2017-05-25: Kung Fu Demon Aftermath

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This scene happens during the invasion of Adlehyde, following 2017-05-24: Peer Review.
===============<* Adlehyde - Adventurer's Guildhall *>================

The Guildhall at Adlehyde has always been a small thing. Now though it seems to have been given a new life. The inside of the three story building has been entirely refinished to fix the aging that had been seen on the interior.

Made primarily of wood with stone for the hearth and cooking areas, the newly restored building seems to shine. There are still rough patches, but those few scars simply add charm to the old building.

Along the west wall sits a long bar, the man behind it known to most as Kev. An ex-Drifter, the mountain of a man carries his expansive silver mustache with pride. Functioning as bartender, Drifter assistant, and contact for those that wish to hire the Drifters that call the guild their home. Its open to everyone of course, but Guild Members get a discount. The only rule that is expected to be followed is a simple one.

'You Break It You Buy It.'

The east side of the bar holds a half-dozen tables and a few booths stuck into cozy little nooks. A comfortable meeting area of Drifters and clients to discuss new jobs. There also sits the stairs up to the other floors in the back of the room, the upper stories for Guild Members to stay for a reasonable rate in the plain but comfortable rooms there.

Next to the front door of the building is a long board full of various job postings that range from hunting, to bodyguard duty, to delivery quests and everything in between.

For those that want to know such things, which is most Drifters, the back door is under the stairs.

BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ0Idh3dz3g

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<Pose Tracker> Morgan Newkirk has posed.

The fires still burn in the city as secondary explosions from an exploding Gear chases Morgan from the scene of the battle on the testing field. His curses blister the air around him, very few of them from anywhere around here as he flees from the site. That much commotion is sure to bring more Demons, and thats isn't what he wants to see right now.

His long legs catch him up to the other survivors of the strange Demons attack. Pistol in one hand and the other encased in a wickedly glowing metal ARM his eyes scan the surroundings for targets.

Though it seems that for the moment the Demons seem to have left this area alone.

He doesn't hesitate though, glancing at the rest for a moment before turning down a side street. "This way!" He hisses, gesturing down the alley. "Go one block down, look for the red door. If its still there key is under the barel next to the door. Supply and equipment cache, if the building is still standing."

Should they follow the directions? Well the building is battered. A solid stone two story affair. It looks like it took a few hits from various weapons, but with no one inside the Demons had little reason to waste time ripping it down.

Inside that red door? Oh yes. Supplies.

Ammunition. Heal berries. A few crates of Gunsmoke weapons. Several cots and other medical supplies.

Someone has been a busy little Fox. 

<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.

Fleeing was not something Rose liked to do, but she also couldn't stand being a third wheel. It was clear of all the Drifters gathered, she was the least experienced, and the most likely to get them killed if they had to slow down on her account.

Sadly it had looked like even with her not in the way, the battle took a turn for the worse. Rose had never seen Gears fighting, and neither had she seen Gears exploding. Now she's seen both, and she's kind of glad she never intends to pick a fight with one. That... skeleton ghost Hellion wearing Gear scraps as armor doesn't count.

She regroups with the party on their way out, and doesn't hesitate to follow Morgan's lead. She's kind of slow, almost dragging behind - she still looks sick, suffering from whatever ailment it is Kalve's fists inflicted. Mercury poisoning, evidently? You'd think an assassin would know her way around poisons.

She'd never used mercury before. Then again the Scattered Bones didn't use poisons much to begin with. They were more direct, face-to-face assassins. You get to be told why you have to die.

Rose slumps against the wall next to the supplies the moment they arrive, unable to stay on her legs a moment longer. She digs into her pockets for Heal Berries, but didn't pack nearly enough for everyone. Coupled with the supplies, it's better than nothing though.

"Sorry... that... thing was pretty tough. Did you guys actually know it? The way it kept talking to you all it's like there was a history there." Or maybe Kalve is the legendary Advice Demon, who dispenses life and fighting advice as he violently beats you up.

... must be friends with K.K. then. 

<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.

And in comes Emma Hetfield.

"-- So we're nearly there, and thus I'd like to wrap it up. What's very interesting about those creatures, other than persistent accounts of language use that have far too wide a bearing to be simply puffery or a result of their approximately humanlike and expressive features," Emma says with a tone of a rallying warrior, "is that"

She twists around as if to bodyslam Gwen. No, she's not slamming her - she's laying her out on a cot. Slowly. Leisurely. "In the past - They were - EVIDENTLY--"

Gwen rests on the cot. Emma is contorted. "Much bigger."

Emma straightens up, adjusts her glasses, lets out a breath.

And then she collapses gracefully into a heap next to the cot.

"Morphine, please," she says from the floor. 

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

The fight had been devastating to Layna, but she tried not to show it. Berserk had been one thing, but at least she had been able to get up close and punch him. But Kalve? She hadn't been able to do more than just hide. 'Powerlessness' was not a feeling she was used to. With every situation that she had encountered she had been able to come up with a clever plan, or rally her allies to do something.

But not today.

This feeling was only magnified when she could only watch as one of of her allies seemed to slowly dying, with the only thing able to save her being technology that Layna had no experience with handling. What would've happened if Emma hadn't been there?

Perhaps this powerlessness had been part of why she retreated from the fight. Concern was definitely part of it, but she had left the rest of her allies behind. Who knew what had happened to them?

She is only partially relieved when they see Morgan and Rose again. That answered part of the question, but...

Where was Ida?

...She could worry about that later. Right now, the biggest concern was that making sure Gwen recovered.

...Not that there was anything she could do, personally.

She leans against the wall, careful of the bloody streak running down her back, and glances towards Rose.

"Nay, lass. Never seen it before in me life." She replies, then looks the merchant over. "Are you alright? You're looking a little pale, there."

Never mind that Layna herself seemed to be on her last legs too.

When Emma makes her request after getting Gwen set down, Layna stands up from the wall and, after rummaging through the supplies, finds what she's looking for and walks over to hand it to her.

"Is this what you want, Doc?" She asks.

Layna...has no idea what it's for, but she's just trying to help! 

<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.

"I don't know, maybe he had a giant bug form and just held back on it to be nice," Rose answers Emma, before almost coughing her lungs out. Hand in front of her mouth, she stops, using the other hand to vigorously deny Layna's claim for one reason or another.

"I'm fine," comes out muffled.

Before another coughing fit results in her needing to get on all fours to even hold herself up. She lowers the hand of denial. "I'm not fine," comes out more muffled.

"Feels like something's eating me up from inside. Like a cold but way worse. Demon cold." Her ability to remain lighthearted in this situation is admirable, considering. "Wonder if they have demon cold syrup where they're from, heh." That might fetch a pretty nice price if it's a thing. 

<Pose Tracker> Morgan Newkirk has posed.

Morgan is the last in and breathes a sigh of relief as he shuts the door behind them. Its at least safer in here than out there. Though he knows he'll have to be going /back/ out there.

"Just think, I could have stayed in jail and missed all this." He mutters to himself as he pulls out a small case hidden among the boxes. Out it comes and he flicks the top up to reveal some kind of short range radio system which he picks up the headset for to listen in.

A few nods from him before he sets it back down.

"Guildhouse is safe, Kev has it locked down. And it looks like the camps outside the city are pretty well defended. Most of the Guild members got here in time." He says as he lets his shoulders sag a little bit with relief. Then he looks up at the little group that he's dragged here and gives them a touch of a smile. "Help yourself to anything though. Hold on though, darlin. I think I have some general antitoxins here somewhere. Not sure if it'll work on whatever that fella was throwin but..." He shrugs slightly towards Rose as he opens a second crate to pull out a fairly extensive medkit.

A smirk at the call for morphine.

"Don't over do it on that, Doc. Ya might need yer head clear later." He adds towards Layna and Emma before he glances towards Gwen. "...and thank ya both. For lookin out for her."

A beatpause.

"And I don't know where Ida is. I think that bastard took her before I could recover from getting flung from an exploding Gear." 

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

Gwen's condition, at the very least, has stabilized. However the way her arm was integrated, it seems very eager to reattach itself, keeping on to the socket of Gwen's shoulder without needing to be held on. It still hangs limp at the courier's side, occasionally twitching from some nerve ending or another firing off by accident.

The redhead herself simply hangs there, listening to Emma's words as if they were a comforting bedtime story. Which, if Emma ever had the (mis)fortune of meeting Gwen's adoptive aunt, would probably make a lot more sense. Gwen even responds! ".... was it the island effect," doth the Gwen mumble, drowsily, "or the resources of the... murmble..." It's a bit hard to make out, which probably makes it much easier for Emma!

Once the morphine is passed and Emma is settled, Gwen just lays there a moment, before raising her left hand to slowly unbutton the top few buttons of her blouse. With two buttons done, she lays back on the cot "... kinda... messy underneath. Where's Ida...?"

Oh, right, that was already answered. 

<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.

"This is glue," Emma says from the ground, "but - hm -"

Fortunately Rose interferes with things before Emma can start figuring out how to huff glue. "Try to stay calm, and keep speaking to us," Emma says from the ground. She does start straightening up on her elbows, groaning. "She's a little heavier than she looks..."

"They took Ida? I would feel as if my ego was insulted," Emma says as she pulls herself up to her feet with an almost audible creak of the back. "Ooogh..."

  • pop!*

"Ahn~"

"Well," Emma says, adjusting her glasses once more, "I should be fine. Who are you thanking me about?" she asks Morgan, a little obscurely.

Back to Gwen. "So, tell me where it hurts. It's possible that I'll have to make an incision if you have damaged connections. I've had some surgical experience, but it may not be ideal."

Back at Morgan, she asks, "You were in jail?" 

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

Layna doesn't really buy Rose's denial for a moment. Layna stares at her, and when Rose finally admits it, she nods.

"Aye, thought so." She says, and is about to go rummage through the boxes when Morgan enters the room, and finds a medkit for her.

...Considering the true identity of the bottle she had handed Emma, it is probably a good thing for Rose that someone else handles it.

She watches him hopefully for signs of Ida, but is disappointed when she doesn't follow him inside.

Her gaze falls to the floor when Morgan explains, and it takes all her power not to punch the wall.

"We...just gotta trust in her. Hope she's alright, aye?" She says, trying to keep herself motivated.

Fortunately Gwen seems to be awake at this point, and in response Layna moves closer.

"Ah, you're awake, lass!" She says cheerily and moves closer, but not so close as to get in the way of Emma's work. 

<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.

The pain would probably be much worse if Rose wasn't distracted by the fact she's teaming up with an infamous pirate and apparently a fugitive. Now in fairness maybe this man didn't deserve to be in jail and it's all good! Somehow she's pretty sure this is not the time or place to ask.

"What do you think they'd take captives for? They look more the burn and kill types," she inquires, at the news Ida may have been captured. All the while waiting for that antitoxin from Morgan, which the moment he produces she grabs and consumes (or injects?) like her life depends on it. Which it might! She's not sure, but she's not taking any chances.

With that much out of the way, she re-slumps against the wall, rubbing the sweat off her forehead. "Ugh, this easily made the top five worst days of my life. Top two, probably." Not top one. That's a very particular and special hell of a day. Kalve came close, to his credit.

A glance towards Gwen and Emma. "She gonna be alright?" echoes Rose, after Layna. 

<Pose Tracker> Morgan Newkirk has posed.

"For getting Gwen out of there, you too darlin." This towards Layna before he sighs and glances around. Rose's sudden snatching and drinking of the antidote causes a smirk to quirk up one corner of the foxes lips as amusement dances in his eyes.

"Mmm. Top ten for me. But..." A smirk. "Day ain't over yet. Might get there in time." The fox replies as he reaches into a second box and starts pulling out food and drink fro the little battered team. He'll set that out so people can get what they wish.

As he works he just chuckles. "Oh just a little misunderstaning with some of the locals. That happens from time to time, even when you're a Guild member in good standin'. Not everyone likes Drifters all that much." Espicially ones with ears and a tail, depending on the place you happen to be from at least.

"I ain't sure it was a captive thing. That one...Kalve? Right. He seems to know Ida. Or she knew him." A glance towards Gwen then as his brows decend slightly in a worried look. "Seemed to know Gwen too..." A beatpause before he sighs. "...but finding about that can come later. First things first is ta get all y'all back in shape. Take what you need by the way, thats what its here for."

He pauses a moment. "...oh, name's Morgan. If'n any of y'all are wonderin'."

A flash of a grin then before glancing back towards Gwen, then up at Emma. "I ain't sure what to do ta help cyber--er an ARM like her...well...arm. Think ya can?" 

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

It wasn't as if Gwen was asked to, but still, a few more buttons come off, roughly worked off by a floppy, fumbling hand. Numbly, Gwen manages to slip her right shoulder, then maneuvers the metal ARM through the widened neckhole, still managing to be somewhat decent in the presence of-

.... well at this point Gwen's beyond being prudish about how she looks, it's mostly women here anyway, it counts, wait, did Emma say she needed this? well gwen's just gonna assume, whatever, she got this far with her left fingers

Though what lies underneath the blouse is a mass of old, stretched scar tissue starting at the bend of the right side of her neck and down the non-ARM parts of her shoulder, extending on down the right side far underneath what's covered by her blouse. There's a newer scar are there as well, surgical in nature, done by someone with a very careful hand. Seeing how it leads to the ARM and down to her heart, it seems to have been intentional, unlike the old burn scars.

Gwen loosely points to a few parts of her ARM. "'ere, 'ere, n' 'ere. Can't feel m'arm yet, but I'kin breathe. I like breathin'."

Her color is better, as well. Her cheeks and lips are closer to their usual shade, unlike the pallor they had when she lost her ARM.

"... 'hurts, but n'much as when I lost my real arm. G'ahead." gwen no, this is no time for humor 

<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.

"Well, that's disturbing. He seemed to be encouraging us to synchronize with the ARM, but that's kind of an odd thing for an entity from the metal demon hell to encourage," Emma says, rather glibly. Then she gives Morgan a look over the rim of her glasses.

"Maybe," she tells him. "But while I examine her, please massage my shoulders and neck. If I spasm during operation..."

It would be bad.

After this, she turns her attention down towards where Gwen is. She reaches down to gently move her arm and examine the scar tissue, apparently without hesitation. Probing gently there with her fingers, not pressing with much force, Emma asks her, "It seems that this was a deep implantation. What do you know about it? The more I know, the easier this will be for both of us."

"Oh! You lost your original arm?" Emma then asks, continuing in a curiously cheerful voice. "That must have been a truly terrible day. I was shot by a bandit before all of this, and I know that I was briefly concerned, but it was a very small pellet, it went straight through. It even cauterized the hole. I'll show you later."

"Maybe we should all compare worst days, just as a thankfulness excercise," Emma says, not looking up. 

<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.

"Thanks," Rose says, when Morgan points out his supplies are there for that. "If you ever need anything, I run the Sparrowfeathers Merchant Guild, so... it'd only be fair to repay the favor one day." If she's bothered by Morgan's extra add-ons she doesn't show it. Actually she's in a bad enough shape she didn't even notice that Gwen's arm was less-than-human. That sure is a thing.

"Sorry, I guess it's an awkward question to ask, but how'd you lose your arm and how'd you get the cool metal replacement? That's not something you see every day!" Rose thinks it's cool, anyway. Kind of like an extreme fashion statement that doubles as punching utility.

Morgan's right though, the day could still get worse. Better not jinx it. Or is it too late? Probably too late. A look is given towards Emma as she recalls Kalve's words, which puzzled Rose just as much. "Yeah I couldn't make sense of what he was trying to tell us. It's like that creepy white knight who showed up in Lahan, shouting cryptic threats and advice at us while stabbing us. Except that Demon was using his fists and guns, not a sword." She's not sure which was worse, really.

"Oh, mine's kind of a boring tale to tell now," Rose also answers, deflecting. She didn't really want to tell that story, and in retrospect shouldn't have said a thing. 

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

"I've had days with worse singular events, aye, but this definitely tops it for density. But, aye - I know what you mean. Much less exciting after the fact, aye?" Layna agrees with a nod and a smirk towards Rose. It seems Rose wasn't the only one hiding things. She then glances towards Morgan.

"A misunderstanding, aye? Aye, I know all about those." She says with a chuckle. It's hard to tell if she's being serious or sarcastic. Perhaps especially to anyone present who knows her reputation.

When he says his name, Layna nods in his direction.

"And I'm Captain Layna Manydays, of the Ruby Empress. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, lad, though I would've preferred different circumstances." She says.

Was it a rule that she had to give her full title each time...?

She then glances towards Gwen.

"Aye, lass, breathing's good. Keep at it." She says with a nod.

Emma's comment at getting shot surprises her, though.

"That so? You're still looking pretty spry, Doc. I'm envious." She comments. 

<Pose Tracker> Morgan Newkirk has posed.

"Careful darlin," This aimed towards Rose with a smile spreading across his face. "I might just take ya up on the offer." A pause. "Or at least someone will. Though first things first. Survive today, then we can worry about supplies and rebuildin." A flash of a grin. "Might be you pay me back by the end of the day."

"Ruby Empress?" A quirk of an eyebrow at that as he glances towards Layna. "Sandship I take it?" A beapause. "And yeah, I prefer meeting new friends over a bottle of mead and a good song. But...ain't the first little group I've met over fire and cordite." A smirk. "Though y'all do make the prettiest I've met that way. And I'm glad none of ya happen to be shootin' at me." He adds with his eyes full of mirth.

It fades a bit though as he sees Gwen's weak movements and her even weaker attempt at humor. "Hush you," The tone warm and friendly. "Just concentrate on breathin' and gettin' better and leave the jokes ta the professionals."

He sighs as he wonders over towards the cot, though Emma's request does get a doubletake from the fox. "...ya know mah hands are covered with soot and powder burns right not that I'm against it. If its doctor's orders." He says with a smirk.

A smirk that fades just slightly as he sees the damage, keen eyes flicking from point to point on her shoulder. So the ARM goes all the way to the heart. That makes things difficult don't it.

"...damn white knight hurt just as bad." He adds wryly towards Rose. "...but this one was different. I didn't understand what he was spoutin, but he seemed ta blame us for destroying his race." A pause. "Hell I didn't even know Metal Demons still existed till a few hours ago." 

<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.

"I think that might be his point, they used to exist and now they kind of don't? At least, not on Filgaia... you know, before this all started? I think?" Spoiler, Rose isn't from Filgaia, so she's not even sure she's saying the right thing. She's PRETTY SURE that Emma and the others at the exposition mentioned the Metal Demons went missing a long time ago and presumably mostly all died off.

History is riddled with wars between humans and not-humans, or even between humans, so it wouldn't be that surprising if Kalve's words were completely accurate.

Rose laughs at Morgan's warning, before clutching her stomach in pain. She's definitely feeling better than moments ago, but that toxin'll take a bit to wear off fully. "Yeah, maybe. I'll try to save your life if I get a chance, but I don't have a Gear to sacrifice for it, sorry. How'd you even come across one? I heard they were really rare outside the various militaries, and I know the market for parts is really sparse and dangerous to tackle without proper protocol."

Then a look towards Layna. "I've heard of you. Usually not very kind words given your occupation and the fact I hang out with merchants. Did you luck out when getting transported here and have your ship land in water with you? I could use a friend with a ship, can never have too many of those." 

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

Gwen turns her head to Rose, pausing as if she was about to deliver a long, epic tale. "Lost it in a fire as a kid. Replaced it with an ARM when I got older." She squints, though it seems more as a reaction to her own answer than anything else. Ah, yes. There was a detail she forgot. Or two. Or three. "... My auntie Frea installed it." Even as Emma examines it, Gwen offers her shoulder and ARM up. only displaying a few winces here and there as she prods and touches the necessary spots. Her words are getting more coherent by the second, at the very least, something supported by the fact that the connection where her ARM meets flesh seems to resist being budged from their original connection. However, Kalve's cuts were deliberate; it can't repair itself around those without outside help.

She looks to Emma, then, in spite of everything, gives her a dazed smile. "... whoah... you're tougher than y'look, m'am." Oh right. More stuff. Emma needs this, at the very least. Gwen raises her left hand, pointing to her right. "This is just one part o' it. Goes to..." She trails her finger down a scar to a spot, covered by her blouse. "Here. It makes-"

--It is a potential weak point to be exploited, should the wrong people discover what it means to you--

Her hand falls flat, and her head falls back against the cot. "He examined me. Kalve. He was the one who told me to be careful about it. Told me a lot about it."

She doesn't want to think about it.

Gwen distracts herself. "It's a pleasure t'meet you, Miss Layna. Y'doin' okay? Rose? You okay too? Looked real sick." 

<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.

"That's because of my life's work being something I discovered early," Emma tells Layna. "I've been able to keep my youthful beauty even as those around me withered up like raisins."

To Morgan, she says, "Oh, I know."

Then she says, "Oh ho - Lost it in a fire? To a crushing weight, I hope. I've had some burns here and there, and I would NOT wish that on a child!" She is not actually cruel in her touches, but when Gwen replies, she raises her arm up to show the slightly dingy bandage there. "It actually was tremendously painful," Emma tells her. "It still is. But! It could be worse."

"I'd say the worst day in my life was when I found out that the man who is essentially my father was dead," Emma continues, in a slightly jarring cheery tone. "Unfortunately I wasn't able to be there, but I was eased by both the new 'brother' I had found, and by the fact that he reportedly perished as he would have wished. The second worst one was when my mother and father had a look in their eye when I read aloud to them from a book that was - Well - Ha ha! I could draw you a picture, but I don't."

Her voice changes tone oddly. "Have words for it."

Back to brightness! "Gwen, I have excellent news. I believe that Kalve used his intimate knowledge of your ARM to disable it in a way that would be very unlikely to cause you direct physical risk. Now, this does have downsides, such as a terrifying level of ARM mastery on his part, and the prospect that he intended to spare your life in order to subject you to the greatest and most horrible tortures that a Metal Demon's chubby little tummy-brain could accomplish, but those haven't come to pass, and I'm quite sure that the Kaiser is going to come down on these people like a fist composed entirely of bricks."

Emma does not actually expect Kislev to save Adelhyde, but she does suspect they might be able to demolish their forces.

"If you don't mind me asking - did you have an extended period where you were lacking an arm /and/ an ARM? Ufufufu, forgive my humor, I'm under terrible stress."

To the room generally, she says, "Pass me a retractor and a scalpel or other small knife. Oh, and that glue." 

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

"Aye...something like that, lad." Layna replies with a grin towards Morgan. If by sandship he meant a ship buried in sand...then yeah, definitely! Sandship.

She reaches into her coat and pulls out a bottle. Just how many did she have stashed in there, anyway? Where was she getting all of them?

"I can provide the former, but I'm afraid I ain't much of a singer. Anyone interested?" She offers, motioning with the bottle towards Rose and Morgan.

She'd offer Emma and Gwen some, but...well, it was probably best if neither of them drank at the moment. It was probably best if none of them drank, considering they were in a warzone and Rose's condition...but really, after everything that had happened, Layna needed it.

And then Rose addresses the ship issue...as well as her reputation. Layna winces slightly.

"Aye, well...now's perhaps not the best time to be getting into that, lass. As for me ship, well...have you heard the rumors of the ship that appeared in the Silver Coast?" She asks, then waits a moment and continues.

"...That's her. Me pride and joy, the Ruby Empress...landlocked." With a sigh, Layna takes a drink. "I've made a few friends who said they'd help me figure out how to get her out to sea, but, well..."

She gestures with the bottle towards the general direction of outside.

Her attention returns to Gwen shortly, and she listens in with a somewhat sad expression.

"Aye, lass. Just need a bit of rest, is all." She replies with a nod.

She doesn't want to intrude on Emma's banter with Gwen, but she does proceed to bring the glue and a small knife over to Emma, though...

"Ah...which of these is the 'retractor', Doc?" Layna asks.

There were...still a lot of things she had left to learn about Filgaia. 

<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.

"Ah... that must have sucked, but at least you've got that cool ARM arm now. If I ever lost an arm I'd want one of those, I bet it's really useful to have," Rose replies to Gwen, unaware of any potential social faux pas being made.

A nod, afterwards. "I think I'm getting better by the minute. I have no idea what he did to me but I never want him to do it again. Still though... this really showed me why all the legends about Metal Demons make them out to be scary big deals. Turns out they kind of are." There is a city on fire to testify, and probably constant war noises outside the building they're in.

Rose looks towards Emma as the researcher slash historian slash scientist explains that the giant bugman Demon intentionally and precisely disabled Gwen's ARM. "That's... kind of a scary prospect, isn't it? That he's that skilled? But I'm still wondering why he was trying to spare some or all of us. Is this more than just a show of force? The city's ablaze, what more can they want here?"

Rose declines the bottle, as much as she wants a sip. Better not interfere with the antitoxin's work. A wince of sympathy as she hears the pirate's ship is landlocked. "That happened to us too. When we got sucked in, our caravans crashed to the ground. We're lucky the horses made it out, and caravans're easier to fix than a ship, but... whoever designed whatever is pulling people from Lunar to here really wasn't very nice or considerate for wordly possessions." 

<Pose Tracker> Morgan Newkirk has posed.

"Woah there, darlin. Take it easy." This towards Rose as she doubles over. And he takes a step towards her, but she seems to recover well enough. The fox sighs with relief before stepping back again. "Ah well, I'm a pilot. Ain't much of a pilot without a Gear. That one has been with me since I was in the fighting pits in Kislev." A pause, a smirk. "...I'm not doin' well on the introduction bit am I? Talking about how I was twice in jail." A pause. "That time was on account of they don't like my kind much around there. Changed their tune when I actually beat the champion."

A smirk at that.

"But beyond that, I keep her hidden. Don't bring her out much. And I have a knack for repairin and finding the right parts." A sigh. "Though I'm gonna need help on it this time. Damn thing blew the whole generator assembly out."

Layna causes him to grin though as she pulls a bottle out of no where. So he takes it happily. Though he doesn't uncork it quite yet. Instead he quirks a brow. "Oh ho, you two ain't from around here. I see. Well they actually have ships that sail on the sand here. Don't even ask me how that works. I just ride on em and try not to think about it." A smirk at that before he nods. "...well...if ya sail the blue, then there gotta be a way to get ya back to it. A ship deserves ta be free ta go where she wants right?"

His posture changes though when Rose asks that last question. A slight frown on his face. "They are here for somethin, this ain't just random. Its too sudden for that. If they wanted a show of force they could have hit just about anywhere. Naw, this place was targeted. Why though...I have no idea. Maybe something ta do with that new Golem that got dug up?" He querries as he steps back towards Emma and Gwen.

At the doctor's words he just shrugs then. "Alright miss Gunslingin' Doc, suit yerself."

And while he peers over her shoulder at the damage to Gwen's ARM he will indeed give Emma a shoulder rub. Because really. Why the hell not. He's got agile hands at least, likely from all the gunplay.

"Here Layna, just hand over the whole kit. She might need somethin' else out of it." He adds with a grin. Then noting the look on Gwen's face he lets the frown slowly creep back. The poor girl.

"So he was around before the attack actually happened. I wonder how many others were." He murmurs quietly. Scouts? That means they defintally targeted the town directly. 

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

"I think you're pretty cool too," Gwen admits to Rose. "You set up a business n' everything, Got all those people helpin' you. And you took on Kalve." She loosely waves a hand- her left, that is. "We all count'n 'ere."

That's probably meant to mean something encouraging.

To a fire, to a crushing weight, Emma hopes. "Ah, well, kinda," Gwen states, with an airy quality that could only be a result of her shocked state. "... Got pinned by somethin' heavy." Nothing more is said on the issue; the redhead finds herself latching onto the next topic like a drowning man to a life raft. "Yeah, yeah I did."

But even in Gwen's current state, she takes in Emma's words, trying to devise the right words to say back. "... That's..." She wets her lips. "That's a really crummy day. Think you got be beat there, Miss Hetfield." Her eyes glint sympathetically. "Hope yer new brother makes up for it all."

And so, she goes silent, if still responsive, listening to Layna's tales of her poor, poor landlocked ship. A hand goes to the offered bottle, but then moves away, Gwen thinking better of it.

She thinks of metal demons, trying to experiment on her. With their chubby little tummy brains.

She begins to laugh through her bit lip, even if she's crying a little at the same time.

"Thank you. All of you. This can't be the worst day of my life, now." 

Emma pokes something that makes her wince. "Maybe the third, though."

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

Her head turns to Morgan, as if suddenly remembering something. "So when you gonna start givin' pony rides on that thing...?" 

<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.

"I think it makes you exotic and dangerous," Emma says to Morgan, before explaining, "It's that thingy with the doo-hickey. Yes, your hand's over it. Pass it over."

And then she gets her shoulders rubbed. "Unh," Emma groans, because she can't help it. It's not even a pose. She has to stop in her work for several long seconds out of SHEER DELIGHT. Her eyes flutter. Her glasses steam up slightly. But soon enough Morgan's grimy touch becomes less of a shocking novelty.

And she gets to work. The matters do not seem to be very complex, though Emma does lean forwards - insisting along the way that Morgan continue his massage therapy - in order to do... something. "I'm repairing connections," she explains to Gwen. "What I'm doing is severing these damaged wires and interlacing the - ow! - the cables between them. Then I'm going to coat them in glue and a covering of this bandage tape. I wouldn't suggest doing any superhuman acts in the next twenty minutes, until this delightful chemical scent has faded, but it may actually be superior in performance, going forwards."

Gwen's reply makes Emma pause.

"He's a good fellow," she says in that inflectionless way. "I can tell why the old man chose him. I have not asked, because I don't think I need to, but -" The color comes back in her voice, "I imagine we had a lot in common in our childhoods."

"But you know, now I have a menacing thought," and Emma is still vaguely cheery about this. "Are we certain that other locations haven't had similar experiences? Hm, hm... I suppose we'll have to wait and see." 

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

"That's the question, lass. What do they want?" Layna said with a nod towards Rose as she moves to bring the kit Morgan pointed out over to Emma - including the 'thingy with the doo-hickey' that she was kind enough to point out.

"Maybe they're just out to do some killing, aye? Got too tired of being cooped up and decided to go for a night on the town..." From the tone of her voice, it's clear that Layna doesn't actually believe this.

"Whatever they're after, Golem or not...I think it's best they don't get it. Me and the Doc had a run-in with one of them and his cohort earlier. Nasty fellow, name of 'Berserk'. Big, ugly, and mean, that one. He made his stances on us humans clear - we only exist to be crushed underfoot." She explains with distaste.

Rose gets a sympathetic look when she mentions the state of her caravans, then nods to Morgan to confirm his suspicions.

"Aye, we're lucky. Doubt the Empress would've survived a crash like that. Those sandships sound great, aye, but she'll be the only love for me." She says wistfully, then removes her hat and places it over her heart. "Someday she'll sail again, I swear on me hat."

It is then quickly placed back onto her head.

When she hears Gwen start to laugh, Layna can't help but smile.

"Couldn't leave a comrade behind, could we, lass? No thanks needed." She says, raising her bottle a little at this. "...But we'll have to go drinking together properly sometime, aye? Once you're all patched up, that is." 

<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.

"Eheh, don't worry, I'm fine, I'm fine," Rose reassures Morgan, before he clarifies he is a Double Fugitive which is quite the feat to pull off. "Kislev...? I'd heard they had some gladiatorial Gear combat but I've never been there to see myself. Crossing the border is kind of a pain, even for a merchant. I probably wouldn't enjoy it anyway, the idea they force prisoners to fight is..."

Well, if Kislev wasn't such a reinforced, highly secure area, you can rest assured that kind of treatment would get a few officials a visit from the Scattered Bones. But everything she's heard suggests it simply isn't a target that's viable right now.

Then Morgan explains the Metal Demons probably want something. Rose can't quite fathom what. Maybe there's something special in the city somewhere? Probably some royal treasure. Too late to do much research on that.

"Aww, thanks," Rose replies to Gwen, smiling. "Can't say I did terribly well though. I hope Ida's alright."

In stark contrast to this, Emma suggests maybe other cities got hit. Rose frowns. "I guess we don't know. Let's hope not. But I have a feeling... they might target other places, later. This couldn't be a one-off. They won't just disappear again from history." If she was a Metal Demon, Rose sure wouldn't want to just leave. She'd probably be unhappy about whatever happened countless years ago too!

Layna suggests drinking, later. Rose wonders... "Where are you all going, once you're out of here? Aveh? Port Timney? Further away? No shortage of cities to look to, I guess, but I doubt we'll be having drinks here in a long while." 

<Pose Tracker> Morgan Newkirk has posed.

"Well she you, and my Laughing Fox gets fixed you can be first in line for pony rides." Morgan laughs as he angles that towards Gwen. "Which means you need to get yourself better. Right?"

The warm chuckle, the fox has a good laugh at least, rumbles around the room. "Well no, it wasn't really enjoyable. I can attest ta that. Was not tha' best introduction ta this part of the world I could have had. But..."

He shrugs slightly.

"I got out, and now I'm in the guild. Which works for me." Judging from the size of the supply stash and the Guild sigils stamped on the boxes he's not doing bad for himself at all.

He doesn't say much as Emma relates his story, just applies himself and his fingers to the tense spots on the woman's shoulders and neck. He can't fix her past, but at least he can make the present a little better.

Its something he can /do/ in the aftermath of getting his assk kicked by a Metal Demon. Sometimes its the little things that count.

"I will defintally take ya up on the drinking, Layna. I can show ya the best places in town." A beatpause. "And I made sure those places are well enough stocked with supplies to wait out a siege. So." A nod towards Gwen. "And I have her to thank for that."

Her little message got to some people it seems.

"Nothing suspicious in most of the other towns around though, I made a check of what I could reach in a reasonable time." A sigh. "Naw, I don't think we are gonna be that lucky, Rose. If they do want something, if they don't get it...I don't think they are going away anytime soon." 

<Pose Tracker> Emma Hetfield has posed.

"I'll have to take stock," Emma says, cheerfully enough. "I'd probably ask Rudy, too. Oh, and Meredin - see what they're doing. A lot depends on if any of the Emma Motors survived. Without that, I'll have to take odd jobs or worse, borrow money."

"Did you say your Gear needs fixi-- aahhn~" Emma begins to say, before being interrupted as Morgan hits a Good Spot. 

<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.

Gwen pivots her head to look over Emma's work. It's not often a person is able to look at their own shoulder being worked on without having pain come into the equation, but they also usually don't come away from having their arm chopped off, and then have it promptly reattached. It's probably Gwen can't exactly rate this as the worst thing that could happen to her, once the initial shock has worn off.

It's still damn close.

"'s good. That new brother of yours may've needed a new sister." He probably wears glasses, too. Maybe he has a punchy gun as well? He definitely has a punchy gun."

A finger twitches. "I'm feelin some if it." The ARM slowly comes to life under Emma's careful repairs, the musculature beginning to quiver, but not enough to dislodge or disrupt Emma's work. "I'll give it thirty, to be sure."

She closes her eyes in thought, her body relaxing against the cot. "Morgan... would you be up to checkin' on the castle when I get back? Back to... whatever... stuff." She's getting there. "Though if everythin's okay, then I wouldn't mind goin' drinkin'. Just drink a lot and fall asleep, that sounds real good... then a ride on a gear, and maybe some of the cheesecake that was at Sorey's talk..." Her stomach grumbles. She sighs.

Emma's cry causes Gwen to open one eye.

Maybe a backrub, too.

"I hope they're all okay. Helped Rudy not too long ago. He was real determined to get everyone out. Emma, maybe he'll listen to you- if you see him, tell him to keep safe, okay?" 

<Pose Tracker> Layna Manydays has posed.

Where to go next...another good question.

"Well, first thing's first, I think I'm going to take the longest nap I've ever had." Layna replies with a shrug to Rose. That sounded good right about now...but she still had to keep going. "After that? Who knows? What about you, lass?"

She was holding back on the pirating while she was here in Filgaia, after all, at least while she got the lay of the land and the Empress was landlocked. She had some ideas on what she wanted to do, but... In lieu of continuing this thought, she takes a drink, and glances towards Gwen when Morgan comments on his safehouses.

"Aye, that so? Sounds like you've done a lot of good, lass." She says with a respectful nod.

"The castle, huh...? Some of me crew might be heading that way, too. They've been combing through the town, taking care of any civilians they come across." She comments, then glances down into her bottle.

She hoped they were doing well. She didn't know how they'd handle any of the monsters she'd come across today.

She then glances towards Emma. She wondered what an 'Emma Motor' was, but she had a feeling she wouldn't understand even if it was explained to her. 

<Pose Tracker> Morgan Newkirk has posed.

"If ya can get word to them, Layna. Tell them to get to the Adventurer's Guild. We made that place a fortress, or closest thing this town has. That goes for the rest of you too, it should still be safe and I'm pretty sure half of the Guild is around there trying to keep it that way." There is a smile at that. "Its kinda what we do."

A smirk though at Emma as she gets distracted. Then a perplexed blink. "...wait. Rudy Roughnight?" A beatpause. "He's not gonna be aiming that ARM of his at me for doing this now is he?" A wicked grin flashes to view. "Not that I'll stop mind you, I just like to know when I need to duck." His eyes dance with humor, though its tempered with a little bit of worry as Gwen turns his attention to him.

He opens his mouth to say something but apparently thinks better of it and simply shakes his head with an exasperated sigh. "...you'll go without me if you have to I suppose. So...guess I don't know any choice. I'll get us there. Safe and sound."

Weather they remain that way or not? Thats going to be hard to say.

"The rest of you can stay here as long as you like." He adds towards the other two. "If you need a place ot rest, and fallback to here if you need it. I have a map with a few more of theses houses set up. Can't guarentee it'll all still be standing but...better than nothin."

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