Battle Hymn of the OWO - RPLOG
Participants
Date
30/12/2017
Log
The 30th of December, just two days away from the new year. It was a cold, windy afternoon, no the coldest but cold enough for some. That did not seem to affect a lot of the people in this gathering, they had more important business on their minds. Some looked angry, as if they were wronged by some unseen enemy, while others appeared jubilant enough that you would think they were awaiting the coming of their promised messiah. The vast majority were between those two states, seemingly just happy that something was happening. All in all, minus the fur and weapons...this all looked like your typical small town rally for some candidate to a state position, in fact....one would think it was designed to look that way.
As the time passed by, more and more survivors came to this little gathering, some just stumbling upon the little rally and deciding to stay and watch. The more feral looking mutants would however always be scared off by the OWO, but again most groups would scare off a naked mutant looking to start an orgy. Near the impromptu HQ of the OWO, where the speakers are likely sitting right now, a little Victorian explorer seemed to be arguing with a guard; unfortunately, it would take someone to jump through the gathering and walk past the guards to see what that was about.
Skylar was one of the mutants that heard about this rally happening, the dragoness felt a bit out of her element with so many humans around, she was still getting used to getting out in the streets again after a long while in a desk job and this was weirding her out. Spotting Miru arguing with a guard, she felt a bit of familiarity in seeing the journalist that interviewed her a few days ago, she tries closing in to her, making sure to steer clear from the angrier people and being very apologetic when she bumps into someone in the crowd. A series of 'sorry', 'oops', 'my bad hehe' happens as the top heavy dragoness navigates her way.
Callidora saunters casually through the crowd, smiling at anyone who pays her attention and also winking if they got her 'attention' in return. She's looking curiously about her at the various people present, taking note of them all though for different reasons than anyone there for more serious reasons. Unless interrupted first she might reach the argument by the stage, barring guards/ angry people stopping her or a particularly cute human-looking male being in the crowd.
Astara was more of a sight than many others, even many mutants.
The foxtaur had the mind to shrink herself to a (more) manageable 7 feet in height, shaving off about 2 to 3 feet, but she was still tall and imposing inherently in her build. Certainly on the extreme end of sexuality, too: the taur was endowed in every way possible, and could do little to constrain the several large rows of dripping breasts down below, stupidly large balls, nor the huge sheath that contained her (thankfully unerect) cock. Astara did, however, have her upper half clothed in a very Promethean-styled armor that hugged her human upper torso.
Keeping her distance at first, Astara skirted around the outer edge of the crowd towards the front. The last thing she wanted to do was cause too much of a commotion, or get any of the humans messy. She kept a non-threatening smile on her human face, but her blackened sclera and rather demonic-looking horns might yet undermine her intent...
Aaron has been a fixture in Fairhaven for years and years, enough that some of the locals might even recognize her...and that and two bucks will buy her a cup of coffee, around here. She expects no special consideration, working her way through the crowd as she does, trying to get closer to the front to hear what's being said. Those tall lapine ears naturally stand out among the crowd, granting her that extra height boost (and partially blocking the view of whoever is standing behind her, sorry about that). The presence of a few other mutants - including one she recognizes, thank goodness - is not lost on her, but she's not here on anyone's behalf but her own...for the purpose she seeks to serve is one no one else has stepped up to speak upon.
The flag of the USA, the Great Seal, the statue of liberty- all of these unmistakable symbols of the old world had been catching Cream's eye around Fairhaven in the form of graffiti, only recognizable to her thanks to her parents' teachings. Ancient relics of a life and ideology that she never belonged to, never had a chance to. She didn't think much of them until she was approached and invited to some kind of ragtag meeting, and now here she is, trying not to gawk too much at the largest gathering of humans she's ever seen in her life. Despite some trouble finding a place to see past the taller folks, she manages to get a half-decent glance at the going ons ahead of the crowd. Was that a pith helmet she just saw?
As our intrepid agents started filing in, more movement started occurring on behalf of the organizers with whispered words, and harried movement among the guards. In fact, some OWO members have began wadding into the attending groups, armed with pamphlets and ready to begin propaganda bombardment.
Skylar would earn herself a couple of nasty looks as she waded through the gathering, but by the halfway point she would find the hand of an angry-looking bald human in front of her, "Listen here, Missy. I get it. We all want to meet The Patriot, but respect your fellow American citizens. It would be best if you went towards the back or you can stay here, but no messing about." Callidora on the other hand is stopped by the much more standard 'five idiots who have no idea they are blocking the pavement, still assholes.' Looks like she will have to force her way through that, or just stay in position. To add to her trouble, she is suddenly pushed sideways as a guard who was standing nearby rushed past her towards the perimeter.
Further away around the 'entrance' to the gathering, the reason for the rushing guard is made clear. The mutant known as Astara didn't really look like she would fit here at all, made clear by the three humans moving towards her with their hands tight around their weapons. They were exchanging whispers among them before being shushed by the most senior-looking of the trio. The stern looking middle-aged lady then spoke up, "Hello mutant. I am guessing you are interested in the gathering? If not, then take a hike. If so, then I would kindly ask you to remain around the perimeter and to not move closer. Security you know, also health and safety." The two 'excuses' were muttered as if she wanted to make up a reason but gave up half-way through.
Aaron would receive a hand on her shoulder If she looked back then she would see a young lady born after P-day, who Aaron might or might not recognize. "Mrs Aaron. I am so happy to see you here. I knew someone like you would support The Patriot!" The young husky-morph said with a grin.
Cream has been ignored...for about a minute before a rather buxom lady in corporate attire shoved a pamphlet in her face. "Aren't you the cutest, little Miss. Are you here to learn more about our dear Columbia? That is the right thing for a young American girl to do, I bet you would have made a great Girl Scout back in my day." The lady said in a sickeningly-sweet tone.
Skylar gets less and less certain of what she's doing as the angry looks pile on. As the hand appears, she immediatly stop with an 'eep!'. She hears what the human has to say and promptly answers. "Oh, sorry! Hm, I was just trying to get to my friend over there-" She points at Miru, which really wasn't her friend but...in this situation it was pretty much the closest to one she had. "I'll just go over there and not bother anyone, is that alright?" She also notices the armed people getting near the large foxtaur and begins noticing that this was a really bad idea...
Astara's smile faded as the guards approached her, going to more of a slight frown; yet, she didn't express anger. That wouldn't go over well, no matter if she WAS frustrated. "I am indeed interested, so thank you for not shooting first and asking questions later." She didn't let her underlying emotions seep into her voice as she spoke, keeping a calm, even, and inviting tone... but that in of itself might be a little spiteful given the circumstances. The taur isn't disillusioned to the reality of what was going on. "No matter what you think based on my appearance, I'm no monster." She crosses her arms across her impressive bust. More 'on top' than actually across.
Aaron smiles faintly over her shoulder at the husky. "Actually, I'm still undecided on that." she admits. "I haven't really been informed on what The Patriot is trying to do yet, and that's what I'm here to find out: this visit is one hundred percent information gathering. If his cause is good and just, maybe I can lend a hand!" She rests a hand on the one upon her shoulder, gently patting it and offering a warm smile. "Do you think you can tell me what they're all about, or do you think I should wait for them?" Could it be? Could no one have shared information with Mrs. Aaron about The Patriot? That means...that means she sought them out of her own accord! And then...there's the sight of other mutants being stopped. "Hmm. I hate to interrupt this, but could you excuse me?"
If the husky girl lets her step away, she'll approach from the other side of those three men. "Astara!" she calls out with a bright smile. "I'm so glad you could make it." There's a brief glance at the men and their weapons, and she promises, "It's all right, she's with me. I'll take full responsibility for her."
Cream's world-weary eyes abruptly light up once she realizes she has a mark, taking on a more childish glow despite the dark circles beneath them. "Gosh, lady, I don't know too much about America," she pipes up, taking the pamphlet and glancing over it to determine just what sort of schlock these crazies are pushing. "I sure would like to, though! Who is The Patriot, anyhow? Is he one of them presidents I heard about once?" She's become used to donning the mask of the naive young girl, is gradually refining it to an art, though there's still something just the slightest bit off about her, and it isn't just the ears and tail.
Callidora sighs as her path is blocked by the group in front of her. She looks to either side, seeing no way past and then... Oh. One having glance behind him turned out to look rather passable. Stepping in close to the group the press of the crowd gave her all the excuse she needed for the young man to feel something very soft and curvy suddenly pushing against him. "Oh, sorry!" she says, having learned to fake that stupid modesty thing while smiling and batting her eyes. "The crowd is... So what is happening here? I was just given an invitation here but the man who gave it wasn't giving many details." He also probably couldn't have described her face, but such things fail to concern the young female.
Another glance towards the back of the building would reveal that the Pith helmet-wearing journalist was now arguing with two guards, if her tomato-red face with any indication, but no one really was paying attention to that right now. What grabbed the attention of the crowd was the sudden static noise that indicated that the speakers on the stage were turned on, the electronic speakers. Not a minute later, the distinctive voice of Woody Guthrie is heard as he sang 'This Land is Your Land'. One could notice some in the crowd tearing up, but all remained silent. One voice tried singing along, but, after ten seconds without any support, fizzled out; It appears no one was in a singing mood today.
The guard looked stone-dead at Skylar before turning around to see where she is pointing. He looks back at her, bemused, "Missy...that is behind the stage which is off-limits. You can wait here for the 'journalist'..." he stopped to suppress a chuckle, "...but you are not taking a step further. You can also join that mutant there." He pointed at Astara in the distance.
The husky smiled sheepishly at Aaron, "Well, they did tell us to keep quiet, and I don't know anything about The Patriot." She then pointed at the stage before carrying on, "As for the group well...oh, okay." The husky moved away letting Aaron past.
The lady smiled at Astara, "Just doing my duty, Ma'am." She said with little humor as she, and her two colleagues, turned around to see the bunny coming along. "Sure thing, little rabbit. Keep an eye on her." The officer said with a chuckle, Aaron would also notice that he definitely never seen this lady before in Fairhaven.
The pamphlet Cream's hand gave out little factoids about 'the greatest country on Earth', modified for maximum patriotism, and vague promises about bringing it back, and how they must all unite and rebuild. Just the right mixture of fact, fiction, and hopes.
The human grunts as he feels Callidora crash into him, "You better be sorry..." he says as he turns around looking down, "Err, miss?" He said before shrugging at her questions, "Well, don't know much. This is my first time here as well."
Skylar blinks at the music, she doesn't recognize it, which confuses and kind of scares her even more seeing the people fall silent and try to sing it. Seeing Miru getting angry and being approached by more guards worries her. All this makes her look quite distressed. She jumps in place as the guard talks again, and quickly nods, lifting her hands up and nodding. "I, uh, I understand. Sorry. I'll wait here for my friend if you'd allow it." She says meekly before making certain her jacket's zipper is all the way up, after this, she simply crosses her arms and waits, if the guard allows her to.
Callidora smiles and also bats eyelashes, as she's learned that when dealing with a certain kind of male there is no overkill. She wraps her arm through his and presses close as if a little nervous, coincidentally pressing her breasts against him and making sure he can see down them if he turns to look at her. "Some of the people don't seem too friendly to mutants" she observes with the same air of someone noting what colour drapes are. "And who's that making trouble at the front? Oh, is it starting?"
Astara blinks a few times as a familiar rabbit pops out of the crowd! Her face lights up immediately to a grin as she gives her a wave of the hand. "I'm glad to see you, too!" she replies, sighing with relief that the guards are leaving her alone. "Thanks for that, Aaron."
"I swear, the first time I'm back in town in months and something *interesting* is happening..."
Aaron nods to Astara. "No worries. Come on, let's see what all this is about. And don't worry, we're not exactly the only mutants here." She beckons for her longtime acquaintance to move forward with her, politely excusing herself to press forward amidst the crowd. If possible, she'll attempt to locate the husky girl from earlier...either way, she'll stand in polite reverence when the song is played, one hand over her heart. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, even if the Romans consider you a monster. She'll stand in place with her hand over her heart (and nudge Astara to do the same, if needed) until the song ends, and make no more progress forward until then.
Cream quietly folds the pamphlet away and pockets it, working her way as close to the front of the crowd as she can manage as quickly as possible, nudging and mewling out, "Pardon me, just trying to get to my dad," as her little excuse while she rudely wiggles past folks.
Another glance towards the building would reveal the okami talking to a more senior looking lady, one could almost imagine all the colorful language the seething journalist would be using right now. Meanwhile just as the song finished another played immediately afterwards, this time the classic 'Battle Hymn of the Republic', NOW everyone looked solemn and lowered their heads in silent respect.
The guards nods at Skylar, "Sure thing, but I am keeping my eye on you." he said as he walked back to his post, not ten meters away, eyes looking over the crowd but always glancing the dragon.
Astara and Aaron manage to enter the gathering now, but they are quickly stopped from going any further in by a couple of guards, at least they can be considered part of the 'crown' now so that's a step-up. Aaron would also notice the same husky moving closer to them, "Oh, hello." she said with a smile.
Cream was not offered much resistance, except the angry occasional angry glances and the whispered insults. She was practically less than five meters away from the stage now, and could hear the mention of biscuits and a Queen's underpants from further ahead.
The young blonde lad coughs nervously as the vampire lady barzenly breaks into his personal space, "I didn't really notice much..." he said as he looked into the rest of the crowd, "I mean they are just protecting us from ferals you know." The male then looked to the front before grinning, "Oh that's Miru. You know the one who kept posting on the news board. I think she is probably here to make a report about the Old World Order." He paused then more quietly added, "Between you and me, I think that outfit is really silly, but she does carry off those shorts."
Skylar simply nods back and lets out a meek 'thanks'. She continues with her arms crossed and focused at Miru. Not moving an inch from her position to not anger the guards or give anyone besides her reason for anything. Just hoping Miru either looks her direction so she can wave at her. No way she was going to make her way back through the crowd now, specially with another one of these songs she doesn't recognize at all.
"True, true. Lead the way; much better than if *I* do!" Astara says back to Aaron, before doing just that; following behind at a close enough proximity that no one will get between them, but far enough away that Aaron isn't in the shadow of the taur. Or in her 'wet' range.
Astara stops with Aaron, and catches on, giving her a nod. She didn't need to be told, though! The taur actually got a chill, quite noticable on her body given how much of it there is. "It's been so long since I've heard this last..." she mumbles, quietly.
Aaron lowers her head in respect as well, making no attempt to get past the guards. Fortunately, she's old enough to remember some of the traditions, so she's got some idea of what to do WITHOUT cues...and the rest of it can be picked up from the people around her. Whatever she does, it's probably not wise to offend the people around her; it's so much easier to see and understand and be accepted if she can fall in with the rank and file! "Shhh." says the bunny...not harshly, but firmly, as if to suggest that this is a time for silence.
The song, the meaning, the significance of it is largely lost on Cream at first, but when she looks around she can, for a moment, almost glimpse what it is to the men and women rallied around her. Her childish facade falters for a long moment as she glances around in a squint. What was America, that it meant so much to these people? What was its relevance to the world they live in today? Perhaps most perplexing to her was the song itself. The words she understood, but their significance was increasingly lost on her. The words almost don't leave her mouth for fear of causing undue offense, whispered very quietly, "Where, then, does 'God' march on to?" It's spoken out of genuine wonder rather than malice or sarcasm. Amidst all the strange deities popping up, the abrahamic faiths had been forgotten to the catgirl, and the direction of this movement seems loose at best.
Callidora frowns in momentary confusion. "But then why would she be arguing? Aren't they going to be telling us everything soon anyway?" She regards the safaari-garbed figure with an intent and critical eye. "Mmm... But yes, she does fill out those shorts very nicely doesn't she?" The vampire winks at the boy and goes back to examining the various goings-on, though she does take advantage of any movements in the crowd that might let her draw the boy away from his group of companions. The way that Taur seems to be pressing through the crowd looks to be a good opportunity so she tags onto the end of that group, whispering to her companion that they can get a better look this way. How hard can it be to make a healthy male ignore common sense and follow a girl as stacked as she is... Especially when she has various powers to employ if he proves too reluctant?
The stand off at the back seems to come stand-still as the trio of Order goons talked to each other. The reporter took this opportunity to look around, noticing the dragon and giving her a wave. Then a conclusion is reached as the trio escort the nuisance away, finally clearing the entrance.
The husky eeps and goes silent as well, imitating Aaron's actions as song the song plays.
Cream receives a gentle hand on a her head for her question. If she looks back she will see a rather old-looking man, old by nanite-bubble standards. The man was crying in earnest as he whispered to her, "Then he marches on to restore America, miss."
The man chuckled, "I have no idea, I hear she has also been thrown out of Zephyr a couple of times because she tried getting up to the exec areas." The man 'oofs' as the vampire pulls him, and he does actually follows but suddenly stops and looks back, "Hey, wait this is a good vantage." he says.
The reason why the man stopped is clear, because it certainly appears that the main show is about to start. Because when the song ended everything went silent for a moment, and the entire crowd looked eagerly at the stage. Then the doors of the building opened, and the speakers jumped back to life again blaring a melody loudly, 'Hail to the Chief'
Skylar takes a few steps towards Miru, but stops as she knows she won't be able to get closer to her. Her tail starts to go from left to right out of sheer nervousness. She begins nibbling onto one of her claws as she builds courage to ask the guard where they were taking Miru, but one more weird maching band music begins to play. She then paces back to her original place and keeps her eyes open towards the stage, getting really curious on who this guy is.
Astara's scent would be very heavy for Callidora, given she's following behind the taur; her leaking remnants all over the ground did not help matters in that front. At least if most of these humans were in fact human, their sniffers wouldn't be nearly as attuned to picking up on it.
She relaxed her posture after the reverent, somber atmosphere had lifted and the song changed, raising her head a little higher. Her curiosity was obvious. "Ohhh. I guess we're about to begin, now, see who our... 'President' is." The last part is far more mumbled, to really only reach those close to her.
Aaron nods to Astara, but says nothing. The person coming up on stage is not a president, of course; a president must be duly elected by the populace, and he has not been. If he truly is a patriot, he'll understand. For the moment, she stands calm and patient...something big is about to happen, and if she's not attentive to every last detail, she may miss something crucial.
Cream very nearly swats the old man's hand away, but restrains herself enough to maintain some sense of politeness. She forces a smile up at him before turning her attentions to the stage. She wouldn't miss this for the world, not after all that buildup.
Callidora smiles back at the man and locks eyes with him. "Oh, just follow along with me and you'll be fine- I know what I'm doing!" she tells him. Fortunately she's not even slightly male or she might have lost control just by being behind the taur- as it was, the musks weren't doing much for her state of mind. Making sure the boy won't be troubled by anything else he might see or think of she follows to- where *are* they going to anyway? Well, she's away from his friends and after seeing what the fuss is about she can pull the boy somewhere quite to get some pleasant relief.
It appears that Cream has a bit of a prophetic streak because the man that walks past the opened door looks like he came straight from crossing the Delaware, specifically the painting. Standing tall on the stage was an idealized image of a Founding Father, breeches, wisket, frock coat, the entire shebang. The only thing that was off was the head. The entirety of the head was covered in black cloth, except the face which had a Porcelain mask over it, with the USA flag pattern on it. Atop it was a powdered wig. The mask did look a bit off, but it was smiling at least. This figure stepped forward and put firmly gripped the podium in front of it, gazing upon the crowd. Who almost reached a hundred, if not more.
The crowd went into a frenzied applause, which cheering and whistling. Some were so overcome, they went down on their knees weeping. Somehow this overjoy seemed a bit off, but the basis behind it was genuine.
Callidora's would be victim just swatted her hand away. "Look, we can do that later. I need to see this." The lad said as they just went past Astara. With that, he turned around to look upon The Patriot. A couple of the guards noticed the commotion and gave Callidora a nasty look. It appears they are not fond of something causing trouble just as the main show is starting.
Skylar smiles as she sees the weird civil war cosplay with the weird mask. Sure it seemed off but, it's kinda cool in a way! She claps a bit along with the crowd, still smiling as her tail stops fliting rapidly, and begins to sway around in a more fluid and relaxed movement. She only stops clapping when the crowd does so too. And when she does, she looks and listens intently to the figure on the podium.
Astara had a smile on her face already, but her whole spirits were uplifted the moment The Patriot came out. It was natural. It felt natural. Just... well, she still had other emotions that battled it out from within her. "Well. That's... interesting." The taur was suspicious. Happily suspicious, but suspicious. There was something off...
Aaron can't restrain herself from smiling as well, but a quick glance at Astara had her elbowing the larger mutant in the side. "Don't fall for it." she speaks in a quiet voice, leaning a bit closer to Astara to say it. "I feel it too, but I came here confused and I suddenly feel all cozy-warm." A moment's thought passes, and she adds, "I can't stop the feeling, but my thinking mind knows it's out-of-place. I bet yours does, too." This heralds another firm nudge, this one intended to be firm enough to be unpleasant. Certainly not harmful, but maybe enough to take the edge off of a good mood. As for the bunny herself...she may be compelled to be happy, but she doesn't have to stop thinking.
Cream rubs at her head in brief confusion as a rush of alien happiness floods her otherwise typically rather grumpy mind. It's an almost welcome feeling, paradoxical in how utterly confusing it is to her- the feeling is not entirely her own, and in that respect it causes her some degree of alarm, but it is somewhat muted in the face of the fact that she really just can't help but to smile a bit. Fight or flight instincts start urging her to get the hell out of there, and yet she stays, too curious to see what happens next and a little too emotionally confused to be able to leave without attracting unwanted attention, besides.
Callidora feels the happy feelings flowing through her and smiles widely. This was strange, usually she'd be feeling the opposite of happy at having her intended dinner-date push her away like that. Maybe she was just looking forward to having him later? Everyone was applauding loudly and as she looked about her. This seemed a bit odd, but it was making her feel nice for now so, she carried on watching.
The clapping continues for a good part of a minute before it dwindled down to a silence. When that happens The Patriot stands tall and gazes upon their flock, or at least that's the implication of his actions. "Greetings my fellow citizens. Citizens of the greatest nation to ever exist. Citizens of the United States of America. The land from sea to shining sea. The pearl cloistered between two oceans." That was its opening statement. The voice was deep, it was powerful, and it boomed across the crowd, one would think The Patriot didn't even need speakers.
"Some of you are here because they remember. Some of you are here because they want to learn. Some of you are here because they are just curious. Some of you are just here to mock. Yet, all of you stand here. Cradled by the bosom of Columbia. Thought she is weak, thought she has been hurt by her own children, though some of you here would even spit on her face, she cradles you." The Patriot then gestures towards the city around them, "Once this was a city beaming with life, with loyal citizens of the United States of America. Now...a desolate husk of it's former self. I am certain most of you here can even still remember those days. Some of you here can even remember in this very same city." It does appear that The Patriot is intent on waxing nostalgic, one wonders when will it divulge its intent.
Skylar simply nods at all the words, hands clasped and resting on top of her bosom as if waiting the chance to start clapping once more. His words...sound off however, sure the USA was leagues above every other country, sure it was the best place to live sure, it was great for everyone. I guess? Well, there wasn't ferals around back them. Oh, right, she looks back to the place were Miru was escorted, and hopes she's alright, she'd be fine if she was still around here listening to this.
Combined with the ambient happiness of the nanomagic, The Patriot's nostalgic musings hit home for Astara. She closes her eyes, and takes a deep breath, trying to let go, *Aaron's* words ringing around in that head of hers too. She holds the breath for a little, before letting out a long sigh; not overly obvious as to be 'rude', but it's there. "You're not wrong, Aaron, it feels off. Just... it's effective, with his words." There's a little glisten in her eyes when she re-opens them.
Aaron nods her head. "I can already draw a few conclusions." she answers, though she doesn't elaborate for the time being. For now, this Patriot person is delivering its message, and she's intent on staying quiet and listening. In truth, just because there's something obviously influencing the emotions of the crowd, that doesn't...necessarily mean that his message is wrong. History is replete with people doing good things in bad ways, so it's important for those long lapine ears to snatch up every last word. Sometimes, HOW you say a thing is as important as WHAT you say.
Cream blinks rapidly as she listens. Even to her, there's a certain nostalgic longing that she can't help but feel as well, but where others have a clear image of pre-apocalypse America, she cannot conceive it nearly so easily. What little she knows of it is not enough to fully empathize. Still, the general suggestion of the past as a better time combined with the active manipulation of her emotions is enough to make her feel a little wistful for a past she never knew, that she wishes she could have seen, too. The recognition that this is not entirely her own original thought makes her a bit angry, but still it is too muted under the overwhelming din of the nanomagic for her to act on it yet, like she has a leash and collar on her very being and no matter how hard that inner voice screams it isn't loud enough to break free.
Callidora is certainly looking a little confused. She's only eaver heard about America, and certainly had no reason to feel happy because someone mentioned it. Maybe because everyone else was so happy? She glances about, clapping slowly along with the rest and looking for more out of the corners of her eyes to see what everyone else was doing about it.
Tears begin flowing again from some of the congregation's members, for it does seem that The Patriot is getting preachy here, it even gives the crowd a moment to let its words sink in. "But we are not here to just remember. We are here to rebuild. To take back what was taken away from us." With that statement, the crowd's attention is restored, they do not seem as happy, but yet a lot of them seem even more attentive now.
The Patriot gestures again to the city, "Ever since the apocalypse, our nation was destroyed. All of us had to survive after that. Not a single one of you here can claim to not have lost family or friends to the ferals or the nanites, even those of you who were born after the apocalypse." The Patriot then looked down focusing its unflinching gaze on the crowd. "But you survived." The Patriot uttered, letting the sentence fall silent before it continued, "The world brought itself down upon you with every calamity, but you survived. They destroyed your nation, your family, your dreams, and hopes...but you stood. For eight years, WE survived. They tried to destroy us, to destroy America, but we stood. We said you cannot destroy the land of the free, for we are the free, WE ARE AMERICA!" With that another round of applause carried out, the crowd was getting pumped up now and excited, some even forgot the odd elation they felt but a minute ago.
Skylar is confused. Very. VERY confused. She tries thinking about what just happened to her but she just sort of feels sick and weird. She doesn't even know why she's in the pose she is with her hands like this. She slowly returns to a less 'delighted' pose, and actually seems terrified. She herself actually gained a lot after the apocalypse so the words sounded hollow to her. Finally, she took a look towards where the guards took Miru, her heart suddenly racing just wondering about what could've happened to the tiny journalist. She takes a few more steps, but is too much in the middle of the crowd to be confident enough to pull off anything. She simply stands, still scared, hoping that the speech ends already so she can go after Miru.
Astara just stands quietly. She's a little more resistant now to the rallying cries of The Patriot, but not deaf; they stir the spirit they're meant to stir, but perhaps not for *his* cause in particular. "...Makes me wonder what happened to the *actual* government."
The taur still... well. She's still dripping from everywhere. Her body is going to keep doing what it is to do, in such a very nanite-influenced way.
Aaron offers her wholehearted applause to the monologue, doing her best to smile as widely as she had before and offer every indication of being attached to the notions espoused, but in reality? Her applause is sincere, but not for the message. No, that's agreeable enough. In fact, it somewhat echoes her own sentiments, sent out among the populace not long ago. No, her applause is for his skill at oration! Meter, prose, timing. The painting of the audience as enduring heroes, rather than surviving victims. He's empowering them, building them up in their own eyes, as anyone who wants something would. Whatever else he may have going for him, his speeches are actually pretty damned good, so far.
So the question stands: where is he going with this?
Astara receives no reply from the bunny, as she has none to give. Only a hand to rest on the taur's shoulder, both for comfort and for security. 'Don't you wander off on me', it seems to say.
As Cream blinks away the last of the strange feelings, she grits her teeth a bit and tries her best not to glower too hard at The Patriot. She's heard her mother say similar things, not in those exact words- no, he was several degrees more eloquent in it than she was in that regard- but the sentimentality behind it ultimately came off as the same to her, though even less sincere. Where her mother's ideals are rooted in some misguided nostalgia and longing for the past, along with whatever innumerable personal traumas she refuses to talk about, this man seems to want to take advantage of those ideals for his own ends. She still can't pin why, and while that disturbs her deeply, she applauds nonetheless to keep blending in with the crowd.
Callidora is also waiting to see where things are going for now. She starts to give glances about to judge a quick route out that's free from guards, though. She might be half-dragging a dazed or stoned looking guy after all, and for some reason serious-looking guard types have often objected to her doing that. It's not as if she wasn't going to make the males feel nice! But even she was starting to think that there might be graver concerns to worry about here tonight- such as, whatever did happen to that girl with the shorts-clad, fuckable behind?
The Patriot gave the crowd another moment to compose before it carried on, "We, Americans, survived and began rebuilding for eight years. We overcame everything that the apocalypse threw at us. While WE toiled, others chose to lounge idly, gnawing on Columbia's burning corpse. Telling us that the burned flesh was fruit, that this nightmare is THEIR paradise. While we survived and rebuilt, they sat their in their ivory towers. The same people who destroyed our nation, sat there and let us do the work."
The Patriot shook its head disapprovingly for emphasize, giving the crowd another look. While it is impossible to well what it is looking at due to the mask, Astara and Skylar might get an uneasy sensation. "But our effort bore fruit, did it not?" The Patriot said in a warmer tone as they looked at the city again, "For eight thankless years, we toiled. And now we finally brought a piece of what we lost. But what did the parasites in their ivory tower tell us? Good enough! Now let us all share in this bounty. What did those who desecrated the corpse of Columbia say? We cannot believe that ALL of us did this! As if they did anything except come and grace us with their presence, but that matters not."
The last statement confused the crowd as they looked at each other, questioning what did The Patriot mean. "While would it? We are American. We would happily let others join us in the fruit of our labor if they agree to join us and work with us. Is that not the American dream? Is that not why all of our ancestors came to this land? For centuries our nation took upon the huddles masses of the poor and the oppressed and gave them new life in our nation. That is not our quarrel."
It did seem that there has been a lull in the speech now. The crowd is still as interested as ever, but those who are not fans of oration wanted to The Patriot to get to the point. Luckily, for Callidaro this did mean that most guards by now were paying attention to their leader.
Skylar shakes her head and rubs her face as she feels that weird sickness. She really wanted to get out of here, would be specially great if she could get out and look for Miru. She doesn't know what the thing on the podium is talking about, she guesses she is the one of those stuck in the ivory tower. The guards' focus waned, but she still felt too scared run away.
The hand onto her shoulder gets Astara to twitch in surprise; a much lesser reaction (and less problematic) than if someone her size was startled completely. "S-sorry," she mutters, not even looking to Aaron, keeping her eyes fixed where everyone else's were.
Her fur bristled, and hair on her more human half stood on edge as The Patriot showed his dismay. And, like the audience, she was a little confused. Perhaps for different reasons than many, more in-line with Aaron than before. Increasingly aware and trying to figure out just what in the hell he's trying to do.
Aaron speaks up amidst this lull, hand in the air. "This great nation was founded upon the principle that anyone who is willing to work, to make an effort to strengthen it, is welcome on our shores." she speaks up, though how audible her voice may be without amplification may be questionable. "We, the people, are the true power of this land. We have the ability to make this world great again. I've lived my life around this idea, and I still support it." She seems to be addressing the Patriot directly. Bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off for her.
Cream holds her tongue harder than ever, now visibly conflicted and confused. On the one hand, he didn't come off as who he's trying to to her- less of a patriot, more of a snake oil salesman, saying everything these people want to hear. At the same time, she couldn't help but appreciate the sentimentality against the big 3. She and Cookies did not agree on much, but that Z, RSX and the Prommies needed to keep their damned noses out of wastelander business. She wants to be impatient, to step forwards, but out of sight and out of mind is the name of the game this early on.
Callidora observes The Patriot, tilting her head at his words. All right, she's bored now. It's a good thing that he's got some sort of magic pheremones or whatever it is that makes people happy, she decided, because he's not very good at this speech thing and people wouldn't listen to him at all without it. She considers where the nearest places to get some privacy are as she... Oh, sexy bunny girl had everyone looking over here now. She blinked and waited to see what would happen. Not quite as boring any more at least...
"Our quarrel is simple. What did the parasites in their ivory towers and the parasites digging in the husk of our nation both say to us?" The question was clearly rhetorical, and the orator's voice was calmer now, but clearly it was beginning a build now....before it is suddenly interrupted by the bold rabbit. The Patriot's unflinching gaze centered on the offending party.
Most of the crowd either didn't hear or half-heard some of what Aaron said. The people near Aaron were split, with some angrily shushing her for the interruption while others nodded their heads in agreement.
The Patriot then let out an audible guffaw. "True, my wise friend. I am glad that some of you share my principles. You are correct. That is the principle of our nation. So, what is our quarrel?" It asked again, diverting the attention of the crowd from the rabbit back to The Patriot. On the bright side, Aaron kept the attention of the guards, but they didn't look happy at all. "Miss, if you do not remain silent. We will have to ask you to leave." A guard who walked to Aaron said, some of his fellows already moving towards the commotion.
"THEY told us that it is now time for a new beginning, a new age. To let us forego of our nation, of our past, of our heritage. THEY want us to rebuild this land for them. To create a new civilization for them. THEY want us to bring back dear Columbia then give it to them! I say NO to that. WE gave them our labor. WE shared our fruit with them, but we will not give up America! For if it wasn't for America none of them would be here. That is our quarrel. We will rebuild. We will rebuild America. We will bring America back, not some nation based on the ideals of corrupt executives of corporations and creatures who can't distinguish rape from food." The Patriot then focuses on the crowd again, "We seek no quarrel with anyone. We will rebuild America back to its former glory and we will not let those traitors dictate to us how our nation should be run. We will bring back our nation, but if they stand in our way then we will fight. A second revolution to free America from the hands of the corrupt!"
At The Patriot's last statement, the crowd erupts into another round of applause, yet some appear uneasy.
Skylar turns back to look at who interrupted the podium thing. She simply tilts her head at the rabbit and turns forward again, to her, that part did sort of agree with podium thing...it's just...how this all was presented that was off. She applauds as everyone else does, but clearly is part of the uneased one, she continues focused on where Miru probably went. Really not wanting to use her Illusion Nanomagic, she was too out of practice for this. So she waits for things to cool down.
Astara's eyes widen, and her face blushes modestly pink as she looks down to her ever-troublemaking (and true-speaking) friend down below in front of her. The foxtaur doesn't dare speak at first, or do much more than watch and listen to the interplay that starts to unfold. Her pulse sped up, senses heightened. The nanomagic that encouraged her bled in with her own alarm to make an anxious nervousness, and she was shifting her great weight from side to side.
Yet, she stood silent.
Aaron merely nods to the guard who addressed her, holding eye contact for a moment but uttering not a word. The message is clear: you won't hear another peep out of me. Besides, she's already said her peace. If anything, she offers an adorable, doe-eyed smile, head slightly hung in an "I'm sowwy" gesture. I won't do it again, sir. I'll be quiet, sir.
Of course, as Astara likely knows, Aaron simply doesn't make that face. It's absolute bullshit. In reality, she's done everything she wanted to do here, and more; for now, it's simply a matter of letting it play out. Talk of what she's learned and what she's accomplished can come later.
Cream frowns and grumbles quietly, still trying to make sense of everything she's hearing. The more she pieces it together, the more she feels like she doesn't know a damn thing about it besides 'The Patriot comes off as a manipulative jerk'. Even a manipulative jerk can work towards the betterment of everyone, but exactly how often does that happen? Still, she's not her mother. She knows better than to shoot first and ask questions later. Sit and listen, understand before you act, right?
Callidora ORDER :ah'd. *THAT* was where he was going, to have people start smashing Zephyr. Wait, she hung out there a lot- bad! Well, at least everyone seemed to be realising that he wasn't that interesting now the happy-times thing had started to wear off. Maybe she should just leave and let everyone else deal with this?
Callidora ah'd. *THAT* was where he was going, to have people start smashing Zephyr. Wait, she hung out there a lot- bad! Well, at least everyone seemed to be realising that he wasn't that interesting now the happy-times thing had started to wear off. Maybe she should just leave and let everyone else deal with this?
The guard stared at Aaron for a moment, glancing her nervous taur of a friend, before sighing, "Ok, just keep quiet? Please." He said with a shake of his head, going back to his post. The rest followed suit, but they definitely kept an eye on the trouble maker.
As the applause puttered out again, The Patriot renewed its effort, "Join us fellow Americans in our struggle. Speak to other patriots around you. Speak to my followers. They mockingly nickname us Americanist cultists, or The Old World Order, or what have you. We take that with pride, for we are here to bring back order to our troubled nation, but all of us need to work together. There are many things I want to tell you about my fellow citizens, but I fear that now is not the time. For now, go in peace, and let us all work together to bring back our country."
And with that final statement, The Patriot turns around and walks back into the building. Immediately afterwards, more pamphleteers move in, and a surprising number of people approach. Looks like The Patriot was indeed on a recruitment campaign, and it does seem that it got what it wanted.
Everything was a bit more relaxed. With most of the crowd focused on putting their name down, the guards also began to leave to attend other duties. Looks like people can stay and look around, or even join.
Skylar makes her way to one of the pamphleteers, grabbing one of them as soon possible. As she acquires one of them, she immediatly turns around and begins making her way to the place Miru was, pretending to be absorbed by the pamphlet, tail fliting behind her.
Astara lets out a sigh as soon as The Patriot finally takes his reprieve. Not a moment passes before she playfully bumps forward against Aaron, delivering a big-breasted bap to the back of the bunny's head! "I see *you* haven't changed since I've last seen you," the taur comments with a small smirk.
She too grabs a pamphlet once it comes around.
Aaron is more than happy to take a pamphlet! Maybe even three or four, if they'll let her have them! There's so much /useful/ information in these. So much to know. Now that the guards are gone and the Patriot has buggered off, she notes to Astara, "You should really take a couple too!" with a subtle nod. "We really need to tell people about this, don't you agree?" Of course, she might mean something a *little* different than what the Patriot intended...when Astara baps her, she blinks innocently. "What? I'm just a perfectly normal bunny who wants to help her country." Whew. You could fertilize the eastern forest with that.
Seeing as how she already has her pamphlet and effectively got what she came here for, Cream is quickly moving back through the crowd to leave. She's got a lot to think about and talk about with others, now.
Callidora plucks a few pamphlets herself, overhearing Aaron and Astara. "What country is that? And do you think he'll be much of a problem? He wasn't that interesting a speaker once the magic happy gas or whatever it was ran out. The only people signing up are once who were just waiting for someone to come and tell them things like that before they heard him" she comments to the Bunny Girl.
Those who took some of the other pamphlets will notice that those were introductory to the OWO, and the pamphlets also introduce their military arm, The Minutemen. Looks like they are recruiting for more than just more pamphleteers.
The crowd slowly started to disperse as the time went by. If any of the guard heard Callidora's comment about The Patriot, they did not say anything. All in all, it seems that the day has passed with a net positive to a certain person. Needless to say, it is unlikely that the OWO was remaining in the shadows.
