2017-06-07: Right to Bear ARMs

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<Pose Tracker> Neriah Parringer has posed.

Neriah's adventure into the Hillside Ruins yesterday hadn't turned up as much treasure as she wanted. Only a frustrating mystery.

The young woman makes her way back towards Adlehyde on foot. She'd stopped to throw herself through a stream a time or two to clean up, so she's not showing too many signs of road wear aside from dust on her boots. Even the weight of her pack doesn't seem to be bothering her that much, though she's carrying her trusty shovel in her right hand as she rounds a broad bend in the path back towards the city.

What's left of the city, anyway. Pushing a hand through her hair, Neriah looks towards the city walls, her lips coming together in a light purse. She's not really sure what there is to come back to, at this point. People lived, but she's got the idea most people are leaving.

Besides, it's not like she knows anyone, she realizes with a bitter smile.

Maybe that's for the best.

She continues along the path a little ways before stopping near the edge of a cluster of tents - temporary housing for some of the villagers. With a light huff, she heads over to a little seating area, a place where a few benches have been arranged around a couple of cookfires. Shrugging her bag off her shoulder, she brings a hand to her forehead and scans the place for anyone recognizable. 

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

In and out, in and out -- Matilda is almost constantly riding between ruins surrounding Adlehyde these days. She has a /lot/ of materials to gather -- and while the immediate need for a compounder is finally starting to taper off... now she's just flat out /out of materials/.

Her work has seen her warmly received by the locals, which means she almost always has a place at a campfire -- as now, when Neriah shows up. When she sees the young lady she explored that haunted manor with some time ago, she gives a small, pleasant wave, holding up her bowl of...

... /something/. She has chosen not to ask questions and thinks no one else should, either. 

<Pose Tracker> Rudy Roughnight has posed.

There are many jobs that Rudy Roughnight has done over his life. As a Drifter, you sometimes make money in a variety of ways. Right now, it's really hard to figure out exactly what job Rudy has being doing now, but right now, he is covered with ash and dirt as he walks from over the horizon and toward the city itself. He has his usual ARM strapped to his back, wrapped carefully to conceal its deadly nature, but he doesn't hide the soiled shovel that is slung over his shoulder, evidence of a hard day's work.

The young man has a tired gait, but his eyes seem hyper-aware. Like many, the battle for the town has changed him, seemingly looking for possible danger where there is none to be found. That being said, it has some advantages, as it does seem to allow him to see both Matilda and Neriah, offering each a simple nod of the head as he continues his trek toward the town, in turn, toward them.

Rudy Roughnight

Standing at about 5'2", the short boy known as Rudy Roughnight seems to find a way to stand out despite his short height and slender build. The short light blue hair tends to stick out to most, as does the red bandana that trails behind his head. Both the hair and bandana flow in the breeze, the hair nothing but unkempt bangs that flow over the bandana like some form of evasive weed. His young face has a small white bandaid that is permanently over the left cheek, but that is not what draws in most people to his face. Instead, it's the eyes. They are a dark brown, mudded and seemingly devoid of interesting color. However, there is a compassion within which seems layered with firm determination for those able to see into the soul of a man.

His attire is ragged and one that marks him as a poor Drifter. His red vest is torn around the shoulders, his white shirt underneath seemly ready to fall apart a moments notice. The white sleeves are tattered, the chest area having stitch-work and dark crimson stains that show scars of battles past that the body somehow refuses to reveal. The blue jeans he wears are also tattered and torn in some spots, such as the inner thigh of right leg. Brown leather cowboy boots and tight fitting work gloves finish the look, but most people feel the true accessory is the weapon he has always on him: The Hand Cannon that is often slung over his shoulder when he feels that combat is looming.

The Hand Cannon seems to look like a six-shooter, but has an extended magazine as well as a much longer barrel with a rest, clearly able to be used with two hands if necessary. It's unique and dangerous, enough to result in quite a few people keeping their distance from this mysterious lad. 

<Pose Tracker> Neriah Parringer has posed.

Most people don't know Neriah well enough to welcome her warmly or coldly, and she's happy with it that way. At least most people haven't carried tales.

Her cursory skim turns up a familiar face: Matilda's. Eyes brightening just a shade, Neriah steps forward smoothly and flips her hand up to shoulder level with a little flick of a wave. "Hello again," she greets as she moves to a seat on one of the benches, stretching a leg out and crossing it over the opposite. Her hands fall to her thighs, brushing across them as though to smooth her skirt, though in reality it doesn't fall very far in the first place.

"I see the demon didn't chop your legs off after all. That's good. Legs are important."

As she speaks, her eyes follow Rudy as the young man slouches into the little conversation area. As he wanders by, she nods to him simply. Then he's passing on towards the town.

"Don't just walk away like that!" Neriah calls after him sharply, bolting to her feet and setting her hands at her hips. "You, you--"

She puffs her cheeks out indignantly. "You wrapped up that ARM with just plain burlap, didn't you? Don't you know you'll scratch the finish?" 

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

Drifters have to keep track of their own. Rudy gets a smile from Matilda, showing off those dazzling teeth. She gestures for him to come over, too, since this seems to be becoming Drifter Corner very rapidly -- the more the merrier, right?

When Neriah sits down, Matilda says, "It's good to see you again, Miss! And, er... no, my legs are quite intact." She rubs at her knee awkwardly, saying, "I'm very glad for it, though. I guess I don't /need/ my legs, but..."

She laughs awkwardly, shortly before Neriah bolts after Rudy. "Ah -- she's right! It's important to treat your gear correctly, or else it won't treat you very well when you need it..."

GAME> Rudy Roughnight looked at you. 

<Pose Tracker> Rudy Roughnight has posed.

As Roughnight plans to move past the conversation without little fanfare, Neriah's words cause the footfalls of the outcast to stop. A brow is slowly arched as Rudy turns his head toward the pale woman. The side of his face is allowed to be seen, the teen brushing blue bangs to the side to take her in for a moment with calm brown eyes. "Hrm?" he offers simply to her.

Then more words comes, this time from Matilda. An awkard smile goes back toward her. He doesn't move toward the pair, still about twenty feet from them, but at least he turns to listen. "Something wrong?" he asks simply after what seems to be too long a pause, as if almost intentionally taking long gaps before saying the few words that he does. 

<Pose Tracker> Neriah Parringer has posed.

Drifters apparently tend to clump up when exposed to one another. Neriah hasn't until recently, but she's not been around.

"We all need legs. They're very important," Neriah assures Matilda with a crisp nod, hands still at her hips as she waits for Rudy expectantly.

Then Rudy turns back. Neriah juts her bottom lip out ever so slightly, adopting an aggrieved air before she steps towards the young man, lifting a hand so that she can wag a finger at him. "I'd say so! Look at how you've wrapped that thing. You shouldn't just toss a rough old dirty sheet over your ARM and call it a day. You've got to treat it with care!"

She clucks her tongue, then looks back towards Matilda. "See, she knows what I'm talking about. You've got to take extra good care to make sure you don't scratch or dent your ARM!" 

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

"Well -- better to say, perhaps, that much of what I do," Matilda notes when Neriah comes back, "I could do without them!" She laughs awkwardly, before admitting, "... I suppose that one didn't go over very well, ahahah..."

When Rudy gets close enough, she says, "Oh -- no, nothing's wrong! Merely advice from one Drifter to another! I don't know what I'd do if my ARM were to stop functioning out in the wilderness -- proper care is essential! I make sure to check in with an ARMsmeister every time I get an opportunity, and don't wear any glass or metal equipment on the same side I do my ARM..."%rSecond awkward laugh: go. "At any rate - please, sit down! Have something to eat!" she calls. 

<Pose Tracker> Rudy Roughnight has posed.

A small frown forms. If they knew he was carrying an ARM, how many more people do? The unspoken question does not comfort Rudy in the least, but concealing weapons is not his speciality by any stretch of the imagination. At their claims of improper care, the weapon is pulled out, removing the cloth to reveal leather wrapping underneath. The wrapping is undone to show the Hand Cannon, which has the luster of a weapon that has seemingly never been fired, unblemished by the dirt that seems to be all over Rudy. "I thought I was doing just fine, but I'm open to suggestions if you have them," he offers softly before he moves to wrap the weapon once more, first in the thin leather before putting it back into the burlap which is caked with the earthy remains of his previous work.

At the offer of food, Rudy raises a gloved hand with a weak smile. "I appreciate the thought, but not hungry right now. My stomach is a little upset right now, to be honest," he offers with a soft tone that almost borders on meek. 

<Pose Tracker> Neriah Parringer has posed.

Neriah figured it was pretty obvious what a Drifter would wrap up in a big cloth bundle. She blinks as Rudy actually asks for advice. Looking back over her shoulder, she opens her mouth for a second as her eyes find Matilda's.

"I don't actually," she demurrs with a dip of her head and takes a step back. "I guess next time I'll have to try a different approach. Don't worry about it."

The lustre of Rudy's gun isn't lost on her. For a moment, her eyes linger on the ARM, but she doesn't press the issue. Instead she sighs and settles down, figuring it's just another tease gone horrbly wrong. The thought is put out of her mind. "I'm sure there's food that's recognizable," she says as she reaches for a bowl, scooping something that might be stew into it. "Like this. Might be cucco, might be dead body. You just never know until you try it. Might not be good for your tummyache, though."

As she scoops her fork through the bowl, she looks towards Matilda again. "I see you got through the attack on the city alright." 

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

If pressed, Matilda would admit that she was following Neriah's lead in the criticism. She does that.

Her eyes -- and mouth -- sit wide open for a moment at the pristine, magnificent Hand Cannon. "... It's lovely," Matilda says. "Not quite a revolver, not quite a coach gun -- and so large...!" Her eyes sparkle a bit. "It suits you! And I retract my backup from the young Miss regarding its care. It's clear it's well-loved."

The mention of an upset stomach seems to get Matilda's attention more than anything else. "Ah -- did you eat something that ill-agrees with you, or is it a natural toxin...? Or something else? I have a variety of remedies with me -- you'll need to pay, mind, but..."

Before she /completely/ forgets, she nods to Neriah. "If only barely. It's good to see you again, too." 

<Pose Tracker> Rudy Roughnight has posed.

Matilda's praise cause a faint red to appear in Rudy's cheeks. "Thank you," is all he states. It's clear he's slightly uncomfortable with showing the weapon or being complimented on it. But the weapon is soon placed where it needs to be and the young man listens to the two speak of food.

As Neriah talks of dead bodies being in food, Rudy's face pales and his countenance gets a little colder. But despite the visible trigger unknowningly hit, there is a pause before the smile is forced back on. "It's fine," he offers toward the well-dressed woman before looking toward Matilda. "I was doing some work with bad smells, so just an upset stomach. It'll pass by tonight, I'm sure," Rudy admits as he rubs the back of his head. Some dust kicks up from the effort. "But I thank you for the thought, very kind of you." A glance is given toward the other woman as he remembers the food offer. "Very kind of you both, actually." 

<Pose Tracker> Neriah Parringer has posed.

"It's a very nice ARM," Neriah says approvingly, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Nicer than mine." She slips the ARM in question out of her belt, laying it across her lap. It's configured somewhat like a revolver, but it's mostly a polished, silvery colour, and there's no hammer - just a heavy stud-looking thing and a pair of vents to either side of it. She runs her right hand over it, black-gloved fingers stroking the underside of the barrel.

Lifting her head again, she flashes Rudy a quiet smile, a note of apology somewhere in there. She nods her head and scoots over in her seat as if to make room for him.

"I know how that is. Sometimes it just hits you, doesn't it," she muses with a nod. "Maybe you ought to pop a Heal Berry."

Then she looks over to Matilda with a quieter smile. "By the way... I don't think I properly introduced myself, back at the haunted mansion. My name's Neriah Parringer and I'm an excavator." The introduction seems as much intended for Rudy as for Matilda. 

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

Matilda takes a long drink from her bowl of questionable stew. It seems 'what if it's corpses?!' doesn't have as much of an effect on her. "If you're certain," Matilda says. "I'll be in town for the night, probably, so if it gets worse and you find out it was a contact poison, please don't hesitate!"

Neriah finally formally introduces herself, and Matilda smiles. "Nice to meet you, Miss Parringer. I think I may have introduced myself, but just to be safe -- and for the sake of our new friend here... Matilda Whitehead. Doctor, technically, but most people tend to assume surgical experience if you lead with that, and my doctorate is in something else... a ha ha ha."

A little grimly, she appends, "Though lately, it doesn't seem to matter /what/ it's in. There's a world's worth of work..." 

<Pose Tracker> Rudy Roughnight has posed.

The Boy with the Blue Hair doesn't take a seat yet, perhaps still thinking he might leave soon, but the outcast does offer a hand at the greetings to give each woman an appropriate shake. "Rudy Roughnight, good to meet you both," he offers with that soft voice of his that seems to hover only somewhat above a whisper. He really doesn't seem to be a talker that's for sure.

"As for the healing, if I need something, I'll let you know," comes the response to Matilda. "I'm sure there are lot of other people that need your help though. As you said, a world's worth of work, after all."

When Neriah is in the focus of Rudy's muddy brown eyes, he finally offers his thoughts on the ARM shown to him. "Well, every ARM is different. How they look isn't nearly as important as to how helpful they are to you since some of them can do some real special things. Sure someone would think your weapon would be better than mine." 

<Pose Tracker> Neriah Parringer has posed.

The excavator with the black hair holds a slender hand out and clasps Rudy's, black-gloved fingers closing lightly around his. She smiles politely beneath the brim of her oversized newsboy hat. "It's nice to meet you, Rudy. And you don't have to be quiet if you don't want to. I promise you won't wake up the demons. They're pretty deep sleepers anyway."

Her fingers move across the ARM in her lap, before she tucks it back into place inside her jacket, safely out of sight and with the safety on. "Marilyn's been pretty helpful to me over the years. I don't think a larger ARM would do as much for me," she concedes. "I like being able to just carry it discreetly. Less cumbersome."

With her hands free now, she picks her stew up again and takes a bite. Once she swallows, she gives Matilda a considering look. "So what're you a doctor of, then?" 

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

"Ah, thank you, Mr. Roughnight! It really is wonderful to meet you." Matilda, by comparison, talks a /whole/ lot. "And -- yes, though, truthfully... anti-nausea compounds are one of the few things I still have on hand, prepared, in quantity. I can do much better -- but most of my curative syrups and smelling salts are depleted, for now..."

She sighs. "This is a catastrophe unlike any other." She takes a brief look at Neriah's ARM as she ruminates on the catastrophe. "I must admit, I'm envious of its small size. Freischütz is... well, suffice it to say that while it can punch much above its weight class, on a hot day I do grow so /dreadfully/ tired of needing to wear a coat to coneal it."

After a second, she adds, brightly, "Compounding! It's -- not a very popular discipline. Much of the practice assumes a steady supply of flowers and herbs, which..." That statement speaks for itself, to the point that Matilda finishes with a long half-laugh that transitions slowly into a slightly-affected half-cry. 

<Pose Tracker> Rudy Roughnight has posed.

A shrug is given toward Neriah's claim that Rudy doesn't have to be quiet. It seems it's merely choice, one that's clearly reflected by him choosing to not even response to her first words. The outcast does manage to speak, however, as the worth of Marilyn is stated. "That's good. 'ARM should be used to keep people safe', after all," he states as if quoting a person.

With wisdom of others shared, another small smile is flashed before Rudy glances toward Matilda as she starts to explain her medical stock. A nod is given as a mental note is taken, but like before, he only speaks at the talk of ARMs. "Huh, I didn't know they were so common. In the places I tended to be, people really didn't think too highly of ARMs. Nice to know I'm just like a lot of other people," he states as the small smile twists slightly into a faintly more confident grin. 

<Pose Tracker> Neriah Parringer has posed.

"It is a terrible situation," Neriah admits with a dip of her head and a little blush. "Though it's a little different for me... I'm only recently arrived in town. I got here about a week before the attack, and for me it's... I'll just leave again if there's nothing left. Not the first time I've been run out of a town, anyway." She manages a wry smile before swallowing a bite of stew.

Lifting her eyes to Rudy, she nods at the young man's platitude. "Is that what you use yours for? Did you use it during the fighting?" she asks. "And, y'know... I'm not afraid of ARMs. But most things aren't scary to me."

She turns in her seat as Matilda explains her discipline. A little smile tug at her lips, small and bitter. "...Yeah. Yeah. Everything's kind of... turning into desert. And now Metal Demons are back.

"It's weird times." 

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

"I agree wholeheartedly! There's nothing more important than personal safety -- and Freischütz has provided a lot of that over the years," Matilda says, with a smile. The mention of their commonality, though... that gets her a little gloomy, especially coupled with the talk of Filgaia's withering.

"It's -- I wouldn't say they're that common, precisely... but we, as Drifters, often clump up, I suppose. Our bearing is unique, and our best company is so often each other..." She gnaws at a lip, looking out to the tents, then back to Neriah and Rudy.

"It's been hard not to notice the way people look at me before and after they see my armor, or Freischütz." Matilda fiddles with the collar of her coat. "I suppose it is natural not to trust another, though..." 

<Pose Tracker> Rudy Roughnight has posed.

A simple nod is given when asked if he used it in the fighting. Why speak when you can answer in other ways, which sure seems to be Rudy's way of life. The young man appears to open his mouth to reply toward the discussion, perhaps giving a long talk on his thought on current affairs, his issues with Metal Demons, or a lot of things. But instead there is a shout of someone calling his name in the town. It's hard to tell who it is, even the gender hidden by the other sounds that seem to help muffle it.

"I should get going But it was nice meeting you both." With a simple nod of the head, the young man merely turns on his heel and heads out after he gets the final words from each the ladies present.

Definitely an odd one, that Rudy. 

<Pose Tracker> Neriah Parringer has posed.

Neriah ducks her head a little and admits, "I've not seen many other arms like Marilyn. But she was a hand-me-down."

Her gaze darts up and down Matilda for a second before she shakes her head. "I hope I haven't looked at you weird. It doesn't bother me that much. But like I said... I don't really get scared easily. Besides, you seem like you're really nice." She smiles at Matilda gently, drawing her hand up to touch her cheek.

Someone calls for Rudy, and he's scampering off before long. With a blink, Neriah looks after her, a small frown reaching her face unbidden. "It was nice meeting you... maybe we should talk again soon," she says hopefully, waving with her fingertips. 

<Pose Tracker> Matilda Whitehead has posed.

Despite Neriah's slightly unnerving demeanor, Matilda gives a small smile and nods, at that cheek touch. "I'm glad you think so! It's important, I think, to -- erm... hm..."

She trails off at that, instead turning her attention to the retreating Rudy. "I'll see you around, Mr. Roughnight! Don't hesitate to call upon me if your stomachache gets worse!" Her gaze returns to Neriah as she adds, "I'm afraid I should make my retreat before too long, as well... there are a last few things I'd like to drop off with one of the local medics, and then I should really ride back out. I think it's time for me to head to Lacour..." 

<Pose Tracker> Neriah Parringer has posed.

"And I should get back out there," Neriah admits, adjusting her left sleeve and tugging it back down over the edge of her glove - it doesn't go on over the sleeve like the right one does. "If I'm going to keep going out here, I'll need more things to sell and a place to sell 'em. So."

Easing to her feet, Neriah holds a hand out to Matilda. She smiles, eyes holding a note of quiet warmth behind them. "It was nice running into you again, Matilda... please be safe, alright?"

"And if you see any ghosts," she adds, "don't let 'em chop your legs off! You need 'em!"

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