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SOMEWHERE - EARLY MORNING
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Narrator: The morning sees this open patch of forest floor with earliest twinkles of light, coming down between tall trees of a mixed forest. The greenery is seemingly endless in every direction, with no clear signs of any opening anywhere - just more forest. It is rather calm in this section of the forest, although something seems to have disturbed the birdsong from nearby trees...
Erika is laying on top of a mound of moss, snoring softly to herself. The okapi seems no worse for the wear, although seems to be lacking any clothing for some reason. She shivers slightly, consciousness slowly reasserting itself in the back of her head. "Mmmh...?"
Cavro huffs in his sleep, shivering slightly as the uncomfortable mist hovers inches over crisp leaves. He feels the weight of his blood in his sinuses, head lower than his feet and covered in little more than the leaves he'd rolled over in the night. He wakes with a slight start when a dew drop from the trees above lands on his cheek with a cold shock, though he only lays and stares at the trunk next to him as his mind catches up.
Erika clutches the mound of moss tighter, holding against waking up as thought it's some horrible beast. Her expression tightens and tightens for a few moments, before she wakes up with a yelp: "Augh!" Her voice echoes in the forest opening, making her ears go down instantly before she even opens her eyes.
Cavro hears the small birds above singing, and occasionally the unseen critters around as they scuffle about in the underbrush, his eyes unwilling to tear away from the tree in front of them as he wishes for the okapi in bed beside him to shake his shoulder. He only dares to look around when a faint sound echoes from somewhere, followed by a period of eerie silence as every other creature listens. He begins to turn to look toward the canopy, stopping the movements when the sound of crunching leaves interrupts him... Before he realizes that it was his own movement making the lonely noise.
Erika blinks her eyes open. 'I wasn't aware my bedroom plants grew this fast...' She blinks a few more times, but the vast forest seems to have no desires to vanish or otherwise fade into her bedroom proper. She gets up to sitting, setting her hands on the mossy undergrowth under her, looking around. 'If I'm dreaming, where's the ice cream that's usually included?'
Cavro gets up the nerve to make sound as he turns over to a sitting position, wide eyed and mouth slightly agape as he scans the surroundings in building horror. "The the the garden... In in in the garden..." He turns around into a kneeling position as he looks for Erika's house. "Yep... Just the the the garden..." His arms come up across his chest as he realizes how cold and exposed he is, rubbing his biceps to warm up as best he can.
Erika doesn't get up, although she draws her legs a bit closer to her: "This place is... creepy?" She jolts upon hearing a distant crowing sound, looking around in semi-panic for a second: "Okay Erika. Get a hold of yourself. What would Fiora do? Not panic. She definitely would not panic upon waking up in a... forest. Um..." She keeps glancing around for clues, but nothing familiar in any direction shows up. "Umm..."
Cavro ducks his head at the same sound, somewhere off to his right past the tree that'd been keeping him company. He turns and looks toward the canopy for the source, but can't find much of anything among the noise of plant life. "If... If this this this is the garden... Where is Erika?" He stands up slowly, taking a breath of the fresh air as he considers shouting, though he hesitates. "B-b-but if if if it's not..." He sets his hand against the rough tree, slowly circling it as he peers around the trunk into the dense forest.
Erika blinks as something occurs to her, and her voice grows a bit more desperate: "...C-cavro? I was with..." She gets up, shaking a bit: "C-cavro? Cavro?!" She yells into the forest, hoping she's not making a huge mistake by making her presence obvious, but at the same time so much not caring.
Cavro freezes when he hears a sound unlike the rest echoing through the trees, seeming to come from his left. As he turns and recognizes the voice, the badger hesitates again. As he's about to call out in return, the caw sounds out in answer to Erika, the only animal in the forest so far bold enough to vocalize after she does. Cavro glances toward the noise as he circles back toward where he'd woken up and stumbles, catching his bare foot under an exposed root.
Erika looks around and shivers again, clutching her hands to her chest as she looks on: "C-cavro?" Her voice feels weaker after just couple of yells, desperation of 'not a dream' sinking in: "Cavro?" She takes a step forward, then stops as she has no idea what would even be the right direction now.
Cavro regains his balance, cursing the root under his breath and immediately regretting insulting the forest he's lost in. He turns, his eyes beginning to get watery as panic begins to set in on hearing Erika's voice again, this time recognizing it. His hope is that either he's hearing her calling him out of a bad dream, or she's as lost and scared as himself. With a quick breath, Cavro lets out the loudest noise the typically meek badger has made in years. "ERIIIIKAAAA?!"
Erika perks up upon hearing a familiar - and at the same time, not that familiar - yell. She looks at the vague direction the yell came from: "Cavro! C-cavro! I'm here!" She starts taking unsteady, slow steps on the forest floor, last faint images of this being a dream vanishing as the moss under her hooves feels entirely too real.
Cavro turns towards the slightly echoing call back, hoarsely huffing as he gets his breath back and finally does something without hesitating first, in taking up to a determined walk toward her voice. Shooting a worried look over his shoulder toward where he'd awakened, the badger notices something odd that causes his step to falter after all, if only for a second before he shakes his head and powers on through the underbrush. His voice hoarser already from the first call, he continues with their unwanted game of Marco Polo. "Erika! I'm here?" Where is here?
Erika blinks several times, then lifts a hand to her face in an attempt to clear her eyes: "C-cavro? O-oh." She sees, or at least thinks she sees a glimpse of black-and-gray: "H-here!" She falters in her step and almost trips down, but catches herself: "S-stupid moss. All... mossy."
Cavro turns his head, catching her shouts a bit more clearly, but also picking up her mutterings as well. He passes two heavy pines, the dried needles on the ground pricking his feet as he looks about for the owner of his lover's voice. He turns forward, then looks up across the face of a rocky edge some distance ahead, not terribly tall at around eight meters, but even from where he is he can tell it's fairly sheer. The badger finally seems to catch a glimpse of a familiar outline that doesn't seem accustomed to moving in the woods, which is unfortunately above the rocky face. He is about to shout in relief when he blanches slightly, waving his arms over his head as he shouts instead; "Erika! Don't don't don't come! There's a a a cliff!"
Erika stumbles closer in search of her lover's voice, and crawls through a thick bush of small pine trees... almost down the cliff, stopping herself at the edge, peering down: "Cav-oh! There you are!" She smiles brightly despite her awkward position.
Cavro pushes a bush aside as he stumbles through between the trees, hardly taking his eyes off Erika as he slows nearing the rocks. Through his huffing, the somewhat teary-eyed badger manages a smile up at Erika. His smile falters as the cawing from before mockingly follows him, causing the badger to turn and look over his shoulder. "Where... How..." He looks up at her with concern. "Is this the the the garden? Did did did something happen?"
Erika tears up, smiling: "I don't know!" She pauses and blinks: "I... don't know?" She looks about awkwardly, craning her long neck despite being on her knees on the cliff's edge, under a thick brush of pine needles: "...I don't thiiiiink this is my garden?"
Cavro huffs, looking along the cliff face in either direction, gesturing to his right, where the ground he's on tapers up as her cliff comes down. "We can can can meet down that way... I I I... I'm a bit frightened, Erika... To be honest..."
Erika looks at where Cavro points, then nods. She crawls from under the brush of pine needles to the other side, out of Cavro's vision for the moment: "Ouch! Stingly clingy dumb... pine needles? W-here are we?" Her voice is somewhere between worried and curious as she starts making her way down the cliff's edge.
Cavro follows Erika's voice, his hands returning to his sides as he tries in vain to give himself a little warmth. It's not particularly cold, but of course, the badger isn't accustomed to being naked in a misty forest. He looks around himself for a moment, though his eyes are usually on the ground ahead of him, if not glancing up toward the cliff edge. "I I I don't know... Haven't you ever seen a a a forest like this when out for for for herbs?"
Erika shakes her head as she keeps also focusing on not tripping although having an easier time of it than Cavro: "Not really. This feels... cooler than anything I've been to." She glances from between trees at Cavro, smiling lopsidedly: "Like, these trees aren't near Respite in any direction."
Cavro hesitates, running his palm along the bark of one unfamiliar tree as he steps around it, eventually nodding. His panic has subsided, but only to give way to distress again. "Then we... What, aren't on on on Aephix any more?" His worry is completely unhidden in both expression and voice. "Why? We we we were just sleeping after some some some sex and now we're gone? Lost? Missing?" He starts breathing a bit heavily, though he still tries to keep pace with Erika as his trek begins leading uphill.
Erika gets down the hill, clearly having done this sort of difficult climbing before: "I don't - uff - know. I recall just the sex and we went to bed I think and... huh." She picks up a small flower, sniffing at it: "Hmm..."
Cavro huffs as he nears Erika, still rubbing his arms to warm up and looking at her as if nothing more is on his mind than fear. "What huh? I I I hope you know what that is, I I I really don't trust random flowers at a a a time like this!"
Erika blinks as she realizes Cavro is next to her: "O-oh. Yeah. It's harmless." She shows the small green-red flower to Cavro: "This flower, far as I know, only grows in Aephix." She then gives an awkward grin: "...'course, I've only ever been in Aephix, so..."
Cavro leans back slightly from the proffered flower, not expecting it, before he glances up at Erika. He cautiously sniffs the flower, his ears perking up slightly. "It... Smells like the the the oil you made for for for mother?" He reaches out, hand touching Erika's as he takes in the familiar smell as well as the familiar feeling of her nearness, seeming to calm down slightly. Very slightly. "So... Okay, we we we can hope we're still on Aephix... But why are we not in bed?"
Erika looks at Cavro as she steps closer, holding both his hands before looking around: "I... I d-don't know." She swallows slightly. 'No! No panicking! Fiora wouldn't!', she chastises herself before steeling a bit as she looks back to Cavro: "...but we have to find out. Um. Somehow."
Cavro wavers, stepping up and hugging against Erika, burying his face against her chest, though the single relieved-yet-still-fearful sob that shakes his body robs the moment of any sexual intimacy, despite their current outfits. He looks up at her after a few moments. "I I I'm glad you're going to be the strong one, I I I'll try to not panic more... What should we we we do..."
Erika holds Cavro close as she thinks. "Ww-eelll... I think we pick a direction and try to find somewhere we can recognize? Maybe?" She sighs a bit and holds Cavro tighter.
Cavro hums into the tighter hug, appreciating Erika's warmth as he thinks. And as he thinks, his body decides that his fear isn't the most important thing at the moment as hi stomach lets out a low grumble, insistent enough that Erika might even feel the vibrations. ". . ."
Erika blinks at the grumbling sound, then looks down at Cavro: "O-oh. If we're really here, I guess food would be...?" She lets go of the hug and starts loking around for hints of edible things in this unfamiliar forest: "Hmm...?"
Cavro shakes his head, mumbling a protest. "We we we can find something after we get an idea of what to do... Don't worry about me, let's just get to being not lost..."
Erika shrugs, giving a small smile: "But we gotta eat something. I can..." She glances around, her smile waning: "...probably. Probably find something edible soon enough?"
Cavro sighs at his own ability to cause extra worries. "It's... Thank you, maybe we we we shouldn't stay in one place too long... I..." He gives her a grin that is clearly a gesture and not heartfelt, though his words are sincere. "I I I'm glad I'm at at at least lost with you, not alone..."
Erika smiles, takes a quick glance around, then leans to give Cavro a kiss at least as big as she did right before they last entered her garden.
Cavro blinks, but hums and leans into the kiss as he feels his worries melt away for the moment.
Erika lets go of the kiss, giving Cavro a warm smile: "We'll figure this out. A-and I'm pretty sure we can avoid predators." She mentally smacks herself for saying that last one, but at least she stopped before adding 'bears' or something.
Cavro feels his heart jump slightly, glancing around. "Oh... That that that's good... Avoiding predators is is is good, let's do that..."
Erika holds Cavro's hand and squeezes a bit as she attempts to gauge a direction and arrives to a conclusion just short of 'random whim'. She starts leading them towards what she hopes is the right way: "Yup. Let's... uh... let's!" She appears determined, but inwardly she's definitely faking at least 60% of her courage and is on the verge of freaking out.
Cavro looks up at Erika with a worried look in his eyes but a smile. "Yes... Lead lead lead the way..." He squeezes her hand, head on a swivel as they begin their undesired adventure.
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THE THIRSTY MINNOW - EVENING
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Gareth sits at a table with Lianne, taking in a more casual evening meal after he's spent the day out at the south bay, giving Bracvar a little tour of where he's been thinking of setting up a homestead of sorts. He seems a bit tired, but otherwise in good spirits at the moment as he takes his time with a hot bowl of stew.
Lianne Sparr is enjoying her meal as well, with idle chit-chat with Gareth as they eat. She respects Gareth's tiredness, being a bit quieter.
Gareth smiles between bites as he just idly chats with Lianne, seeing how things went with her day, and other, similarly inconsequential topics for the moment. He's still quite attentive when listening to Lianne, but the occasional, small yawn betrays the large amount of walking he'd done earlier in the day. "The bay's a nice spot, but considerin' the ocean's yer home, I'm bettin' ye already knew that."
Lianne Sparr: "Honestly, things are a bit different when looked from an underwater perspective. I prefer life up here more, believe it or not. But I suppose none of that has to do with the view. The bay seems like a fine spot." Lianne shares her opinion, without being overtly negative about it.
Gareth chuckles, nodding. "Fair enough. There's plenty to see and do up here, anyway. The bay's calm and somewhat isolated, so it's nice and quiet if ye don't mind the occasional wild animal roamin' about. I figure it's a good place to relax at, or hide in, especially if I build somethin' there."
Lianne Sparr: "Respite catch your interest that much, hm?" Lianne questions. "I'm a bit surprised you wouldn't just buy a place somewhere. Are you ever going to spend your savings, or are you thinking about just putting it all in a treasure chest?" Lianne chuckles.
Gareth shrugs. "Respite's nice, but I'm mostly here fer the time bein' since me huntin' partner's been thinkin' o' spendin' more time here. Figure I might as well get a bit more comfortable if I'm stayin' here between jobs." He grins a bit, "I could just buy a place, sure, but I can get a better idea o' how I want the place to get built up if I do the buildin' meself. Plus, I'd rather be livin' closer to the ocean than near a desert."
Nesseth wanders into the bar, yawning a little as he ambles his way over to the bar counter. He'd felt a bit too lazy to cook tonight, so he instead made his way to the Minnow for an evening meal. He looks around a bit as he enters, rather quickly spotting Lianne and Gareth, but he continues on his way for the moment, not really wanting to interrupt the two to ask Lianne questions to start.
Lianne Sparr's eyes briefly flick to Nesseth as he enters, as they do whenever she notices a new person enter her surroundings, something that Gareth would've picked up on by now. "I suppose I understand. Keep yourself busy and such. Realistically, both of us could've retired several times over by now if we really wanted to."
Gareth nods, his eyes likewise flicking towards the door as Nesseth enters. He treats the Lizard to a nod, having seen him around the town on guard duty here and there over the past months. A few moments later, however, he looks back to Lianne, clearly unworried by the guard's presence. "Aye, that we could have, but gettin' more o' everythin' is always nice."
Lianne Sparr: "Certainly, indeed." Lianne smiles. "I'd personally be gravitating towards the cities. But who knows how I'll feel by the time I want to stop."
Gareth chuckles again. "The cities are good, too. The crowds are easy enough to blend into, especially in port cities. Ye get all kinds o' folks there, and all the busy sort, too."
Nesseth flexes his frills a little as he just kind of vaguely listens to the conversation as he waits for his meal to arrive. He's still trying to figure out how to ask Lianne the questions to get the info Louma needs, but he's currently drawing a blank, still...
Lianne Sparr: "Forget the crowds. . .Give me the Galas, the Balls, Theatre. . ." Her eyes glimmer with the thought, though then she sighs deeply, flexing her hand and looking at her sapphire ring. Her tone shifts into a more sombre one, "Or maybe I'll do as Blue suggested, find an apprentice. . .Pass my knowledge along." She mutters.
Gareth grins a bit at the idea. "Aye, all the things one can do with a good bit o' money in hand. All those plays and dances the nobles love to hold." He laughs quietly, "Might be somethin' worth really diggin' into one day later on." He looks at the ring for a few moments, noting Lianne's tone and the nickname, "And that's somethin' worth considerin' one day, too. Unique skills can start a whole legacy by themselves."
Nesseth yawns a little, then thanks the barkeep as his food and drink arrive. He continues to mull over the questions floating half-formed in his head as he lets Gareth and Lianne chit-chat. He might even glean a little info just by listening, but he's not particularly hopeful of that.
Lianne Sparr: "That's exactly what she wanted. . ." Lianne mutters to herself quietly. She relaxes her hand and looks back to Gareth, choosing to bounce back instead of dwell on it. "But enough of what the future holds. We're here, we're now. You think that highly of your partner that Respite is the place to build?"
Gareth nods. "Aye. That, and I figure Respite is a good a place as any, probably better than most, even. Me partner and I have a reputation as bounty hunters in the other continents, so folks tend to get a little standoffish with us if they think we're huntin' anyone. Here, at least, everyone's friendly enough that we don't have to reassure folks we're not huntin' their friends or anythin'."
Nesseth finally decides how he's going to frame the questions, and probably wheedle a little info out of Lianne for Louma. He works to keep his question in mind, but naturally, food comes first when things aren't urgent, and he continues to work his way through his meal.
Lianne_Sparr1: "Huh. So you've been a bounty hunter for a lot longer than you first let on, then." Lianne muses. "You don't find it. . .Concerning that everyone here is friendly?"
Gareth chuckles. "More just really effective. As fer everyone bein' friendly, aye... I was suspicious at first. Dealt with too many folks bein' overly friendly with some kind o' motive to not figure that." He smiles again, "But havin' spent some time chattin' with folks, it just turns out they're tightly knit. A lot o' them are families that have been here fer a good while, just makin' the best o' life."
Lianne Sparr: "Well, tightly knit tends to describe most small towns. You sure it's not like, one of those cannibal towns? Or are you in on it too?" Lianne chuckles.
Nesseth finishes up his food before long, but he does linger over his drink for a little while, hoping Gareth gets up and heads out or goes to bed or something before he approaches Lianne to question her.
Gareth laughs. "Pretty sure it's not, aye. O' course, if I was in on it, I'd still be sayin' that." He grins, waving a hand a bit, "But no, too much contact with Bairnell's Folly and the other continents to get like those sorts o' stories."
Lianne Sparr: "Well, you haven't eaten me. Good enough, I suppose." Lianne smirks.
Gareth smirks playfully. "I mean... I certainly could. Maybe even later this evenin'." He winks after a moment.
Nesseth sighs a bit to himself, catching a good bit of the last bits of the conversation and now really not wanting to interrupt the obvious flirting. But, as a guard, he's got a job to do from his captain, so... He drains the last of his drink and stands up to stretch, then starts making his way over towards Lianne and Gareth.
Lianne Sparr laughs, realising she set Gareth up for that. "Ever the charmer, Gareth."
Gareth laughs in turn. "Sometimes, the wit just comes naturally." He's about to continue, but he blinks upon seeing Nesseth approaching the table and comes up short. "Offer's still stand-- er... can we help ye, lad?"
Nesseth dips his head a bit as he stops near an open spot at the table. "Evening, Lianne, sir. Sorry to bother you both, but I needed to chat with you for a couple of minutes, Lianne, if you can spare the time."
Lianne Sparr glances up to Nesseth. "Ah. . .Certainly. Nesseth, was it? What do you need?"
Gareth scrutinizes Nesseth for a moment, then nods and leans back a bit in his seat. "Sure, we've got time."
Nesseth smiles a bit and nods at Lianne again. "Yeah, Nesseth. Thank you, Lianne. So, uh... first, I just want to say I'm glad to see you up and about so quickly. Plume said you'd recovered a lot faster than they've seen anyone recover before." He pauses for a moment, then continues, "That aside, though, for the sake of brevity, since I don't want to interrupt you two for too long... I was hoping to ask you a couple of questions for the guard record. About that bandit attack and such."
Lianne Sparr: "Well, Plume can't be used to dealing with my kind. We do tend to recover quickly. . .Even still, I'm quite thankful for their assistance. I would be remiss to give biology the credit on this one." Lianne smiles. "The attack? Sure. Ask away."
Nesseth chuckles, nodding. "Plume does the best they can under some unusual circumstances, definitely. I'm just glad it worked out well, either way." He leans against one of the table's empty chairs, not bothering to sit down, "So, as far as the record shows right now, you got attacked somewhere between here and Bairnell's Foothold, and managed to get away with a... rather bad injury. Unfortunately, when Captain Louma and a few of the guards went out that way, they didn't find anyone, so they likely fled after you'd gotten away. Do you remember any details about who attacked you?"
Gareth opts to remain quiet for the moment, just observing the guard as he questions Lianne for official town purposes. At the mention of Lianne being attacked, however, he looks over towards her with a bit of curiosity.
Lianne Sparr: "The captain visited me personally to tell me so. It's unfortunate and why I'm choosing to stay in town for my own safety. Forced vacations aside, I'll do my best to give you any details to the best of my memory."
Nesseth nods. "Captain Louma is just hoping to get some details, whatever you remember, about any of your attackers. That way, we can send word to Bairnell and the guards there can keep an eye out as well."
Lianne Sparr: "There were five of them. A gray wolf, a blue jay, brown squirrel, and a giant green snake. Led by. . .I don't even know how to describe it. She was in a weird orange get-up, like, the kind you might see at an opera. Cape and everything. She's the only one that had firearms, too - The rest just blades. But it was something else. . .She just kept drawing flintlocks out of thin air, firing then dropping them. Constantl
Nesseth hums thoughtfully. "Pretty well organized, then... Orange outfit with a cape... numerous flintlocks out of thin air, probably magic... supported by a wolf, jay, squirrel and snake... I see. That should narrow it down a fair bit..." He shakes his head, "No one by those descriptions here in Respite, though, so maybe out of Bairnell."
Lianne Sparr nods. Without a further question though, she remains silent, waiting.
Gareth blinks again as the descriptions of Lianne's "attackers" seems to catch his attention. He looks over at Lianne again, questions forming in his head, but remaining unspoken for the time being.
Nesseth rubs his chin with a finger, thinking for several seconds with a slightly furrowed brow. "Right... so... if they came out of Bairnell... I guess that's my next question. You were traveling alone, of course, since you'd said as much when I'd first talked to you. Who in the world told you the trip to Respite from Bairnell would be safe?"
Lianne Sparr: "No one ever said it would be safe. I've already explained to the Captain why my associate and I both decided the trip would be preferable to attempt alone. The reason as to why is too sensitive to discuss here - The Captain knows."
Nesseth nods after a moment. "Ah, alright. She'd already told me that you prefer keeping the reason under wraps, but she was still worried that someone at Bairnell was suggesting the trip was safe to make. If it was someone, we'd probably have had to reprimand them, or have the Bairnell guards do the same." He smiles a little, "All the same, I'm glad it was just injuries and nothing worse. The descriptions will be helpful, Lianne, so thank you. We're still working to make sure we cover as many angles as we can on this."
Gareth laughs quietly. "Heh... efficient as ever, you guards. Well, if ye ever need help dealin' with bandits, put up a bounty fer them and me partner and I will get them hauled in before ye know it."
Lianne Sparr: "Tell the Captain that I appreciate it, Nesseth. And thank you." Lianne offers with a smile.
Nesseth shifts his attention over to Gareth as the wolf speaks up, then nods. "Thank you, sir. You can be sure we'll post a bounty if things get that difficult for us, so just keep an eye on the bulletin boards." He nods at Lianne again as he steps back from the table, "I will, Lianne, and it's always a pleasure. Thanks for your time, both of you; I'll let you two get back to each others' company. Good evening to you both."
Gareth gives Nesseth a casual sort of salute as the Lizard takes his leave from the table. "And a good evenin' to ye as well, lad. Be sure to tell Louma about that offer!"
Narrator: With Nesseth leaving, Lianne turns her attention back to Gareth. "Well. . .That was a fine interruption. Shall we?" Lianne questions, preparing to stand.
Gareth chuckles as he stands up, nodding at Lianne as he does. "Quite an interruption, fer sure. Let's pick up from where we left off."
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THE THIRSTY MINNOW - LIANNE'S ROOM
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Gareth ambles his way into Lianne's room, the two having decided to head that way to continue their discussion a little more privately earlier, after Nesseth had approached them with some questions about Lianne's arrival. Once the two are in the room, he shuts the door and goes to lean a bit against the dresser, just to take a little weight off of his feet for the time being. "That was quite the story ye told the Lizard, downstairs."
Lianne Sparr makes her way over to her bed, sitting on the edge of it and taking off her shoes first and foremost. "It was quite the event." Lianne nonchalantly replies, not really giving the thought too much light of day.
Gareth chuckles as he shrugs out of his jacket and folds it up, setting it nice and neat upon the dresser. "Somethin' tells me ye didn't actually get attacked by Jackle and her cadre, though."
Lianne Sparr: "Well. That's what happened." Lianne simply dismisses Gareth's inquiry once more. "Disappointing, I know."
Gareth smiles, casually resting against the dresser again. "Disappointin'? Maybe, maybe not. If her crew's here on Aephix, I can expect a nice bounty poppin' up some time soon. If she's not here..." He laughs a bit, nodding along, "I say clever, and really well done."
Lianne Sparr looks up to Gareth with a knowing smirk, clear she's biting her tongue incase of eavesdroppers. "In your expert opinion. . .Do you expect them to find her?"
Gareth shakes his head after taking a moment to listen for any eavesdroppers outside in the hallway. "I doubt it. Last I'd heard from some sources, she wasn't anywhere near Aephix." He shrugs, still smirking, "O' course, that info could always be outdated by this point."
Lianne Sparr: "Well. Even if it wasn't outdated. . .Do you expect them to find her?" Lianne further prompts.
Gareth shakes his head again. "I really doubt they'd find her. The rest o' her crew, though... probably, though they'd have to search kind o' hard."
Lianne Sparr nods. "Curiosity satisfied?" She questions.
Gareth nods. "Mostly, aye. Just one last thing that feels a little out o' place, though..." He smirks knowingly, "I'm still surprised she targeted you. You must've been a pretty juicy-lookin' target fer that."
Lianne Sparr: "You'd like to know why?"
Gareth nods. "Color me interested. If Jackle's tryin' to hunt ye down, I wouldn't mind an opportunity to tangle with her and her crew."
Lianne Sparr: "Are you sure you want to get involved, Gareth?" Lianne asks. "I'm not going to stop you, of course. . ."
Gareth grins, clearly confident. "It's a great opportunity fer an unexpected bounty, so I'm not goin' to just ignore it."
Lianne Sparr: "Very well, Gareth. I'll trust you." Lianne says, with a nod. She stands up from the bed, moving over to her suitcase. A few moments of fumbling later, she presents something in a small locked case to Gareth, opening it for his eyes. "This, my dear. . .Is something that would. . .Upgrade the orange jester's simple parlour tricks."
Gareth moves over towards the suitcase and tilts his head as he looks at the object nestled into the suitcase. "An upgrade, eh...? That looks... unusual. Some kind o' new tech?"
Lianne Sparr: "Correct. My. . .Employer told me where to obtain it. Suffice to say that it shouldn't fall into her hands. . .Or particularly anyone's. An escalation of force would be bad for you, me and many others."
Gareth hums, nodding at the assessment. "Aye, stronger opponents won't bode well fer any o' us. But... what's that thing's trick, though? The ammo looks different from flintlocks, and smaller, too..."
Lianne Sparr: "I haven't been authorized to actually fire it. I'm to deliver it in pristine condition. But, from the documentation we received, it is apparently able to empty this holding chamber. . ." Lianne points to the weapon's magazine, restraining from touching it though, "In under a second."
Gareth stares at the magazine, gauging the size of each individual cartridge and roughly estimating how many rounds can be held in the magazine. He blinks and looks up at Lianne after several moments. "In under a second? Anyone hit by that wouldn't survive." He shakes his head in disbelief, "That's a game-changer... and dangerous fer everyone."
Narrator: And with that, Lianne closes the case and locks it back up. "Precisely. We consider it. . .A matter of security. Of course, such technology will eventually find the light of day anyway. . .But the longer that can be delayed, the better for all involved."
Gareth hums, stepping back again as the suitcase locks shut. "Mmh, someone, somewhere will figure somethin' similar out eventually, but at least this makes things stay a bit safer fer everyone fer a while."
Lianne Sparr: "So. Satisfied now?" Lianne questions once more.
Gareth nods. "Aye, now I'm even more interested in helpin' against Jackle and her crew if she comes huntin' this way fer that thing."
Lianne Sparr: "Excellent." Lianne nods. "Of course, what I've shared here is confidential. . .I've gone against orders to tell you this. As much as I like you, Gareth, I won't go against orders a second time. . .If you get me." She pats a hand on her thigh. "So, for both of our sakes. . .Don't tell anyone. I rather enjoy your company."
Gareth nods. "I'll keep it under wraps, Lianne. That kind o' stuff's going to only hurt us if it got out, and I'd rather us not have a harder time o' things." He smiles again, "And the feelin's mutual, about enjoyin' yer company."
Lianne Sparr smiles coyly. "Then how about we stop talking business. . ." She moves to the bed, ". . .And get back to it, then?"
Gareth chuckles as he starts striding over to the bed with Lianne, nodding with a roguish smile of his own. "I was just thinkin' the same thing. Anythin' else can wait until later."