Waiting For Godot and Bop It - RPLOG
Participants
Date
21/8/2013
Log
Whisper and rumor has been travelling around the headquarters of Zephyr and several of the other local Fairhaven haunts about a surviving piece of tech from pre-P-Day that still functions. Not too long after the fresh grisel is chewed over by the rumormongers, a posting had been placed in Zephyr's Lobby area reading:
Expedition - Looking for a few intelligent individuals to help find and procur functional pre-P-Day Tech. Please meet just outside Zephyr HQ at ~time~. I will be there, and I will be willing to provide compensation upon success. - Peabody Broomshanks
When the time comes around, though, there doesn't appear to be anyone more than just one figure standing outside of Zephyr. A dapper-dressed rat with a pith helmet and khaki capris and vest looking well the part of a Great White Hunter. Teetering on hefty boots, the rodent surveys the area for potential aides.
A figure approaches from the northeast. Judging by the bushy tail, it's probably a skunk. As he gets closer, his gear becomes apparent: A kevlar vest worn over a black t-shirt, khaki pants, a belt with big pockets on it, and a suppressed FN P90 slung over his shoulder. "Are you Broomshanks?" he asks.
Seeing the two at the described meeting point confirms this must be the right spot. Lotus, a completely naked goo girl, that looks completely unprepared for any sort of risky adventure, moves toward the two.
The rodent lifts a crop to tip the brim of his pith hat up. In a strong British accent that lies high in the nasal cavity of that tapered bridge, he says, "Why, yes, I'm Peabody Broomshanks. Are you here to proceed on the expedition?" His ratty eyes peruse over the skunk's rather ready attire approvingly before spying the nearing goo and blinking a few times, but says nothing, the question open to the pair.
Lukas nods an affirmative. "That's why I'm here," he says. "Name's Lukas White." He extends a hand to the rat, and notices the goo girl approach out of the corner of his eye. She's, well, rather attractive, honestly, but that's not what he needs to be thinking about right now. "Hello there," he says to her.
Lotus smiles and warmly greets the pair, "I'm Lotus." She seems completely oblivious, or possibly content in her nudity. A closer look shows some fairly enticing assets as well as a medkit in a bag slug over her shoulder.
The rodent seems positively pleased at the greeting Lukas gives, a gloved hand taking the skunks and giving it a genteel wag before looking to Lotus, some visible relief showing after she speaks. "Ah, good, good," he banters in his accented voice, the high nasality of it rolling with each clipped word, "well, then, the rumors have it that an artifact from several years back seems to have been unearthed... or scavenged, if you will, by one of a small collection of folks due northeast of here, not far from the highway area. There's a small community, there. No more than twenty or thirty folks gatehred together. I figure we can traverse there and make some sort of arrangement to procur the oddity, what?"
Lukas nods again. "Sounds good to me," he says. "Anything we should know about the locals before we head out?" He gives his hip a little pat, making sure that his sidearm is still there. It is. Good.
A little intimidated by the firearms Lotus keeps her distance. "They're not violent, are they?"
"From there? I shouldn't think so. Not to us, anyway. We're not wild feral types masquerading around and raping and pillaging, now, are we? Civility is the way to communicate well, I always say, what!" Peabody chips in cheerily, "Mmm, well, the area's a tit bit nipply. Breast be prepared for a breeze bit, but nothing worth bundling up snug for, really. The climate of the people there's about as chill, but not so much to warrant hostility, I should think."
Lukas has to work pretty hard to stifle a laugh at the Brit's Freudian slip. Or subtle hint. He chooses to ignore it in his response. "Good to know," he says. "We should get moving," he says. "We've only got a few hours of daylight left."
Wether through sheer obliviousness or taking it as some posh saying, Lotus misses the nipple slip entirely, "Is the settlement far from here?"
"Not far from here, no. Stiff upper lip!" Peabody says towards the goo before realizing what he's talking to and blinks, rubbing at his own lip thoughtfully, "WEll... stiff as it can get, I suppose. Shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes to reach from ehre if we head now." He motions to them both.
The travel was fairly uneventful. Occassionally, along the way, the pith-helmeted rodent would take out a kerchief and hug it over his nose while passing some of the less savory sorts, but many of the ferals kept their distance. The group seemed too well armed or at least had an air of experience about them that kept the monstrous-minded from drawing in.
As they approached the small settlement comprised of makeshift hovels comprised of debris and concrete slabs with rebar sticking out. General pathes of less dross grid about the living arrangements. Those who move about give the party of travellers wary looks, but, as Peabody had described, they wwere chill but not hostile... yet. "Somewhere about here.... perhaps you two could ask around?"
Lukas takes a few steps toward one of the locals. "Excuse me," he says. "Could you spare a minute? We need some help locating something."
Lotus follows Lukas, keeping an eye out for danger. She looks back at peabody, wary of splitting up a group.
The rodent keeps where he is, that kerchief held over his nose and muzzle-end. He gives Lotus a solid thumb-up from where he stands. The person, a part-skunk, part-feline with a gtyphon's beak wearing a tattered shawl looks at Lukas as if he'd asked her to strip naked and play her knee like bongos. "�Qu�?" she inquires in a perplexed tone, "No hablo Inglish."
"Oh. Um..." Lukas thinks for a moment. "High school spanish, don't fail me now..." Looking at the woman, he says, "Habla espanol muy poco. Pero, donde estas... uh..." He looks over his shoulder. "The artifact?"
Lotus purses her lips, trying to nut out some way to get their objective across, "Technology?, she offers weakly.
The woman tilts her head a little and says, "Wakarimasen!" before swiftly scuttling away. A younger-seeming figure that had been watching hops up onto a pile of rubble, "Ey... you guys lookin' for Godot's gadget?" This one's primarily feline with some accents of Raccoon guy in them, though they're fairly androgynous.
"Yeah, probably," Lukas says. "We heard there was some pre-nanite tech around."
Wanting to make sure Lukas' appearance didn't give the wrong impression, Lotus adds, "We've come to trade for it."
The figure gives a scritch against its scalp, "Pre-nanny-whatsit? Well... Godot's got a nifty gadget that some say's been 'round b'fore the 'splosion'n stuff, if that's what you mean. He's pretty good with it, too! I've not been able to beat him at his game, that's for sure!" and the youthful figure points of towards where several slabs of concrete are stacked into a larger hovel than the others.
Lukas looks towards the other two. Game? He shrugs, and follows the feline.
Lotus follows lukas and throws a quick glance back to peabody, "A game? That shouldn't be too hard? right?"
The rodent follows after the pair of them, looking about with his tail sweeping side to side as he goes. "Game? I say, mayhaps the device has some sort of mechanism that these people wager on?"
The felicoon scampers on ahead, "Godot! Godot! Some challengers are here!" before looking back and saying, "You don't want to be waiting for Godot, so I'll let'm know you're here, y'know?"
A voice comes out from the hovel, and a lanky figure that's mostly lizard save for some raccoon hands peers out, "What what? Challengers, eh?" And he skitters from his dwelling, "Have you come to challenge me in.. the Bop It?" and he holds up said device.
It takes Lukas nearly fifteen second to collect his thoughts. "...I... Yes. Yes we have." He looks over his shoulder at the other two, and shrugs.
Lotus moves in closer, eager to get a look at the artifact.
The fellow does a hop and a skip back when the goo moves in closer and holds up a hand, "Wait, wait... one challenger at a time... who will be challenging Godot?"
Lukas has to look away to keep from laughing. "I will," he says.
Lotus watches on, trying to peek around Lukas.
Setting the machine going, the figure of Godot begins to play at it... "Bop It..." bop "Twist it..." a cranking noise "Pull it" a slidewhistle noise "Pull it" and again... on through to about a hundred sets total "Your score is... one hundred!" before the figure offers it to Lukas, "Your turn."
When the device is handed over to Lukas, the skunk seems a little akward at first, but with Lotus' encouragement, the combat-vested mephit manages not only to quicken his reactions, but he's able to beat the score by a good margin! Godot guffaws and motions, "You have beaten me fair and square... the device, it is yours to take." Peabody steps forwards, "Excellent, excellent! You two have proven fine additions to this excursion. Come, come, and I will pay you both for your assistance towards science!"
Lotus blinks and follows, considering a career in artifact hunting, "Well, I, ..."
