2017-09-25: Talk of the Town
- Log: Talk of the Town
- Cast: Lily Keil, Riesenlied, Fei Fong Wong, Kahm Yugh, Gwen Whitlock
- Where: November City - Bunker's Lounge
- Date: 9/25/2017
- Summary: A few familiar faces drift into the Bunker's Lounge in November City, where they share news both good and bad. One item of interest: the blue-eyed man from Lacour seems to have followed them west, much to many's dismay.
=====================<* November City - Bunker's Lounge *>====================== Bunker's Lounge is a seedy, smoky lounge located underneath Hotel Renais. The bar here serves mixed drinks and beer, with a mustachioed man named Durlan providing too-strong drinks and cigars of middling quality to patrons. The lounge is the sort of place frequented by seedy characters -- Geohounds, gamblers, and rougher Drifters who don't quite fit into the Adventurer's Guild. A jazz band provides a steady, lively beat during the evening hours. Bunker's has the same strict no weapons policy as the lobby of Hotel Renais, and Durlan is quick to demand anyone starting a ruckus leave. BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzRqtW1C0Zo
================================================================================
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Night has fallen in November City, and the chill of the desert starts to roll in. There is a different atmosphere down beneath this hotel however, a smoky lounge with the sounds of jazz playing from an act here in the room in fact, a seedy place that is good for a party...
Or good if you happen to stay above it and want more to drive than you already had earlier in the day. Some drinkers are committed.
One is at the bar, a woman in a gold-and-black dress with long black hair, picking up and sipping at a glass of amber liquid. There's no ice in it... but the glass is frozen over, somehow.
She's apparently extra committed, because she has bandages down her face, her left eye is covered, and she has an arm in a sling. Lily makes her own way down here.
The other patrons stare over at her now and then, but surreptitiously. Most have their own business or the music to attend.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
A peculiar dragon-girl has been accompanying Lily for the better part of the day now, totally not a Metal Demon despite familiar-looking chitinous black horns and wings! Nope!
Nazgul al-Rashid has shoulder-length brown hair and a prim jacket and ruffled shirt that looks a bit too classy for this place, but her nervous skittishness doesn't fit the rough and tumble of the bar either... Durlan appears to have gotten used to her, however.
She's got scaled plating covering her left arm and leg, which effectively prevents her from wearing gloves or a shoe over it... but she has leggings over her skirt, otherwise.
"Are you feeling better...?" she gently asks Lily.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
TIME HIJINKS! This places before Fei's CONCUSSION! TIME HIJINKS! SOMETIMES YOU MUST MAKE SACRIFICES TO SCENE WITH COOL PEOPLE! SOMETIMES THOSE SACRIFICES ARE THE LIVING O_O.
Fei Fong Wong steps into the bar. He sees Riesenlied first because she has a much showier appearance but he is only briefly startled before his gaze shifts towards her companion, who is also easily recognizable. He smiles at first before his gaze adjusts and he sees her arm is in a sling. His eyes widen and he approaches much more quickly afterwards.
5r"Lily!" he says. "What happened? Are you okay??"
Fei himself is completely uninjured, because this is before the concussion! Thanks Time Hijinks!
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
It was dusk when Kahm arrived in November City, and dark by the time he reached the Bunker's Lounge, which was apparently what passed for a wayfaring station in these parts. The Solarian enters with his usual get-up for interacting with drifters: Dark wide-brim hat, dark vest, and slacks, all freshly pressed and recently cake with dust from a local windstorm. A coat he nursed closely in his right hand was hung without ceremony, paying no mind to any attention his sheriff-like appearance might bring him. In fact, the lack of a badge marked him as something far more problematic in these parts: a privateer.
He doesn't waste time ruminating on coincidences, because the man espies Lily Keil fairly quickly and makes a casual beeline towards her-right behind Fei in fact. "Miss Keil." He welcomes by way of removing his hat, "Unexpected company to find arriving in November City, and somewhat worse off than I last saw you."
Kahm looked down at her cast, "A rough week?"
Fei and the horned women are noted, but not commented upon-yet.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily was glad to meet back up with Riesenlied when she came downstairs again, which she did eventually, while leaving Leon to walk the... Well, that part isn't so important.
"Not really," Lily says with a small laugh, and winces as that was something of a mistake. "But I feel a little drunker, and that helps." She also tried to painkillers for once, but well... She doesn't mention that fo the moment. Instead..
"Fei," Lily greets, and lifts her good hand to slow him down. "I ran into trouble. I'm injured, but it's fine." The fact that she only has use of one eye doesn't look especially fine, but she says it anyway.
Kahm enters on Lily's blind spot, where she's generally counting on Riesenlied... But beelines right for her. She looks up at him, gold eye focusing and studying. "Rider," she returns his greeting, glances to the group all around her and then adds to him, "Yes, you could say that. Nothing I won't heal from. What brings you here?"
She shifts back and stands at that, looking to the bartender as she picks up her glass--and a passing server as she comments, "We'll have a table. Myself and my companions." Because like hell she's crowding the bar.
She stands and moves over to one that places her blind spot against the wall, or close enough to it. ..Then she sits down and finishes her drink.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied does kind of eye the man in the dark vest and slacks as he approaches -- some measure of her recognises him from the last time they spoke at the Sacred Grounds... about Id. How she recognised the reaction he had in his eyes. He had history.
Boy, if either of them knew they were standing next to him! Chapapanga is a troll, sometimes.
"Mister Fei..." she speaks gently, before nodding towards the unknown man. 'Unknown', at least.
She watches Lily move, with the usual kind of reservation that she has around someone she might not trust so much... or is that really just her usual behaviour?
"Someone attacked her..." she starts, but she decides that Lily'd be best commenting on it if she was comfortable. A pause.
"My name is Nazgul, it's nice to meet you..." her voice is soft and delicate. ... well, that's not really that different from Riesenlied's.
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
And then, there's Gwen. Striding in, a handkerchief worn over the lower half of her face, the young woman is caked with dust, having been caught up in the same windstorm as Kahm was, if in a different part of it. if she weren't wearing the same manner of clothing she usually wears when she walks in, she'd be nearly unrecognizable. Pulling down her handkerchief to reveal a smile and a familiar patch of freckles, the courier takes off her brimmed hat and runs her fingers through her hair with a satisfied sigh. "Oof. That was a rough one."
Her eyes naturally travel to the grouping of familiar faces, all surrounding a woman she's seen once or twice before, but not gotten a chance to really introduce herself to. Then again, before that, this woman wasn't wearing a cast. "Oh, man. Someone attacked ya? Who? That ain't the work of the usual hooligan." Her head raises at the familiar tone of Riesenlied's voice, the redhead's manner softening in turn. "Good to see you're well, too. Even if it's with some rough news." And then there's Marcus and Fei, the former she was glad to see alright, and the latter, well, glad to see still moving about. "Didja get a good look at your attacker? I'm certain there's a few of us that could set a person straight on the matter of attackin' people."
There is a reason for this cheery act, and those who know to look will see a searching, almost nervous twitch in the corners of her mouth as she smiles. "M'name's Gwen Whitlock, by the way. Super courier."
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
"Who did this to you?" Fei asks. His right hand clenches tightly. He is oblivious to Kahm Yugh at first because, well, he's approaching from behind. "Or..." He pauses. "...Was it just an accident?" Sometimes people just fall over, but his instinct is some awful person that needs to get wrecked. He says this at first because Lily said 'it was fine' but then he remembers this is Lily and she would say 'This is fine' in like 95 percent of cases so he adds, "Who was it? I can keep a look out." Of course if it beat Lily this badly maybe he should be more keeping a look uot for ways to not run into whomever did this!
But then there's 'Rider'. Fei jerks back and looks towards him. He hesitates upon seeing him but doesn't seem to have any recognition. He says, "Hey." to him. "You made a new friend, Lily?" He looks over to her briefly and seems to calm down just a little bit upon realizing it's not all suffering here.
"Uh--Nazgul." He says. "Hey Nazgul." He can't believe he's calling someone Nazgul. "Sorry, I just--you know how it is." He turns towards Gwen and her words bring some relief.
He nods to her in full agreement for several seconds until she gets to Super courier.
"Wait what? You're a super courier now?"
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
Kahm furrows his brow twice-once when the horned woman states Lily was accosted, and again when Fei locks eyes with him for a moment. There's a brief tension, but apparently the young man doesn't recognize the face of 'Marcus Rider' from when he tried to apprehend him all those months ago-that, or he'd become a measure more cunning since the last time the pair had met.
"Were you attacked on the road?" He asked. "I had some trouble myself on the way here, but a degree of danger is to be expected with the madness back east."
The subject of his presence here brings a natural answer, "Work, of course. They've transferred me to the local branch of Smith & Luio out here for a while. Must figure there's bound to be profit in having having men like myself follow the trail of drifters beating it through the desert."
Then there's a look again at Nazgul, who introduce himself. "Marcus Rider, of the aforementioned employment." He returned politely, cool blue eyes returning little to suggest he thought she was anyone else.
Finally, Gwen arrives, whom Marcus hadn't actually seen in a spell. "Seems it's a night for coincidences. Good to see you've pressed through ordeals in one piece, Miss Whitlock."
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Lily quiets, her breath pausing briefly, when Riesenlied--Nazgul--reveals that she was attacked. Had she had the chance, Lily would've preferred to leave it at that, but... Probably no one would've let her anyway.
Fei's clever approach gets a look from Lily beore she adds with a sigh, "I don't know. I told the police that I didn't see him, when they came to the hospital." Why isn't Lily still in the hospital? Those who know her can probably imagine why.
"Strange man, blue eyes, illusion powers." Even then she's obviously being tight-lipped without explaining everything. Which she knows, which she doesn't, that'll be hard to get out.
Kahm asks a valid question, and Lily shakes her head, missing that brief tension on account of only having half her usual field of vision and not at all being used to it. "Past the front I had little trouble on the road. Few bother to mess with a woman piloting a Gear. This..." She gestures to herself with her good arm, "Happened here in the city, downtown. My assailant had powers to ensure no one noticed, I think."
Work... Of course it's work. Lily nods. "There probably is profit in it." Then there's Gwen, and the Kislevi woman--whose accent is obvious now that Gwen can hear her up close--looks at her for a few moments, particularly at her arm and then her face. "I was just explaining that I don't know who. I don't recommend you go after him; I'm worse off than I look, being honest, and I'm very confident in my abilities." A beat, "Super courier... That's potentially useful. How far do you range?"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Nazgul shies her head just a moment, and her eyes move to a nearly closed position as she ruminates on the matter further. She hadn't heard of anyone like that recently, and it was concerning if there were more people who were willing to assail people... was it because of Lily's bounty, or something else?
"It's nice to meet you again, Miss Gwen..." she expresses, then nods her head to Marcus. "And you, Mister Marcus."
It's an odd name for certain, one that evokes the east for most people. But it's a special name to her, more than just a disguise.
"There is more than enough trouble with the warfront flaring up... it is no comforting news, that November City has its share of assailants..."
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei isn't inclined to start a bar fight. Then again, there is a dig specifically for it so maybe he should. He does glance over periodically but no--he doesn't recognize him. It HAS been a long time ago. Fei figures, for the moment, that the guy saw his bounty poster, though, from that moment of tension and decides to be cautious around him. He seems to be friends with Lily and he shouldn't blurt out anything careless.
Fei really isn't surprised that Lily isn't in the hospital. He's known her long enough to figure that out. Strange man, blue eyes, and illusion powers so maybe he isn't even a strange man with blue eyes. Illusion powers are tricky that way. "Illusions..." He murmurs. "Well, that sounds like someone who I wouldn't be able to track down."
FEI PSYCHO 80
It rankles at him, being unable to solve the problem. But he'll know if he tries to go after HIM, he thinks, and if THAT happens...illusion or no illusion, he'll make them pay.
Fei goes quiet as he mulls over that bit of thought. What's wrong with him to think like that? He grimaces.
Fei sits himself down finally, half-closing his eyes. He's trying to meditate with no meditation training. It is not very effective.
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
When did Gwen become a 'super courier'? "Always was," Gwen says with a playful wink to Fei. "I just don't always introduce myself that way." And the way she and Fei met the first time wasn't the best way for introductions. "But it gets the job done, right? You notice it more than if I say I'm a courier, hehe."
Turning to Kahm, Gwen gives him a friendly nod. "That makes sense! How's this area treatin' ya? I can't remember if ya said you've been here before or not."
The courier's sunny demanor changes as Lily makes her description. 'Strange man, blue eyes, illusion powers.' Lily doesn't have to say much. It'd take quite a coincidence for there to be another man with notably blue eyes going around attacking people with illusions, and not only that, be so dangerous with it that a victim would flatly recommend against going after him.
There's an odd, distant look on Gwen's face as Lily continues, even moving onto another subject. When LIly asks her question, it takes Gwen a moment to snap out of her sudden trance.
Range.
"I go..." She motions limply with one hand. "Lotsa places. Like, wherever I can get to. By horse. Hence the weird title." She looks around from face to face, then looks back at Lily. "How'd you, uh, get away? Just, uh, askin'."
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
"Illusions, you say." Kahm mused on Lily's description with an expression that suggested the man never quite clocked out. "That's an unusual talent. I'll put in some inquiries with the branch office tomorrow; it may be that there are other reports of a man like that in the area." The other get of her testimony-that the woman had acquired a gear-does not go unnoticed, but is without comment from the private gun. Many drifters had gotten their hands on some higher ordinance thanks to Prime Minister's blunders.
Gwen had his eye while the others commiserated, keenly aware of how the woman drifted away as talk of the assailant continued, only to be rocked back to reality by Lily's query, like a ship suddenly hailed by a lighthouse.
She knows something. He realized.
"November city is not one I've visited before, but it's not different from many other haunts of its like." Kahm said, shrugging his shoulders, "Once I've the lay of the land, I imagine i'll take it as well as any other hub."
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"Yes," Lly answers Kahm about illusions. "...If you find something by all means pass it on; I'm staying here for the moment, in this hotel."
She moves right into, "You know a lot of people, Nazgul." Lily speaks briefly to the other woman, perhaps trying to set her at ease with a simpler topic. ...It's a little doomed, unfortunately. Understandably, people fixate on such an assailment, on Lily's injuries...
Those who are students of the body will notice that Lily is bending as little as possible, and that even sitting down made her lips twitch.
"It's a city," Lily comments. "Even Nortune with the Academy has its share of troubles." That being where she's from, of course. However...
Fei's murmur gets a glance from Lily as she studies his face briefly. "I've been looking for a man by that description for some time," Lily admits. "I just wasn't expecting him to find me first."
Gwen though--Gwen... Obviously has difficulty there. A subdued woman like Lily can easily see the shift from sunny to not. That distance... Lily inds herself curious about that. But he asked a question, and here it is.
"Mm," Lily says. "Well, I'm not sure I need a courier right now regardless. It would be too dangerous even if I did." The question? The Kislevi woman's single golden eye fouses on Gwen, just long enough that she lets out a low laugh, brief and largely humorless.
"I didn't get away," the ex-soldier explains. "When he was done carving me up he left. I managed to drag myself part of the way out of the alley, and people walking by found me."
"It's good to be in a proper city again," Lily admits to Kahm. "It makes for a good base of operations."
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei looks over to Lily. "Really? I had no idea. Is that what you and Leon've been up to? I guess we've all been busy."
WHAT FEI HAS BEEN UP TO
* Performing Sick Dune Jumps
* Playing soccer with robots
* Being sweet on Elly
* ZOMBIES
* Did we mention sick dune jumps?
"Lots of important things to do." He says as Lily gives more of a description as to what he did. His fists tighten again but this time they don't go away. This really isn't too unexpected. Fei doesn't like seeing his friends hurt. Someone going around torturing people, some of whom are his friends, is going to piss him off! He tries to be chill about it, but he can't just be chill. This is his friends that are suffering. And a quick glance to Gwen confirms that maybe Lily isn't even the only one. A lot of people ran into this douchebag!
"Well I do know someone who might need a courier." He looks towards Gwen. "Doc usually has to send out for stuff, get orders. I'll pass your name on next time I see him. Which uh, has been a while, but I'm sure it's something important. I mean--it's Doc after all."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"Ah, not that much... I just happened to have ran into Miss Gwen and Mister Fei in my few adventures," Nazgul sounds rather bashful as Lily comments on her familiarity in people. There's a quiet 'mmm' as she thinks on what Lily's said. She's been looking for her...?
"I might be able to make use of your services sometime soon, Miss Gwen," she expresses to Gwen on the side.
"We'll make sure you heal up well in the meantime..." she tries to be reassuring to Lily.
<Pose Tracker> Gwen Whitlock has posed.
Grey-blue eyes dart to Kahm's face as he speaks. "There were reports like that in Lacour, too. It's probably the same guy," Gwen says, quietly. It's truthful enough; Gwen can't truthfully say they are the same person, but wouldn't it be nice to just think there's just one of these guys out there, as opposed to more than one? "I guess he followed alla us over here somehow. But." She takes in a breath through her nose, exhaling slowly through her mouth.
And she smiles. Wide. "The Badlands ain't like Lacour! Gonna be rough fer anyone tryin' to make their way around by attackin' people, that's fer sure. So don't worry about him, Fei. The desert'll do the job for us."
Because she'd rather not see Fei land in the same condition as Lily.
At Lily's information, Gwen leans against a stool, crossing her arms. "I gotcha. I 'spose that's all there is to it, eh?" It's a small ray of hope, if nothing else works out.
Fei mentions a potential client. Gwen chuckles. "Oh, Dr. Uzuki? Yeah, I've been gettin' orders for him from time t'time for a while. He's a great client! As fer my business, none o' you don't worry about danger. It's just a part of it all. I appreciate the business, all the same."
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
"Indeed, Miss Nazgul here offers some sage advice." Kahm said, somewhat impressed with Lily's ability to casually switch the conversation from how she was left for dead to...well, something as mundane as we kind of city November was. "With any influx of people into city come a few bad eggs looking to take advantage of the hard. Wolves among the sheep, as it were."
Or the 'lambs', one might say."
So Lily was staying at this place. That likely meant the other one, Leon, was as well. Kahm ruminated on this as he swept his hat back on his head. "Well, i'd best check in at my own residence before it gets too late. The rest of you have as good an evening as you may." He said, tipping his head to Gwen. Lacour...he'd look into it.
But it was a task for tomorrow.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
Fei's question gets a slight shake of Lily's head as its answer. "No. It's been one of my personal projects. I treated the injuries of someone he targetted in the wastes." She neglects to mention that it's a person she cared about. She neglects entirely to mention that.
Whatever Fei is up to do is likely worthwhile. She listens. "Important things... Yes." It's true for her too. She watches his anger, watches him continue to be angry, continuing not to even slightly chill. "...Fei," she says quietly.
That bashful response from Nazgul gets a brief, faint smile. "You're good at it," she says more gently to her. The talk of reassurance though... Lily quiets, glancing down at the table. "Mm." The discomfort she has at that idea is palpable, though that isn't all of it.
"You're optimistic," she says instead to Gwen. "I think the same. I doubt the desert will handle him, though."
The 'Doc' concerns her little. The advice instead... Well. "Mm," Lily says. She doesn't answer Kahm's first statement. She instead looks him over again as he mentions leaving.
"...Take care. Let me know if you find anything." Lily leaves it at that. "How about we get some drinks," she murmurs. "I could go for a good beer." Which means... Kislevi beer.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"That man, Mister Rider..." Riesenlied comments very gently as she watches him leave, shifting just a little bit. She closes her eyes for a moment, a hand on the Tear at her chest as it shimmers ever so softly.
A pause, and she lets it go. There'd be a moment to talk to Lily later. "Ah, thank you--" she blushes in turn as Lily says that she's good at convalescence, and expresses, "I shouldn't dri--"
The bouncer, Durlan, gives her a look.
"... I got made fun of for ordering milk once already ..." she whines, horns wilting to her sides.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
"You sure--" Is all Fei manages to get out before Gwen reveals that she's already working for Citan. "Huh. How about that!" He laughs, managing that at least. "Guess Filgaia is a small world after all." It is a small world after all, a small world after all, a small world after all.
But he watches after Marcus as he leaves and he says, "I have this feeling like I ran into him before." But then admits with a shrug. "But to be honest, I say that about half the people I meet, so it's probably nothing."
He gives a small nod to Lily. He catches the look, and hears the word. He manages to chill out a little bit after that, shoulders slouching down.
"Sorry," He adds.
<Pose Tracker> Lily Keil has posed.
"Yes, Nazgul?" Lily listens to Riesenlied and gives her a chance to continue if she wishes... But doesn't prod things too much, either. Instead, she watches that blush, listens to her start to talk--
"Heh." Lily shakes her head. "...At this rate he's going to think you're my little sister or something," Lily points out to her elder by many, many years. "But really, milk?" She... might be teasing.
The tall woman turns to look at Fei for a longer few moments. "...It might be," Lily says. "I don't know him particularly well. It's not as if we're friends."
She pauses, and then adds, "There's no need to apologize, Fei. It's natural to be bothered. I just..." A shake o her head, "I don't want to make a big deal out of this. It's bad enough already."
Lily calls over a server with a gesture, mentioning to Riesenlied, "Order a snack and some water, or a virgin drink. I'll cover you." Both for money, and for being made fun of.
"I'm going to drink a bit until I can dull my nerves some more." The young woman comes up and Lily says, "One of the Kislevi beers you have. Surprise me. Whatever they want." Pause. "Make mine two." That goes for Gwen too, of course.