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Post by Lockdown on Apr 2, 2016 15:21:09 GMT
The dawn of the new day is gloomy and gray, reflecting the somber mood of the occupants of Kat's home. After going through your morning routines in a manner some would call "robotic", Kat suggests that you head to the west gate, and see if you can find the guards from last night. Perhaps they can help shed some light on Bunnie and Joe's whereabouts... or at least give you a direction to look in.
It takes a bit of time, but after speaking to the guards on duty at the moment, the group tracks the late afternoon shift down in The Big Drip. A pair of ladies are eating breakfast, while to one side a huge feline with a long topknot of fiery hair is sharing a bowl of food with what could best be described as a walking pile of vines. When you approach them, they look up instantly, and take note of the four of you. The shorted of the two women puts her utensils down. "Yes? Listen if there's something you need the guard for, we're off duty." The taller shakes her head, before looking at you intently.
"Easy Sophie, I think if this was something normal they'd have gone to the guard on duty already. Or at least Kat would have. What do you kids need?"
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Post by DataNinja on Apr 2, 2016 22:29:47 GMT
Christine hadn't slept well at all last night. A combination of the noise of the weather, worrying about Bunnie and Joe, and concern about Cecil - not that she'd ever admit the last part, of course. So it isn't with much enthusiasm that she goes about their business that morning. What she wouldn't give for the chance to sleep in her own nice, quiet bunk in the Vault. How anyone has energy up on the surface, she has no idea.
So when the guard asks her question she spaces for a moment, before saying "Oh, uh, sorry, we were told that you might have seen some of our companions *yawn* yesterday, down by the gate." She proceeds to describe Joe and Bunnie. "Do you have an idea of where they might have gotten off to?"
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Apr 3, 2016 10:10:31 GMT
It had been the longest night, proceeding one of the greatest days of Cecil's life. Had Bunnie still been with them, he'd have been content for the first time in his life. Verbally, he was in rare form, aggressive in his training and snappy during breakfast. Most of them were really, the anxieties of the surface were now many, with no end in sight. The road lay before the greaser, and he knew full well that he was willing to go those lengths for Bunnie.
Even if she didn't want anything to do with him, the flirtatious, naive, provocative girl had been one of the first he'd ever been sweet on. It bordered on obsession, but when she drew the line in the sand, he'd respected it. Taken a pipe to a couple of guys that hadn't, not that Bunnie'd ever know it. Cecil was in one of those moods. Fully committed to busting heads over her, his sharp eyes settled on Christine irritably as she spoke, then to the guard.
"Listen, I get that you're trying to eat breakfast, but there's a pretty good chance our friend got scooped up by Gene Children and 'escorted' or kidnapped outta town. Couple of guys, well kept Tauros traveling light, with a cute girl about my age? Ring any bells?" Not exactly his cordial self. "Left your way a bit before the rain yesterday."
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Post by Seya on Apr 3, 2016 19:24:26 GMT
Kat was up early, training as the sun rises. She made sure to give the vaulties their space for as long as they need it-- not that she'd ever been much of a social animal anyways.
After leading them to the guards, she sits back and feigns interest in the rest of the world. It had been a long time since she'd lost anyone close to her, and had kept most away ever since. With Rosco nosing his way through the mess of hair and ribbons on her shoulders, she listens to Cecil speak. Nothin' she could do to help at this point.
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Post by Slytherclaw on Apr 4, 2016 1:46:37 GMT
Amber spent most of the night before deep in thought, observing and making mental notes. Kat's apartment is...fascinating. Messy and colorful, and it says quite a bit about the girl. Not much that's useful, she supposes, and she doesn't particularly trust the girl any more for having seen it but...it's something.
Cecil's depression is enough that she considers going out to see him, but Christine seems to have it handled--and besides, it's not like there's anything Amber can say. She didn't really...bond, back in the vaults. It's upsetting that vault members are missing, and she wants to help them on principle, but Bunnie and Joe weren't exactly important to her as individuals outside of their positions...
She falls asleep thinking about the open sky--and wakes up desperately wanting a chance to get clean. She does as best as she can, but the grimy suit really needs to be washed, sometime. Topaz was returned to his ball at some point before she fell asleep--or possibly after, honestly, because she thinks she remembers waking up to an idle spark striking her cheek? In exchange, the Totodile is out--she'd utilized his help in cleaning that morning, and he'd seemed happy enough to follow at their heels.
She stays quiet as the others begin their interrogation, not seeing much of a point to repeating the same things. Instead she stares at the Totodile--who yawns widely, making her a bit nervous--and tries to think of an acceptable name for it. For...him.
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Post by Lockdown on Apr 4, 2016 2:16:35 GMT
The two consider the information they've been given for a long moment, before Sophie speaks up. "I didn't see anything, but there was that bit where I had to deal with Miss Haggarty's stupid Poochyena trying to take a bite out of Leona." Her eyes cut to the large feline. " Again. Dee, did you see anything?" The taller woman nods slowly, brows furrowed. "Yeah, I do remember a Tauros leaving. There were two people with it, but neither of em sounds like they were your friends. A woman who just kept her eyes down all the time, didn't say much. The other fella was..." she blushes slightly, "Well he was easy to look at. Purple hair, a little taller than me. But the Tauros..." The furrow deepens, and she's starting to massage her temples now. "The..." her eyes flutter shut, and then snap open in shock. "Oh my god. The Tauros was walking heavy. And I never inspected it on the way out." Both women now look highly disturbed. Due to this very issue, as well as smuggling and thievery, traders are required to submit to a search of their packs before leaving, to ensure that everything matches their inventory listings. This is a non-negotiable procedure, and has been in place for years now. "The bastards. Must have found a new trick to get around us." Sophie looks angry as all get out, before looking at the group sorrowfully. "I'm so sorry. It's entirely possible they walked out with your friends, right under our noses." Dee raises a finger, her eyes lighting with hope. "Wait! I remember something else. I was chatting with the guy, and mentioned the storm rolling in, right before asking about the Tauros, and things going a little hazy. But now I can remember, he definitely said that they could beat it to Hideaway Hollow at least! You might be able to catch up with them there before it's too late!" Hideaway Hollow is a sort of rest-stop for caravans and traders, a rocky outcropping with a few caves in it large enough to shelter a decent sized group of people. It's supposed to be about half a day's walk to the north-west, though you've never been there yourself.
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Apr 4, 2016 9:09:12 GMT
If they stopped for the night, there's a chance. Cecil's sunken, tired eyes lost some of their brooding quality as a fire lit inside of him. Rigid for just the briefest of moments. "Where's this hollow at? We've already wasted an hour of daylight, and our people aren't getting any safer out there." There was the other hurdle too, it nagged at the back of Cecil's mind.
These were people they were dealing with. Cecil could care less, but Christine couldn't care more. He had a pretty strong impression that their opinions on what to do with Bunnie's captors would diverge at a bad time, and with her push for communication, probably better they have that talk sooner then later. Out of the eye of the authorities.
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Post by Seya on Apr 4, 2016 17:39:47 GMT
"'Bout half a days walk north-west," Kat answers before the guards have the chance. "Not familiar ground to me, but I know a bit about it. Cave systems and the like."
She committed the description of the two caravaneers to mind as she waited for the vaulties to make their decision.
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Post by Slytherclaw on Apr 4, 2016 20:30:17 GMT
Amber frowns. Half a days walk, huh? She thinks about her story books and even the tauris.
"Can we find something to...Go faster? Do horses still exist or...." She furrows her brow in thought.
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Post by DataNinja on Apr 5, 2016 3:59:46 GMT
"It's good that we have someone who knows where it is, then." Christine says, nodding, before wincing internally at Amber's question. Well, if the guards weren't suspicious before, they probably would be now...
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Post by Lockdown on Apr 5, 2016 15:27:29 GMT
Sophie and Dee both raise their brows at Amber's line of thought, before Sophie pipes up. "If you've got the caps, you might be able to rent a Rapidash cart. Baring that there's always the jalopy that Slane's been puttering over for years. He's always looking for new test drivers, so you might be able to convince him to loan it to you. Just expect him to want an exhaustive report on how it worked when you get back. I know it's made the trip to the Hollow without breaking down before at least, in about an hour or two."
Dee nods, cutting in. "Plus this early he's kind of not at his brightest, so you can probably get around him with some fast talking. If you hurry, you might be able to catch those bastards, and get your friends back!"
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Post by DataNinja on Apr 5, 2016 20:22:34 GMT
"Exhaustive report, you say?" asks Christine, giving a small smile. "Well, I think Amber over here would be more than happy to do that. So I think that we've got that covered. Thank you both for your help. Kat, you can lead us there, right?"
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Apr 6, 2016 10:14:57 GMT
"If it gives them a smaller window to get away, we'll take it." Cecil pushed insistently. What the fuck is a jalopy? Sounds like a Pokemon. No, she said it breaks down. Car? The greaser snapped harder into focus. "Where's this Slane guy at anyway?"
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Post by Lockdown on Apr 12, 2016 0:01:44 GMT
Dee points in a westerly direction. "His place is near the western gate actually. Hard to miss, just look for all the junk robot parts and the "no pokemon allowed" signs." Kat nods, and with a final well wish from the two guards, leads you to the described place.
What you find could most charitably be described as a junkyard in miniature. Alternatively, "robot graveyard" may also be accurate. The small fenced-in yard is piled high with metal scraps and rusted out shells of automatons of various kinds. Some of them are humanoid in shape, while others are quadrupedal, or appear to be some kind of serpent design. The key thing all have in common is that they appear to have been completely gutted. And tacked up every few feet on the exterior of the fence are large signs with "no pokemon beyond this point" painted in bold, if sloppy, hand. Kat presses a button on a buzzer, and the small attached speaker crackles to life. "Eh? Who is it? What ya wanting? I already gave the mayor's hound its clippin' fer the month; and I've no appointments today." The voice is cracked, oddly accented, and doesn't sound quite sane.
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Post by Slytherclaw on Apr 12, 2016 13:37:45 GMT
As the junkyard comes into sight, Amber's expression goes slack in an amazed gape. She absentmindedly fiddles with a pokeball upon noting the sign, returning the sulky looking totodile in a flash of light from it's spot at the back of the group.
As Kat presses the button to the box, Amber is practically fused with the fence as she presses against it, twisting her head around and ducking as she examines what can be seen from the outside. She's practically vibrating with excitement, and is suddenly very interested in finding out what the hell a jalopy is.
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Post by DataNinja on Apr 12, 2016 17:56:51 GMT
Christine's mood is lightened a bit by seeing Amber clearly in her version of heaven here. Sure, it may all look like junk, but... well, she didn't really know what Amber saw in technology in the first place. Sure, it was neat to see what came out of the world aboveground, but it was still...junk. Oh well. Certainly wasn't her place to judge, if it made Amber happy. She just preferred her technology clean and functioning, never mind how it actually worked.
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Post by Seya on Apr 13, 2016 15:50:42 GMT
Kat runs her tongue across her teeth before replying to the crackling voice. "Hiya, Slane. Any chance you're still lookin' to test that jalopy? We're in need of a set of wheels for a day or two. Group of five, no pokemon out," she adds as Rosco is zipped back into his pokeball with a squeak. "Can we have a lil chat?"
She eyes the mechanics beyond the fence with only minor interest, but Amber's reaction brings a grin to her face. After a moment she continues on, "I spose it's worth mentioning one of these fine folk is a gearhead like yourself..."
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Apr 13, 2016 17:11:22 GMT
Lil Sis is getting into it, I just hope Bunnie's okay. Cecil's mind wandered a bit, looking over the odd machines with some level of disinterest. Machines that replicated Pokemon? Why? There were already Bio-weapons roaming the countryside. On the old man's call, Cecil thought to respond but Kat hopped right to. She gave their numbers and everything. Extremely pleased in the moment, he could go into the encounter feeling more confident in his decision to have Kat along. Whether or not Christine actually approved.
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Post by Lockdown on Apr 13, 2016 17:22:04 GMT
There's some muttering and rambling, and what sounds like a one-sided argument. "Jalopy, jalopy, they say they want to use the jalopy. Well I can't very well see them, can I? Optics fritzed out months ago, ain't got the components." The speaker on the other end seems to focus back on you all after several long seconds. "He says no! But... then again, he always says no... If you've no beasties wit you to maul or mangle me, I suppose..." There's a pregnant pause, before the connection cuts out, and the gate begins to rattle open on a small motor.
There's a path, sort of, that leads to the squat building. As you approach, the door cracks open, revealing an older man with an unkempt beard and hair, a glint in his eye that's a little worrying, and carrying a large wrench. Behind him, you can see what at first look like a huge bird, before you get closer and can make out joints and the sheen of metal. It's a two-foot tall metal owl. Sensors in its eyes flicker on and off, producing an intermittant red glow. "Well, are ye just gonna stand there and doddle, or are you going to come in and tell me what you need mah jalopy fer?" The man suddenly turns and glares at the owl. "I know that it's polite to offer a cuppa, but they ent seem like the type to enjoy it, now do they? And we're out of sugar besides!" He turns back to you all. "Ignore him, he's in a bad mood all the time now. Now what can Slane do fer ya?"
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Post by DataNinja on Apr 16, 2016 21:51:32 GMT
Upon hearing the rambling from the speaker, Christine decides that it would certainly be best to tread even more carefully here, because the owner of the voice may not quite be entirely sane...
When the group finally gets to the house, and Christine sees the possessor of said voice, that decision seems to be becoming wiser and wiser. I'll just let someone who can handle this situation better take care of this... She is a little distraught at realizing that that's everyone but her, though...
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