I ain?t thinkin? about it.?

Ada suddenly looked very uncomfortable.

Fuck.

Theresa glanced around the restaurant. ?Why don? we blow this joint an? ?ave some fun,? she suggested, digging into her pocket for some cash. ?You know a place where we can really let loose ?round here??

?Y-yeah,? Ada muttered, sheepishly. ?I know a place.?

 

[Dogmatic99]

So this was what the mercenary life felt like. Everyone was keeping an edgy eye on the outsiders as they went about whatever it was gangsters did in the middle of the day. Shoot up and try to look busy if Mal was one to guess. Of course the commander was off with her boyfriend while they waited for their latest bout of orders and wondered just when they were going to start dismantling this family. Granted, they hadn't actually been at it that long, just that this assignment was feeling like an eternity to Mal. There was a reason she always got recommended sabotage jobs over espionage.

For now she just took up her moody sentry position next to Moon. "So the beat down didn't happen. Day's looking up, right?" She mused at him. because she'd found you didn't talk to Jun, just at him.
===============================================================================
Gale made her way through the ship, fighting to keep the wild mess of bed head out of her face and cursing the lack of sleep she'd gotten. Stupid blondes and their room invasions. She really needed to lay off the drinking for a while too, if she kept downing booze like most of the maidens did she'd end up replacing the water in her body with alcohol. 'This must be why everybody trains in hand to hand so much, it's the only way to fight off getting a beer gut.' Not that she was complaining about that. Thanks to the daily fight club Gale was in the best shape of her life and had learned a variety of ways to murder a man in the nuts.

But all good things had to come to an end. gale had made up her mind that she'd hand in her notice this morning while she still had herself worked up for it. At least this time she'd be telling the people she was staying with goodbye instead of vanishing into the night. Well, she had to get her cut of the casino job after all. "Maybe I should give Allie the news first." Gale pondered to herself.
====================================================================================
["Everyone set for the road trip?"] Florian called to the others in his party as they all began gathering in the hangar and giving out all their baggage for inspection. Their baggage mostly consisting of weaponry, body armour, medical supplies and anything else you might want to bring to war zone. Also toiletries. It was funny, Florian had grown up with this kind of thing being in the norm but he never remembered bringing this much stuff to it when he was younger.

'Just another part of getting older I suppose.' Normal families probably did the same thing when they were packing for their vacations. he thought as he went through the mental checklist of things he needed one more time. ["Vest... glock... G-Thirty six."] Florian loved himself a G-36C ["Toothbrush and paste... towel... gotta have something to read."] It was going to be a long trip after all.

Along with his father's ornate revolver, now free of its cane and holstered at his side, that made up the last of Florian's carry on luggage. The rest having been taken care of by his people. Everyone kept saying that he wouldn't even need all that weaponry and that he wasn't going to be doing the actual fighting but you never be too prepared in these situations. It wasn't that crazy the way he looked at it, besides, the glock was just for emergencies.

["We're all set on my end!"] Erik yelled over. ["My boys are riding up front."]

["Erik, no."]

["Erik, yes!"] The big guy had been demanding his own way ever since getting highly disputed control of the infantry forces of this invasion liberation. All the heavy armour and artillery support was still in the process of mobilising so for now they were rolling out with Erik's vanguard. A mixture of Katya's people and the Wolfguard, the cold professional crowd and Erik's gang of now ex-bandits who were treating this like a free holiday right now.

Florian had protested bringing them when Erik had reminded him that these were the same men that had stood alongside the two of them in Florian's early years and had successfully stormed a tower with only a few hours notice... and no one could really argue with that point so they got to ride shotgun in the airship so long as they promised to play nice with the southerners when they got there. All this took far longer and far more bickering than the actual negotiations that was bringing them to war!

["And doesn't that just sum up my life these days?"] Florian sighed as everyone started piling in.

It was then that Erik seemed to notice all the pressure on his young charge as he came over and placed a comforting hand on the lad's shoulder. ["Florian, there's something I want to tell you before we head out."]

["What's that?"]

["Something important. You'll need to think on this while we're on out way to Boomhower, for your own sake... shave that stupid beard!"] Snickering from Erik ensued.

["Get in the ship before I decide to banish you to Boomhower!"] Florian yelled as he chased and kicked Erik into the ship while everyone else discussed if he could actually do that to people now. And if Elizabeth was going to be their new 'Mommy' now, long after the ship took off.

Irena waved them off from the viewing platform. "And the Bejic boys are going to Boomhower."

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Meanwhile in the canteen of the Iron Maiden...

Spoiler

"It's your move." Allie sat back in her chair, arms across her chest as she nudged Lilith's foot under the table. Pulling her face from out of her arms, Lilith let loose a drawn out moan as she slumped in her chair, head hanging loosely backwards as she continued to feel sorry for herself.

"You should stop drinkin' so much" Allie sighed as she tapped a finger against her arm impatiently. This must have been like the 4th time this week she had seen the older woman in such a state.

"You should stop being so..." Lilith closed her eyes as she searched for something witty in the hangover mind shroud she was currently experiencing. "Yeah..."

"Good one." Allie rolled her eyes. "It's your move!" She pointed at the chest board sitting between the pair.

"Okay, okay, I got this." The woman took a deep breath as she leaned forward, crossing her arms on the table. Lilith took a few moments to consider her options, biting her lip as she narrowed her eyes.

"Oh my god!" Allie raised her voice. "It's your first fuckin' turn!" The younger girl grabbed at her hair, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Patience, young grasshopper." Lilith mumbled, her voice cracking as she slowly reached down and moved a pawn three spaces forward.

"What are you doing?" Allie blinked a few times before looking up from the board, her eyes searching Lilith's face.

"What do you mean what am I doing?" Lilith rested her chin on her arms as she looked up at the girl.

"That's an illegal move." Allie gestured at the offending piece.

"What? Why? What's illegal about it? Are the chess police gonna arrest me?" Lilith moved a hand clumsily across the table, grabbing her mug of tea before sitting upright and taking a long sip, glancing at the girl from the corner of her eye.

"Pawns cannae move that far, only two spaces forward from the starting position, and then only one forward after that." Was this woman for real?

"Your pawns maybe." Lilith scoffed, glancing around the room as if looking for someone to agree with her.

"Are... I dinn...THOSE ARE THE RULES!" Allie roared, gesturing wildly.

"My pieces had a meeting." Lilith started, taking a sip from her tea before placing it back on the table. "After long deliberation, it was decided that the religious monarchy system they had in place, was both classist, out of touch, and limiting the progress of the nation overall. Both King Benedryl Cabbagepatch the Third, and the good Queen Pam, with the advisement of their council, as well as being rather nice people," Lilith affectionately tapped the respective pieces. "have decided to go against their cruel lineage of oppression, and have decided instead to give equal opportunities to everyone in the kingdom." She nodded her head sagely.

"No longer is Jimothy over here a mere 'pawn'" The girl tapped Jimothy the not-pawn. "He is an aspiring engineer, and father of two lovely girls, and husband to a beautiful wife. In recent weeks, young Jimothy here has devised several pieces of equipment that improve on the previous design, thus enabling more ease of movement on the battlefield, which he chose to volunteer for, might I add, no conscription in this new republic." Sitting back in her chair, the woman crossed her arms over her chest.

"And that, young Alison, is why Jimothy can move an extra space." Lilith tapped her nose, adding a cheeky wink for good measure.

Allie blinked a few times, narrowing her eyes as she tried to string together the nonsense she just heard. "Wha-"

"Also they have guns." Lilith quickly added. "Bang." She leaned forward and quickly flicked over Allie's king before inhaling sharply through pursed lips. "The royal council does not usually condone the use of assassins, oh Jimothy is also an assassin by the way, but some times desperate times call for desperate measures, and one bullet now will save the lives of hundreds, perhaps billions, in the long run."

Getting to her feet, Lilith stood beside Allie, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry it had to be this way." Lilith said with a sympathetic expression, tightening her grip for a moment before walking away slowly towards where breakfast was being served.

"Thinks she's fuckin' better than me at chess." Lilith muttered under her breath, "You fuckin' what, mate?" The woman chuckled as she lit up a cigarette.

Allie was still frozen in place, her eyes on the chess board as she tried to fathom what had just happened. After a few moments, the girl closed her eyes and exhaled slowly through her nose, remembering the little trick Gale had taught her.

"1...2...3...4..."

 

[Dogmatic99]

"Floo-sah-fa, little mop head." Gale breathed teasingly over Allie's head as she appeared behind the fiery tempered ginger.

She took hold of Allie's shoulders and rocked her back and forth for a second before being shook off and taking a seat beside the little one. She sat on top of the table instead of the bench because Gale was remembering to screw the rules this morning.

"It's a little early to be keeping your rage in check, isn't it."

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"It's a little early to be keeping your rage in check, isn't it."

"Lily is a cheating slag." Allie pouted, crossing her arms over he chest as she slumped in her seat. "I dinnae why I play with her, I'm starting to think she don't even know the rules. Last time she said I couldn't go first because 'White going first is inherently racist', and then when I offered to swap, she was like 'So you're ashamed of your own people? Is that it?' and then stormed off, muttering something about 'blood traitors'."

Allie slumped further into her seat, almost falling off. "Everyone sucks."

 

[The Funslinger]

"How's the package?"

"Broken arm and wet pants," Bryan replied. "So, basically fine. He'd be finer if he hadn't pulled a knife on me." Taking a swig from his hip flask, he lowered his voice. "Besides, we're bein' bad guys. They'da looked at me funny if he were still in mint condition."

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

When he was finished in the bathroom, The Gentleman dressed and then stepped back out in the the rest of his humble quarters. Now, what to do with the rest of his day?

Walking to the small table in the corner, The Gentleman leaned over the chessboard he had been given, and after a few moments, a black knight fell to the remaining white bishop. Playing himself, only making one move per day, he had managed to keep the game going for months.

Spoiler

"You're concentrating too hard." The Gentleman corrected her, smiling at her creased bow as the girl leaned over the chessboard. "It is a cerebral game, yes, but you'll never put all the pieces together if you force yourself to analyse them one by one. You have to get some distance, and see the whole board."

Pixie hadn't won a single game yet. It wasn't that she was particularly bad at chess... the Gentleman was just way too damn good. "I ain't got the best depth perception, ya' know," she pouted. "What's it like to win all the time? Does it ever get borin'?"

Prick.

"I wouldn't say that." the Gentleman answered. "However, sometime it takes a hard-won battle to remind me what I love about success."

"An' all this time I thought you were jus' pretendin'," she replied with a small grin. "What 'appens if I actually beat you? Does yer head explode 'er somethin'? Do I 'ave ta' become the new Gentleman?"

"I wouldn't know." The Gentleman grinned "If you want to find out, it's your move..."

With a sinister grin, Pixie slid a bishop across the board - taking a pawn and checking the Gentleman's king. "This would be yer favorite game," she remarked, her eye still glued to the board. "It rewards pragmatism. I reckon yer the type ta' sacrifice anythin' so long as you win in the end."

"Still preferable to those who would sacrifice everything for a lost cause." The Gentleman remarked, scratching his chin as he studied the board. "It may well be cold to see most people as a resource, but resources are valuable. I don't throw them away lightly. Everyone who takes up with me is well aware of where they stand. Love and loyalty, those are the true manipulators."

The Gentleman's Rook came to the rescue of his King. If Pixie wanted it back in her sights, she'd have to bring her Queen into play. If she was clever, she'd notice his Knight.

'If she is very clever, she'd do it anyway...'

"I reckon those words mean very little to you," she remarked. "Too much fuss, right? Coldhearted killers don' 'ave time fer that kinda nonsense."

Pixie's queen hopped across the board, checking the king once more. "Check."

"That tends to be the prevailing judgement." The Gentleman replied, frowning slightly as he took her Queen with his Knight. His King was in the clear, but it would be another move at least before he could get her in checkmate.

"How many fools lie dead in the ash, their bones forgotten, under the tattered remains of some flag?" He asked her. "How many have died for the affections of a loved one, for the only payment they receive to be not having to see that person forget them in a year? I do business. If anyone in my employ dies, they die as the result of a calculated risk they know they have taken, in pursuit of a worthwhile return..."

He sat back in his seat, smiling slightly. If nothing else, his questions were making it much harder for her to concentrate.

"A word to the wise, Meredith. Love does not conquer all. By all means, give your heart to whomever may take it, but before you do ask yourself... do you desire to die for them, or for them to die for you, because in time, one of those things will surely come to pass?"

"I'd die fer the boy without givin' it a second thought," she replied firmly, scanning over the board one last time before committing to her next move. The Gentleman's knight fell under the blade of her rook, and put his king in peril once again. "Check."

Looking up from the board, she frowned. "I only bother continuin' on because of him, ya' know," she said. "I reckon 'e's the only thin' keepin' me from becomin' somethin'... unseemly."

"Ah." The Gentleman answered "So that is why you keep the boy in such a dangerous borough, while you get into scrapes with increasingly vile characters. To protect him?"

At last, he brought his Queen into play, sweeping her rook aside... and leaving her King utterly exposed.

"I won't deny your... commitment is admirable." he added "But if you keep throwing yourself in harm's way for someone, sooner or later you will run out of moves. Perhaps you should consider a different strategy."

The Gentleman nodded to Cranston as the other man walked into the room.

"Oh, and I believe that's checkmate."

"Yeah, an' fuck you too," Pixie scoffed. "Hey Chromey, tag me out. Avenge me."

Cranston shook his head. "I've already beaten him once," he said, grinning. "That's enough for me."

"Pussy."

"I know how to pick my battles, Meredith. Might want to learn that one of these days."

Pixie rolled her eye. "Fuck y'all, always tryin' ta' lecture me via half-assed allusions and metaphors. I reckon I'd respond better to 'hey Pixie, stop bein' a dumb fuck'."

Cranston shrugged and looked to the Gentleman. "We're classier than that."

"I'm sure if we put our heads together we could draft a more eloquent version of the same." The Gentleman said as he stood up.

"I should be on my way." he told them "I may have a new lead."

"That so?" Pixie replied. "Someone finally find where ya' left yer humility?"

"That's a trail long cold I'm afraid." he answered "The contact has requested I come alone. The presence of more than one professional killer would make him uneasy. Cranston, old boy, keep an eye on the beacon I gave you. I'll activate mine if things go pear-shaped."

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

"Been ridin' in the back my whole life. Always gotta accommodate the ladies, I reckon."

"Damn straight." Sandra whooped, smiling for the first time in hours, before turning to Maria "Hey Doc, you awake?"

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

The ride to Boomhower had been a little tense so far. The Wolfguard and Eric's enforcers were not exactly a match made in heaven. The old Bejic troops had experience, but the Wolfguard had discipline, and getting either faction to respect the advantages of the other would be a challenge. Perhaps fighting side by side would cement that bond? For now, however, it was up to Katya and Eric to get them to Boomhower without any fights breaking out. It didn't help that some of Eric's men were visibly not fond of taking orders from a woman, and a former enemy at that. However, none were stupid enough to say anything to her face.

After getting in another workout session, inspecting the men and checking her own equipment for the fifth time, Katya joined Eric on the aft observation deck. Frostfall was just disappearing into the dusty haze behind them now.

"[When was the last time you left?]" she asked him.

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

"Harel!" Harry boomed as he hammered on Asad's door "Harel, get your arse out of bed and be quick about it! The Lady will be arriving soon, and you wouldn't want me to be the handsomest person at her welcoming committee would you?"

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

With morning came yet more trials for Amy, as she once more found herself leaning over a toilet bowl. She'd hand't drunk that much last night! What the hell was wrong with her lately?!

She only hoped it would pass soon. She couldn't afford to be the invalid of the crew all the time. She had a job to do today.

"Come on, get a grip!" she mumbled to herself.