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Post by DataNinja on Jun 7, 2016 0:22:12 GMT
It takes Christine a few moments to register the hatchet in front of her face, simply from the sheer alienness of the experience... but once it does she freezes up.
After all the others say their pieces, she takes several deep breaths, before beginning her response, trying to just keep her voice calm and level. "I... won't stop you, no. But, Bunnie put it well, Kat." She turns to the surface dweller. "You have to understand, I've spent my whole life healing, preserving human life. Actually trying to hurt someone... you might as well ask me to stab myself. At least that would only hurt one person..."
She sighs inwardly, looking at each of the others. "You all... go do what you need to do. I wouldn't be any help, anyways. I wasn't when we ran into the other... Pokémon earlier. I'll watch the jalopy here, make sure what happened the last time we left it doesn't happen again. And if we find a good enough place to hole up, where I can spread out a bit, you can leave any of your Pokémon that need healing with me. It'll give me something to... occupy myself with."
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Post by Seya on Jun 7, 2016 0:28:47 GMT
(Oh. Well there goes that idea.)
Kat bristles with rage, voice low and fierce. "Most pokemon wouldn't do shit to you unless they thought you were comin' to hurt them first. You're damn right I'm used to 'em-- used to their signals, their sounds, their fears. Especially them still in the wild. I've been huntin'em for a decade, haven't I? If you saw like I did you'd know those pokemon back there were scared outta their wits and reactin' to one hell of a surprise." She jerks her head in Cecil's direction without breaking eye contact with the shorter blonde.
"And," she adds, tightening her grip on the hatchet, "I'll talk down to any chirpin' bird who thinks to tell me people can't be just as dangerous as pokemon. You'd call your Pichu there a weapon by nature? A livin', breathin' battery pack, maybe. I sincerely doubt his wild cousin's would s'much as spark in our direction without someone pullin' a trigger. Fact is, they're animals at heart. Don't know how much experience you got with those, either. Some are predators, sure, but most are prey. And most don't think to hurt people just because they can. Earn a pokemon's friendship and you have it, hands down. Can't say that for people. It sure wasn't a grenade or even a human that pulled me up outta that-- that pit--" Her hands tremble.
(Don't. Not now.)
She bares her teeth at nothing in particular. Fuck off.
(Not now!)
Then Bunnie is beside her, and Kat doesn't quite register what the girl is saying at first, but the fact that she's standing right there must suggests she's on their side on this, right? She lets out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding in, and before the more reasonable side of her thought processes could rear up and stop her, reaches out and lays a hand on Bunnie's cheek, stroking the pad of her thumb along the soft skin beneath the other girl's left eye. She lets the pent-up anger at the little mouse-mechanic-girl's words slide off her shoulders like rain.
"No forcin' nobody to do shit," she agrees in a softer voice, then quickly draws her hand away in embarrassment and turns back to the trap. "What's to be the bait then, fellow avengers?"
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Post by Robot on Jun 7, 2016 2:20:57 GMT
"Alright, Alright." Cecil raised both hands in a placating gesture. Everything from the squaring of his shoulders to how he said it was so like Professor Skrub. There was clearly no attempt at mockery, but the resemblance was uncanny. "Listen, we've all had a really shit day, some more'n others sure. I'd be splitting hairs if I said we got along before we got moving, lot of preconceptions coming out of the vault." Pacing a few steps from Bunnie and Kat, he slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans and admired his shoes for a moment.
"Every time something's gone wrong for us, we ain't been on the same page. Ain't about the how's and the why's or the who's, it just is. I made my mistakes back home, made bad decisions, but I have a feel for the kind of people we should watch. That's why Pops sent me. We ain't going to agree on everything, but if we don't work together this is done. We'll die one at a time, or as a group, and nobody'll even know to mourn us. I don't want that, not for me, not for Christine, not for Joe." A long puff of air escaped him, moving his attention from face to face.
"Christine, I'm sorry for ragging on you. I don't feel like you take me seriously, and I'm scared. You know medicine, but they say an ounce of preventative is worth a pound of cure, right? You're one person, taking care of all of us and our Pokemon. How many pounds of cure till you're tapped? How nice can we afford to be with how much has happened?" His tone was kind, and tinged with sadness as he addressed her, his eyes flicking just briefly towards Bunnie. "We need you with us, even out there."
"Kat, Love you to death, I said I wouldn't ditch on you and I meant it, but the girls ain't good with being that close to steel, tone it back for me yeah? Make it worth your while later." Closing his eyes, he nodded to himself, it was a lot to get off of his chest. "I might be able to draw a few of em away from the group if I fake one of the noises that bear is making." He finally volunteered in response to the surface dweller.
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Post by Slytherclaw on Jun 7, 2016 2:28:13 GMT
Amber opens her mouth, teeth pulled back in a snarl--but pauses as Cecil pipes up. She doesn't stop glaring at Kat, but she visibly relaxes as Cecil talks. She's not smiling at the end, and her jaw visibly works as she stares after Kat, but after a few moments, she turns on her heel and walks back over to the jalopy. She gives Cecil a significant glance as she walks past him, cheeks still flushed and eyes glistening with frustration.
"I'll fix our way back," She mutters, kneeling in the dirt and pulling bits out of some of her dozens of pockets to get back to work.
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Post by Seya on Jun 7, 2016 3:13:58 GMT
Kat sighs, aware of the tiny girl's anger but feeling high on excitement once more. It's pointless to argue it. Amber hasn't seen the better side of wild pokemon, and standing around in an abandoned town isn't going to fix that problem anytime soon. She'd find a way to demonstrate--somehow--and maybe the littlest birdy would have a bit more faith. Kat swallows her anger; she dreads to think what the interactions between girl and other pokemon would be like until then.
She works quickly to establish an abrasion trap just outside the entrance, pushing her broken goggles further up her forehead with the back of her hand. When finished, she backs towards the wall and motions Rosco beside her, closer to the far side of the trap. "A cage with one of them bears in it, if ye will, Roz?" And just like that, a small illusory pokemon-- identical to the one being tortured nearby--swirls into existence. The little bear is almost completely motionless, crumpled into a ball. "Perfect," she whispers.
"Puuurrf," the Zorua quietly chirps, and Kat raises a silencing finger to her lips.
"Get ready you lot. Cec?"
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Post by DataNinja on Jun 7, 2016 3:27:04 GMT
Christine decides to ignore Kat, and not bother to get into anything more with the surface girl, instead addressing Cecil."Just because I can't take care of everything, doesn't mean I'm going to actively cause more harm. I know that that's something that you can do, DeLoria, but I can't." She sighs. "I do what I can. I know I can't help everyone. My place... well, it's probably not near the fighting. I'll stay here with Amber. It's not good for anyone to be alone. And I'll probably do more good here. You don't want me to 'go running after every little thing that needs my aid', now, do you?" The last part was probably a bit more bitter than it had any right to be, and she registers that almost immediately.
"I'm sorry, DeLoria. I know we don't see eye to eye on, well... most things. But I don't mean to imply that I don't take you seriously. But sometimes it feels like you don't respect my views on things. I don't really feel like getting into another discussion right now, here. But we can talk later. When we're safer. Right now though... You all should probably just go, and do what you feel needs to be done. All I'd do is act as another target for them." She seems to finish, but then asks "Oh, uh, do you want me to take a look at Fink while you three plan?"
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Post by Slytherclaw on Jun 7, 2016 12:59:04 GMT
There is a slam of metal on metal and a hissed string of angry words as Amber rises from beside the jalopy. "I'm missing parts," she says, brushing off the front of her jumpsuit...which doesn't help much with the smears of grease left behind.
She pulls a ball from her pocket and stares at it for a few moments before shrugging and releasing Totodile. The blue reptile blinks and yawns, clearly unaffected by the rising tension.
She glances at Christine. "I don't want to leave you here alone, but I can't do much until I find some parts. The owner said there tend to be bits everywhere...If we help them deal with this, more eyes would be better until we can find what I need to get us back."
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Post by DataNinja on Jun 7, 2016 17:57:54 GMT
Christine hesitates. She doesn't really want to come along... but then she remembers the last time one of them was off on their own, and sighs. "...alright. I'll come. But... please, don't ask me to try and hurt someone."
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Post by Slytherclaw on Jun 8, 2016 13:37:40 GMT
Amber blinks, glancing back at Christine. She shakes her head. "Just want you nearby, so you aren't alone. I don't think any of us should be left alone anymore. Not out here..."
She trails off, watching the ground carefully as she moves towards Kat and Cecil on quick, quiet feet. She nods at Cecil. "Need parts," She says quietly, by way of explanation for their appearance.
oy4kg7HD3d6 Stealth 4d6 Perception3d6·4d6
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Post by Robot on Jun 8, 2016 14:29:22 GMT
"Thanks lil Sis." Cecil seemed to visibly relax a little with her presence. He'd been less and less keen on attempting this, the more divided their group got. Having Amber and Christine behind him again filled him with a little more confidence. The greaser had never actually killed someone before, never felt like he'd had to. Rarely felt threatened in those days before the surface, such was his unflapping confidence in himself. Now it was cut down perfect strangers, or see his... acquaintances? Charges? Surely they weren't friends. There was too much strife between him and any one companion for that.
"Yeah Christine, probably going to need Fink." He finally responded to her. "Took a pretty big hit back there with that little ball of steel horking scrap at it. Dex ain't analyzed it yet, so I'll hold off till we know a little more. Kat, there a bounty on these yellowjacket guys? Think if we brought'em in alive it'd do us any good?"
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Post by Seya on Jun 8, 2016 15:36:44 GMT
Kat shrugged at Cecil's question, a sharp frown edging her features. "No bounty I heard of. Common enough for small groups to fly under the radar for th' most part, though." She turns her eyes to Christine, and clears her throat. "Pleased for your help, however much you're willin' t'give." She looks like she wants to say more, face scrunching and smoothing in rapid succession for a few beats, then grimaces and turns her attention back to the entrance.
After a few moments, she decides to answer Cecil in a quieter, but harsher, tone: "Leavin' em to live won't do nobody favors, love. If you ain't in the mind to dispatch once they're down, leave it to me, yeah?" She waggles her hatchet a fraction. "They gave up their right to a beatin' heart the moment theirs turned cruel."
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Post by Robot on Jun 8, 2016 16:51:03 GMT
Shaking his head in quiet response to her statement, he kept his tone just as low. "Might bite us in the ass later, but you won't make any friends acting on that Kat. Take'em for what they got, cept the clothes on their backs, and leave it. Gives'em a fighting chance." The look she gave him was one he was plenty familiar with, the greaser shot a look over his shoulder at Christine and Amber, getting into position. "I know you don't take kindly to their kind, but I'm the worst of our bunch, and I've never killed a man. Hold off on it this time? Gotta be thinking of us like... a bunch a schoolkids or whatever. Innocent enough. Might be a hard sell for how the surface is, I know, we'll be outta here fore they cause us trouble again. Looks like we're 'bout ready."
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Post by Lockdown on Jun 8, 2016 17:03:38 GMT
Creeping up on the Yellowjackets proves to be surprisingly easy. The crying of the little bear and the hooting of the tormentors mask any minor sounds that you make. Amber and Christine are able to get their first look at the creature, wailing and screaming piteously as it balls up. The creature in the top cage has apparently tired some, allowing a good look at it as well. fine details are hard to make out at this distance, but it's a large rodent with black fur all over its back, white fur on the front of its body, large yellow spots on its cheeks and flaps of skin connecting its fore and hind legs. Like the little bear its heavily wounded, and still sparking occasionally. Three of the Yellowjackets, two men and a woman, are still hanging around the cage, laughing and prodding the two mon with sharpened sticks. One of the other women has her back to the main event, digging through something in the garage. The third man has apparently gotten bored, and is moving towards the scarred woman on the throne. With the change in angles, you can see that at least those two have pokeballs secreted on their persons. The enthroned woman herself is starting to look bored as well, swatting irritably at flies. The area they're in is mostly open, with the exception of a ruined van lying on its side and held in place by a tangle of plantlife. Further to the south is the clinic on the left, and another building with no real identifying marks on the right. Deep divots and potholes have formed in the ancient road here, and they've filled with rainwater, leaving pools a couple of feet deep along the sides of the road. A truck bed missing the cab is on its side, while further back a gutted sedan lies mouldering.
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Post by Seya on Jun 8, 2016 17:24:19 GMT
Kat grimaces at the soft attitude, but dips her head once in understanding as she settles down into the corner. It's not like the other girls had to know about it. Besides, it wouldn't do her much good to have raiders runnin' around remembering their names and faces. 'Specially hers. With an irritated sigh, she pulls her goggles down to obscure her eyes--and most of the facial tattoo--and secures her scarf around her nose and mouth. Better safe than sorry, if these blokes were gonna be left to live and all. She felt a bit naked without her jacket's hood to hide her hair ornaments, but it was best if Bunnie kept that for the time being... She crouches low, adjusting her hatchet's grip. "Ready when you are."5VQBBvl32d6+2 Stealth 2d6+2
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Post by Robot on Jun 8, 2016 17:33:57 GMT
"If you don't like holding off, be discrete, I didn't see nothin' though. Just don't want to lose the little trust we got, that's all." Nodding his affirmative to her, Cecil cupped his hands around his mouth. Concentrating on what he'd heard of the little bear-creature so far, he projected the closest mockery of it's cry that he could manage. Four or five times, interspersed at random over several moments from hiding. One of his eyes was fixated on the illusion, trying to keep the sounds in sync with the image.
14 Guile to imitate a Teddiursa's distress cry. 21 Stealth to remain hidden.
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Post by DataNinja on Jun 8, 2016 19:47:24 GMT
After working - a little warily - on Cecil's gator, Christine comes along with the rest of them towards where Cecil and Kat spotted the raiders. She stays behind one of the buildings, though, even as the others went forwards.
Releasing Bones towards the others, in case he needed to support, she double checks what supplies she has. Hmmm... Not a lot that can be used quickly. I really hope that they don't run into too much trouble. I... never would have thought even a week ago that I'd ever be in a situation like this. I miss the certainty of home.
Stealth: 6
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Post by Slytherclaw on Jun 8, 2016 23:43:16 GMT
Amber blinks at Cecil's response, too surprised to respond. As she watches them set up the last of the traps, she can been seen silently mouthing the word "sis?" with a vaguely perplexed expression. But as they finish, and Cecil lets out the first notes of his call, she shakes her head, nods once at Totodile--and after looking around for a short moment, takes a determined step between the combat zone and Christine's hiding spot. She nods at Totodile, who hisses and sinks into the water patch quietly.
"Ready." She says, taking a deep shaky breath.
GxWNs2UG3d6 Stealth for Amber 3d6+4 Stealth for Totodile [Bonus +2 for Water] 5d6+2 ACTUAL stealth for Totodile (+2 dice, not +2 static) Amber will move on a 14 during Combat. Totodile will move on a 6 during Combat due to Agility Training (and may move on 10 for Agility Orders but not currently relevant)3d6·3d6+4·5d6+2
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Post by David Hilm on Jun 10, 2016 0:05:46 GMT
Bunnie sticks near Kat and Cecil. The two of them were the only ones who were going to be able to show her how to keep her head on her shoulder, whether they knew it or not.
Stealth Bunnie: RF1aC4NN1d6
Stealth Hazel: 2d61d6·2d6
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Post by Lockdown on Jun 16, 2016 3:54:47 GMT
It's a good thing that Cecil and Kat are making such good impressions of the crying cub, as Bunnie's toes manage to find and snag a hidden twist of grass roots, causing her to pitch forward and let out a squeal of alarm, which was concealed under a mournful cry from Cecil. The ruckus has definitely gotten the attention of the Yellow Jackets though. The leader looks up from inspecting a fly she just swatted, and growls at the nearest subordinate. "Gouge, you and Kitty find what the hell is making that noise." The two indicated raiders nod, the man turning and approaching cautiously, before letting out a small skittering creature with gangly accordian-like segmented limbs and oversized pincers on a raised tail. It chitters, small dark drops of what are likely poison dripping from the bone-white stingers that adorn its frame, and advances at the urging of the man. The female raider on the other hand, disengages from the cage reluctantly, plodding along and looking less like a bloodthirsty killer, and more like a pouty teen, even as she releases a bipedal lizard, its skin flickering crazily like a malfunctining monitor before settling on a green color with a bright jagged crimson belt around its torso. Its eyes are set on conical stalk-like mounts and they swivel around independently, making the creature look slightly comical. A thick curled tail looped to act as a counterbalance while it walks, and a raised crest of scales completes the picture. The raider's eyes light when she spots the decoy though. "Oooh, boss! It's another teddy! Can I have this one, please?!" The cruel light in her eyes and the way she fingers a jagged bladed dagger stuck through her belt belies the saccharine tone of voice. The leader of the small gang makes a disgusted noise, and waves her hand negligently. "Go ahead, I'm starting to get a headache anyway. Just shut the little fucker up before it attracts anything hungry." That's all the excuse the man needs, and with a "Night slash!" the little bug surges forward. The woman lets out an indignant yell, and yells at "Karma" to get to the "little meal" first, making the lizard break into a lope... right up until the insect hits the shallow water hiding the traps that Kat had laid, letting out shrieks of pain as ichor stains the water. "What the hell?!" Initiative Cecil - 18 Fink - 15 Bunnie - 15 Hazel - 15 Amber - 14 Roscoe - 14 YJ2 - 11 Christine - 11 YJ Leader - 10 Bones - 10 YJ4 - 9 Totodile - 8 Kecleon - 8 Kat - 8 YJ1 - 7 Skorupi - 7 YJ3 - 6 YJ 5 - 5
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Post by DataNinja on Jun 16, 2016 4:35:22 GMT
Christine tries to concentrate on something other than the fact that there are other human beings that the others are wanting to neutralize. She glances over at Bones, saying simply, "if you can reach anyone, get out there, and draw their fire. Try to stop the others from getting hurt. Otherwise, hold back."In the unlikely event someone moves within 5m of bones, he'll Shift next to them, and use Defense Curl.
Otherwise, he'll shift to K31.
Christine uses Inspired Training. Some inspiration....
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