Tea Time with Luna - Part 1 - RPLOG
Participants
Date
17/12/2017
Log
As everyone reaches the start of the highway, there is a human male in overalls standing next to his partially-nanite-eaten blue truck, wearing a Promethian illuminated helmet. "Hi again. For those of you I haven't met yet I'm Smithson, and I'm going to be driving you out to Tahoe..." He sighs, but then pops his knuckles and smiles. "Zephyr got a distress call encrypted by a woman named Luna from the Children of Tahoe. It says she needs help with her mother, but Zephyr has no information on any of them, so this also counts as a recon mission and may be a trap set by them. They've done that before. Any questions?"
Otto had arrived not long ago, his ass planted on a rock, his hands roaming over one of his toys, a rifle of intricate design and structure rested upon his knees, every detail checked, every module adjusted, every component kept in pristine condition, at least to the best of his abilities. He perks his ears as Smithson speaks up, a disgruntled huff parting his lips "I swear, that bullshit big Z got us into last time is the reason I resigned from their ranks. If this turns out to be another ambush or similar bullshit, I'm gonna be more than a little upset." he growls deeply, but moves in and gives Smithson a pat on the shoulder, "Good to see ya anyway, Smith. Glad the old girl's still rolling." his hand lightly strikes the hood of the old pickup truck. "Glad we're being forewarned, at least. Anyway, did she specify what she wants done? Because "she wants help" could mean anything between fetching her mum some groceries and impaling her through the heart."
It was time for business, and, appropriately, Phosphorus came armed and armored. She popped into her nanite power suit, threw some plate carriers over that, added some webbing where it'd be convenient, packed a small canteen of tea, and brought enough bullets and knives to rival small nations. She shows up as quietly as one can in heavy armor, leaning against a nearby boulder as the Z agent speaks. She fiddles with her helmet a bit to turn the voice amp on. "Prepare for engagement, yeah. Got it."
Coming in at a light jog, the black haired human pants a bit with his gear rattling softly at his marching pace. Once more, the human returns to the Tahoe job geared out in his previous riot themed gear with polearm and bow strapped to him... Though strangely, his armor doesn't seem quite as bulky as it once did, seeming more suitably form fitting for him this time around. Also someone seems to have slapped a peace sticker on the chest over his heart that looks like it has been scratched at a bit. Sighing loudly as he finally gets next to the truck, Anbessa coughs softly as he regains his breath. For one that doesn't seem to need to breathe, he looks like he really needs to take a second or two. "Fweh... Heya Otto. Didn't arrive with a big dramatic entrance this time?" Anbessa asks with a smile after he gets most of his air back in his lungs, looking to Smith with a nod too. "And hiya Smith." Though he does see a face he doesn't quite recognize from his previous run out to Tahoe, though whoever they are, they seem to be armored up in some serious power armor! "Huh... Nice to meetcha, I'm Anbessa." Anbessa says with a smile over towards Phos. Certainly a new face to him, so always nice to greet new people. The armored human readjusts some of the straps of his armor as he watches the way he came from to see how many others are coming with... Also taking moments to glance up too. Don't wanna get startled again.
Arris tugs at the collar of a cardigan worn. The thought of the Tahoe-people made hir nervous as sie began to dread them, and the mention of a trap made hir even more uneasy. But, from what sie heard, someone needed help with a parent, and sie wasn't the type to ignore someone in their time of need. Perhaps this would be the first step on a path to forging a better relationship with the Tahoers. Or, at least, that was what sie told hirself, trying to keep hir mind off the possibility of a trap.
Though, once the gator gets to the meeting site, the sight of at least a few familliar faces does ease hir nervous mind somewhat. Otto and Anbessa, primarily: though sie has accompanied Mokou, Smithson, and Phosphorus on missions in the past, sie didn't know them as intimately as Otto and Anbessa. Occasionally, a chocolate bar would be pulled from a pocket to be nibbled on, the gator looking on quietly as everyone conversed - so far, it seemed any questions sie had were already asked.
Wandering on over towards the edge of that broken-down highway, Mokou felt her hands fall to her hips with a small smile upon her face. A good day to explore the world. Or at least, go to a likely voitial region full of people whom had nearly killed them time and time again. Potato, Hand Grenade. Those sharp ears of hers twitched forward, catching each word Smithson spoke, rolling them about before she gave a brief smile. "Hardly any questions that could likely be answered. Where we are going, what is happening, why they are calling us back despite giving explicit statements about never ever ever coming back to them..." The little lass gave a small shrug, hand falling to the stone-grey sheath at her side. "Hopefully, will not end with a death threat this time... Nor a firing squad." Her eyes turned for a moment towards that ever so familiar jackal, a scrap of a smile playing across her lips. "... Hopefully."
Mokou though, she simply shook her head, stepping slowly towards that old, beat up truck, running a hand along the rear fendor. A hand reached across, tugging at her attire for a moment, a simple halter top wrapped about her and shorts girded about her as well. Reaching up and over the back of the truck, she gave a quiet heave, pulling herself up into the back. Took a moment longer than usual, an old broken suitcase, tied up with rope to create an impromptu backpack impeeding her for a moment. A peculiar piece, but it served her needs well enough. Not as worrysome as that long sheaf of stone-grey rested by her side, a handle protruding ever so slightly. That was a finicky piece if anythign. A gentle yip sounded though. Her ears perked, and she leaned over, hoisting up her companion for the day. Felix, the little fox curled about her, twisting and turning more akin to a cat than the vulpine it was. Ever underfoot, never there when you stepped though. A metalic coating covered the tiny vulpine's back though, something of a metalic box with a cross upon it. On the rare case tis of use after all... healing. A smirk and the lass shook her head scratching the tiny fox's ears as she gazed out. A familiar group. Strong, steady, reliable. "Phosphorus... Anbessa... Arris... Otto... Seems we've got a good set here. So only question I've got left is... When do we head out?"
Smithson keeps smiling when Otto mentions his truck. "Both the Promethians and Zephyr help me get the parts to keep it running, because no one wants to be without cheap ground transport, especially a truck with towing capability. As for Luna's message, it said her mother needed help, but sounded like she didn't have the time to say why, just that she needed everyone there after sundown otherwise her mother wouldn't be there..." He rolls his sholders to stretch, then ushers everyone into the truck. "Well, time to get going. I doubt Tahoe will wait for us."
The truck takes a few hours to make it to Tahoe, and Smithson slows down in a few spots to make sure he doesn't run into any ambushes. There are no problems getting to Tahoe, and about 20 minutes before sundown the group arrives at a wall of fog that signifies the edge of the Tahoe bubble.
The jackal spends his time in the truck seated at the back seat this time, his legs tucked in and his arms fidding with a piece of his armor. It was an interesting little thing, cylindrical in shape and covered in various sigils and runic symbols, each one inscribed into a turnable ring upon the cylinder's surface. The thing itself was seemingly comprised of brass or bronze, perhaps some sort of composite metal, and resembled a puzzle more than anything else. Well, that was one way to kill the time?
Leaning up against the person beside him, the jackal humms a quiet tune, one soft and melodious, reminiscent of the music of the 80s, like a jazz ballad... Aside from that, he remains quiet, his ears perked up on full alert. He yawns widely, and once his muzzle closes shut, there they were, at the edge of the fog. "Well, that's a familiar sight if I ever saw one." the jackal sighs as he climbs out the truck window and plants his feet firmly on the snow-covered ground, laser rifle now in his hands.
His nose twitches subtly in response to the odors wafting through the air, though it is his eyes that pierce the misty veil, detecting... something? It was BARELY able to be seen, but it sort of... kind of... Approaching the wall of fog, the jackal peers intently into the mist and blinks a few times. He takes a few steps back and readies himself, "Something's coming." the canine warns, a glance shot at his team before snapping back at the faint light he'd seen.
Phosphorus peers at the car a bit, nudging the seat slightly when she clambers in. She takes her pack off and sets it at her feet, pulling out a small box. Opening it up, she plucks a whetstone and some oils out, pulling a knife out of her vest. It seems she intends to start sharpening it, to pass the time. Can never be too prepared.
"Hey, Smithson -- if you're having trouble getting parts, have you ever considered getting an experienced earth nanomage over to reshape some metal for you? Sure they couldn't find any electrical components, but most of a car is metal, anyways...'
Anbessa mainly spent his time on the truck adjusting his bow string on his Onyx colored recurve bow, peek at this small note he keeps pulling out of his pocket, and watching his breaths turn into smoke in front of him. Brr, getting chilly now. He is lucky he wears bulky clothing beneath his armor, though he has to hope his allies can figure out something to keep toasty... In the meantime, all he can really do is rub people's backs who start to shiver, and offer a drink from his flask. Not exactly a strong drink, but really gets the energy flowing in those who try it out.
When they arrive, the human grunts as he hops off the truck and into the crunchy snow below, boots making quite the noticable prints. "So... That's the fog? Pretty damn thick, last time it was hardly a problem." Anbessa points out from his memory, humming momentarily before his attention is drawn back as Otto speaks. The human blinks, then reaches around to grasp the shaft of his Guisarme. "Can't see anythin' through that fog, m'self..." He mutters softly before refocusing on the fog with eyebrows furrowed.
As the truck drove to Tahoe, Arris would begin to shiver. Hir original scaled form wasn't well-suited for the colder tempuratures here, and sie thus shifts to a furred form - a tigress now sits in the back of the pickup truck. Unfortunately, hir thick pelt does little to actually protect from the cold - perhaps the change was cosmetic. Oh well.
When Anbessa's drink is offered to hir, Arris would give him a nod and a thank you, politely taking it and taking a light swig from it before passing it back to the human.
Arris sighs when sie sees the fog. "They couldn't have made it easy, huh?" Waiting for everyone to leave first, sie gets off the back of the pickup truck, swinging over the side. The tigress attempts to see through the fog, but with no such luck. Sie would then cup hir hands to hir muzzle and shout into the mist. Otto's mention of something approaching sets hir to be ready, the tigress holding hir rifle up at the wall of fog.
Mokou quietly cracked a smile as she heard Smithson go on about their truck, leaning her head agains the back of the truck wall, idly brushing and grooming Felix's headscruff. Twould be a long enough ride after all, no need to worry herself over the issue of conversation for now. Instead, she nestled up against the back corner of the vehicle, quietly shifting every so often as she sighed. That touch of warmth that played to her instincts, easing against her mind and crawling with its insideous fingers to those near... twas as a bother as always. She shook her head though, taking what little comfort could be gained from their pet from them. Twouldn't be long... Twouldn't be long...
As the hours rolled by, the little fennec found herself shifting and swaying behind in that truck, every few minuites seeking a new position, something that would feel less irritating, less bothersome. The wind pulled at her, sweeping past and pulling at her though, more than enough to try and sooth her.... yet twas a quiet tune that her ears caught every half-moment, snagging snippits and pieces of the song, something jazzy... Something snappy.
Finally though, the truck rolled up to a stop, the fennec lass and her vulpine companian all but leaping out from the back! The ground was cold and stiff beneath her feet, but it wasn't... metal. Wasn't sturdy and quietly bouncing for hours and hours... She shook her head, flicking those ears in time to that beat, stuck within her head. Hearing... Could she... No. Very little reached her from beyond that veil of fog, rolling down and upon them. Only Otto's quiet statement caught her ear, sending her turning, gazing into that misty white expanse. Beyond, nothing. The Nothingness Prevailed. Empty and blank... yet her hand fell to that metalic canister behind her waist, instinct and impulse guiding her. "I'll take your word for it..." Her little vulpine friend... Well, Felix seemed less worried with what may be behind the bank of fog, and more curious about this strange white fluff upon the ground. A scrath here, a sniff their... and then he dove in, rolling and lolling about. Snow! Beautiful precious snow! A quiet snip of Mokou's teeth though, and he stiffened up, sitting upright! Fun later... Attentiveness now.
Smithson turns off the truck and steps out into the thick snow. "I once heard Tahoe was good for skiing, but I've never been here before P-day. I guess they get hit harder in winter than Fairhaven?" As night starts to fall, a lanturn can be seen coming through the fog, and surprisingly the fog seems to part away. Holding the lanturn is a black rabbit woman, wearing a worn, thick red winter jacket and what looks like a long wollen white skirt. "Thank goodn..." She starts to say in a concerned voice, but then stops when she sees how heavilly armed the group is. "Right... sorry. Thank you for coming, I'l lead you to my home where you can meet my mother. The lanturn functions as a suppressor for the connection program... or as you call it, the Fog. Just stay within 20 feet of me and it can't effect you." She takes a glance at Anbessa before turning to lead the group.
The jackal tilts his head, and squints his eyes, his piercing gaze making out a silhouette amongst the mist. It was... "Luna." Otto mutters under his breath and holsters his weapon. She looked unarmed, and they had little reason to worry about her. After all, they were six, and she was one. Breathing a sigh of relief, the canine shivers lightly in the cold and rubs his hands together to warm up a bit, his glance wandering over to the rest. Looking at Felix play around in the snow, it was... oh stars, it was just so precious! He lets a faint chuckle part him as his glance wanders around the others, everyone at the ready for trouble, tense even.
"Oh, that's handy. Ah, apologies for the uh, armaments, it's just... when last we met, it was uh... difficult." Understatement of the year, much? Regardless, the jackal sighs softly and leans against the truck, preferring to follow after his team rather than take point, at least for now. "For what it's worth, nice to see you, Luna." he says warmly, well... as warmly as one can given the situation. Wishing he'd brought warmer clothing was pointless now, he'd have to soldier through with what he had, it seems. A shirt, a trenchcoat, and some slacks all overtop his armor. Well... on with the show? "Mind the fog, to those not familiar, it makes you see things... terrible things. I'd stay close to that lantern if I were you." he warns before following the others.
Phosphorus slips out of the truck fairly smoothly, her boots making a loud crunch in the snow. She doesn't feel cold -- not with layers of plate and fiber keeping out the elements -- but the fog keeps her on her toes and fairly alert. She tucks her whetstone and knife away, and pulls her rifle to the ready. The panda tugs the magazine out, makes sure it's loaded, then stuffs it back in and clicks the safety off. She does mean business, it seems.
The panda wipes off the faceplate of her helmet with a free hand, clearing the condensing fog off, squinting into the distance as she tries to gaze through the cloud. No such luck. She grumbles a bit, before taking her place next to the latern, dropping her stance a bit to be more stable, if she were to need to shoot something. "Tsk. I wonder if someone can start up an anti field, if the lantern were to fail."
Anbessa blinks as he hears snow being disturbed and, looking over, cannot help but chuckle a light bit at seeing the one rolling around in the snow. Adorable. Though he returns attention back forward as light begins to break through the wall of oppressive fog. Peering at it, the human tenses... Then, begins to relax as he sees a familiar figure stepping through with lantern in hand. The human blinks, then smiles as his hand returns to his side, visibly relaxing at seeing her. Though he does blink a bit as his eyes look down at her outfit, tensing up a bit and scratching behind his head. Feels like he brought an armory to a family gathering...
Though as she speaks, the human tilts his head a bit before nodding his head. Ain't long before he walks up to the rabbit woman. "Nice to see you again, Luna. Been a while!" Anbessa says with a small smile, boots crunching snow beneath his feet. Luckily his rather bulky attire did help him stave off the cold, plus whenever he got too chilly he'd just take a swig from that flask he has. Looking over to Phos, the human shrugs his shoulders. "Well, would be an option, but hope it doesn't come to that..." He says, shivering at Otto's explaination. Sounds bad... Soon enough letting his hands slip into his pockets as he looks to Luna once more, he tries to kick up some conversation to pass the time. "So... What's going on? Something bad happen?" Might as well speak casually with Luna. The best he can do for now, given she is wearing such casual clothing around people who are armed to the teeth.
Arris is quick to join in with the bunny, standing close to her as hir rifle has the safety turned on before being slung back over hir shoulder. "Thank g-goodness. How've you been, Luna? We last saw ea-each other... b-back at the cliffside, I think?" The tigress begins to shiver, teeth chattering as sie pulls hir cardigan tighter around hir body. "I h-hope the thing you're calling us f-for isn't to severe?"
Mokou gazed up from that blanket of snow and ice, Felix seeming to watch them for a moment before burrying his muzzle in the stuff. Goof. Her eyes though, they were set upon that faint light that began to shift through the fog. The lass leaned in, taking a half step forward as she tried to spy... A rabbit woman... Her brow furrowed, those ears of hers dipping back, the memory seeming to... sharpen. Luna! That was the rabbit. Yeah.... They were in the truck. The one truck with the... The one lass. The sniper place... Right! Right.. She shook her head, glancing back down to Felix to urge him onward. Unfortunantly, that medical box was being used as a strapping platform for him to burrow against, enjoying the simple pleasures of the fluffy white snow. "Felix!" A sharp yip, and again, upright! An ear flicked, snow falling away as it did so. "Come on." And so, they moved closer, the little fennec pulling them a bit nearer with her foot.
Back to Luna though, she looked up, offering a faint smile. They offered a chance to be here again, so must be of some manner of importance. "Certainly Luna. Thank you for... Well... letting us in." She neared a bit closer her hand falling from that metalic canister, and back towards Felix before he could duck off again. "Though, while we go, care to fill us in? All we know is that your mother was having issues... But not what or how." A shiver ran up her spine, the lass flicking her tail twice before... shaking her head, "Err... if... Y-you could." Nearer she drew, moving towars that lamp in turn...
Luna seems reasured that the group that came to her aid is becoming more relaxed, though she keeps sniffing at the air like a scent keeps catching her attention. She glances at Mokou for a second before answering questions: "I'd prefer if you keep your voices down, Carson doesn't know I've invited you. I convinced Carson to set another test of the program that creates the fog to cover your entrance, but I'd rather not take chances. My mother isn't taking her elixir, and it is causing her some strain in this world. I'm hoping meeting some new people will help cheer her up so she starts taking it again." It is at the end of the explanation that she arrives at a log cabin, a light shining from inside.
The jackal follows closely, his eyes peering about, ears tilting and swiveling in response to the various sounds around them. He keeps ready, but doesn't otherwise do anything to provoke anyone. Well aware of the lust in the area, the jackal was an uber fox himself, and had long since learned to deal with the effects. That, and having a SUCK unit very much helped keep his head in the game.
"So, you called us over to convince your mother to take her elixir?" he asks quietly, unsure if he should he skeptical or emphatic. "I mean, we could meet her, I suppose. See what can be done." His glance wanders over the rest of his team, an unspoken disbelief evident in his eyes as he keeps close to the lantern, at least until their arrival. The abode was lovely, at least so far as Otto could tell. He had a thing for neat and tidy small households, especially ones made of wood.
Peering over towards the black furred rabbit woman, Otto rubs his hands together, if only to get them warm, and clears his throat. "So... uh... I am not very good at the whole uh, being... convincing, thing. Maybe someone else should do the introductions and, well... handle most of the talking." his eyes glance around the rest of his team. "There's that, and also it'd be a good idea to know what to expect. I mean..." There could be an ambush in there, a nagging thought that plagued the back of Otto's mind, but he dared not say so, in the event that Luna was being honest. "...do we just go in and talk to her?"
Glancing at Arris, Phos peers about the nearby woods for a stick, or perhaps a small hunk of wood. "Arris, if you're cold -- if you can find a source of fuel, I can go ahead and start a fire for you." Normally, a heatpack or non-chemical handwarmer would be part of Phos' kit, but she stopped carrying them after she discovered she was partially cold-immune. Extra weight, after all. The panda doesn't notice the lust aura, nor seems to be affected by it. Control kits are a practically vital part of any field agent's loadout.
"Negotiation isn't exactly my strong suit, either, I think. I'm sure someone else can convince her to take her medicine, but... I think I can make small talk, if nothing else." She shakes her head. The panda seems to be getting stuck in lots of diplomatic roles lately -- not her natural environment, and certainly not one she performs too well in. But hostilities... those, she could take care of. Probably, at least. She could probably repel an ambush, too, if need be. A concern, but not an insurmountable one.
Anbessa couldn't help but chuckle as his attention returns back to Felix again. "Worse comes to worse, we could show our snow loving friend here to your mother, see if that might cheer her up." He notes jokingly, though hearing Luna's explaination, Anbessa hums a bit... "Well, when we get there I can probably put away my gear to look a bit more presentable. I'd turn into a rabbit, but my clothes wouldn't fit me for it..." The human seems to be debating options a bit, though as he speaks about turning into a rabbit, he does glance over to Luna to gauge reaction. If this mission is just a get well deal, visiting fully armored out will definitely cause problems. When they arrive at the cottage, Anbessa begins to remove his guisarme and bow n' quiver, though he does take a moment to speak over to Luna. "Think I can just put these down against the wall?" He seems a bit too trusting by this point... Either that or he has other ideas in mind. Hard to say... But soon enough he has his weapons put down, patting his hands together a bit before nodding to Luna. Looking to Otto, Anbessa shrugs his shoulders a bit. "Well, we should at least give it our best shot. Holiday season, gotta try to spread cheer."
Surprisingly, the human is even starting to unclasp some of his armor as well. Doesn't take him long at all before the human is left in just his hoodie, cargo pants and combat boots, his hands slipping into his hoodie pockets. Now he just looks like a regular ol' human... If it weren't for the silver colored eyes. "Better?" He asks Luna, now fully unarmed n' such. Hopefully will help with first impressions...
Arris nods at Luna's request to keep quiet, and huddles in a little closer with the rest of the group, trying to keep warm in the smattering of other agents. "Thanks for the offer, P-Phosporus, but I don't h-have anything burnable on me." Figuring that hir fur wasn't doing much to keep out the cold, sie shifts back to hir normal fishgator form and gives Phos a smile.
The gator seems to be a little on edge as the group makes their way to the wooden lodge, slowly drifting closer to Luna. Catching the bunny's attention, sie would motion to the cabin as sie spoke. "Hey, L-Luna, you don't ha-have a girlfriend in there or anything, r-" Sie catches hirself mid sentence. "Excuse m-me, I mean, you d-don't have a spare winter jacket in there or anything, right?"
Guh, what was causing hir to get horny and make Freudian slips all of a sudden? Sie remembers feeling a little more on edge back at the meeting point with Smithson. Arris looks amongst hir teammates, but is unable to determine the source of the lust aura.
Mokou eased along, keeping it a bit close towards Luna as they wandered further into the fog. She felt herself shiver briefly, eyes wandering to each of the company in turn as they neared. A faint flick traveled along the edge of her ear, a faint smile still trying to keep to her maw as she looked to the bunny lass. A slow breath, and a gentle nod. "Someone to speak to, to chat and sort of... be near and converse with. To sorta hold you together while you speak and just... Yeah." A slight smile fell from her lips, the little fennec glancing back down to her side, towards Felix as he quietly walked beside her, gently panting and seeming to grin. "I can... get having someone near for that." The little lass's tail quietly waved out behind her for a moment, a wince travling across her maw before she stilled it on an impulse. No... Need for that.
The little log cabin rose out from the dark of the fog, as much looming as presenting a picturesk cabin. A glowing light eminated from within, a radiance seeming to glower from beyond as she looked up to it. Her ears flicked as the others spoke, considering the issues of speaking, the ability to do so and the... inability. The door loomed up as an insurmountable obsticale, seeming to stand beyond the gates of hell. Inside was Luna's mother... one whom had passed off a mission to find and kill one of their own. Perhaps might be able to speak for them though... A wince crossed her maw, a few eerant thoughts running away with themselves for a moment, before she spoke. "If... I can speak with them if that's... that's alright. I... well... always glad to... speak." A hand fell to that stone-grey sheath, slowly pulling it and the canister away, setting it down. Naught a weapon visible to be seen... and a tentative smile offered. "Y- If you are alright with that. Though..." a mute smile rose. "Hopefully... will go better than the last conversation I had with someone not of this world..."
