2018-02-07: Violence is Filgaia's Language
- Log: Violence is Filgaia's Language
- Cast: Loren Voss, Fei Fong Wong, Kaguya
- Where: Great Krosian Plains
- Date: February 7th 2018
- Summary: Over the borders thanks to falsified papers, Loren drops into an unnamed town to assess the situation. In the process, he crosses path with a pair of singular individuals. Things take a slight turn.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
The best way, perhaps, to describe the mood in Krosse -- as an aggregate, at least of the parts of the nation Loren has crossed into -- is 'wary'. Perhaps even paranoid -- already, despite the helpful papers provided by command that state up and down that he's a native of the realm, he's gotten more than his share of suspicious looks.
'You're not from here' they might as well out and say. He's not a part of this community, they don't know him.
Perhaps he's even in cahoots with the ones who want to destabilize the country.
There are some social nuances that Loren is more or less oblivious to, or at least less familiar with. Active shunning and whispers are not among them.
He's fairly certain this isn't normal behavior for the country, but beyond that...
Getting intelligence or anything out of the locals is going to be difficult and potentially hazardous to his health, he considers, exiting what passes for the local trading post (which he's pretty sure just charged him double for basic traveling supplies (but which he's also not positive on)) and for the moment slipping off his glasses to give them a clean while considering next steps.
Things are already bad and he's certain they're going to get worse. ...Hopefully command appreciates this fact.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Sometimes it's hard to trust a simple country doctor but Fei Fong Wong is also curious about what's going on in Krosse so he decides to make a quick visit to see if the rumors are true first and foremost. Granted, it required a fake ID, but he knows pirates so--there's that.
Of course getting information out of the locals has been pretty difficult since even if he's pretending to be a local, he definitely looks like a farmboy who came from nowhere.
He walks with his hands in his pockets, wondering if this had all been a waste of time before he sees Dr. Thomas Blackwell. It's easy to remember what he looks like because Fei had to fight a horde of Wels with him before and that tends to sharpen ones memories. He also remembers what Lily told him but--no, not yet, he thinks, he shouldn't be careless.
Right? Even though he said that? Right. Right. Besides, maybe he can learn something about what's going on first.
He approaches Thomas Blackwell gradually but when he gets close enough to speak without shouting, he says, "Dr. Thomas Blackwell? That's you, isn't it? Did they let you in because you're a Doctor?"
He supposes they could make exceptions for that.
<Pose Tracker> Kaguya has posed.
So, the thing is, Kaguya in fact is affiliated with people who want to destabilize Krosse. Not Krosse in particular maybe, but the Veruni only benefit if human nations fall into disarray. ...And yet, while strange, she also looks very ill. This does not endear people to her, however. Instead, it makes them wonder if she's contagious. Kaguya's gotten the cold shoulder since she got into Krosse. There are social nuances that Kaguya isn't familiar with among humans, too.
...But mostly she doesn't give a shit. She doesn't know these people, and Krosse doesn't seem to have done Matilda much good. She's really only looking into it because she knows someone who's from here. ...And something something being a spy blah blah blah whatever.
Right now she's leaning on a cane as she walks forward, looking around, mulling stuff over. She's leading a horse through town as she looks for a place to park it, so to speak, a black horse with some saddlebags and gear. ...Her clothes are loose, masculine, a poncho over something with baggy pants and boots... along with gloves made of a strange green metal as she walks. She has an ARM. She has pointed ears, and sharp teeth, and short blonde hair. ...She's very short.
And she looks up at Loren as he slips off his glasses, tilting her head at the guy. Hmmm.
Fei approaches and Kaguya thinks about him for a few moments. Another few moments... "Oh hey," she says, "Mei! Dude! What's up?"
Close enough.
She gets a little closer, "And uh... sour... doctor guy? You foreign, too? Think they're gonna burn us at the stake yet?" The very obviously sick girl is grinning.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
He'll need to regroup with Kahm and whoever else command decides to spare for fieldwork for this mission, ultimately, though when and where that will happen is an uncertain thing.
Spywork, he thinks. It wasn't in his curriculum at Jugend, more allegedly-applicable things like ether control, human anatomy, pharmacodynamics, and combat basics were. Still, there's something to be said for learning on your feet.
And medical work has certain transferable skills that at least somewhat ease infiltration, particularly for a novice.
Most of the time. Perhaps that's not so much true, now.
He's approximately midway through the glasses cleaning thing when approximately two awful things happen in fairly rapid succession.
The first is when SLIDE-1's pilot approaches him right out of nowhere, whereupon he draws a breath and inwardly curses himself for dropping his guard like that and rounds towards the man, shoving his glasses back onto his face. He manages to not get himself in the eye while doing this. "Medical student. Formal medical student," he corrects. "I'm not a doctor." He just about bristles as Fei just goes ahead and says that. "Be quiet." Stress has found its way into his frame.
The second is the young blonde girl who just comes on up and asks if they're both foreigners.
The lack of expression in Loren's face as he turns towards her is downright brittle. "Stop. Talking."
They are, after all, right outside the trading post, a likely popular (?) stop in town, with locals likely well within earshot.
Because the thing he really wants, right now, in the wake of the Wayside failure, is to have another disaster. Oh, sure, he'd walk out of this alive, but there's the chance he'd prefer otherwise if command were really disappointed with him.
And then he really looks at Kaguya. "--How are you even walking? I don't know what's wrong with you, but whatever clinic you wandered out of, you should go back. Unless you're particularly interested in fainting in the middle of the street."
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei is surprised that Kaguya's still alive, frankly, but she does have a shotgun and that requires a lot of strength doesn't it? Maybe the disease didn't progress that far yet. Fei grins over to Kaguya as she approaches and says, "oh hey, nice thinking... Maguya." He taps the side of his nose twice conspiratorially. Smooth Spies, Totally Incognito.
But then Fei looks back to Thomas Blackwell and says, "Guess you aren't supposed to be here either?" Fei says, smiling MORE widely as he says this. Fei are you going to--
--are you going to---
He is considering it. "Maybe we could all find some nice out of the way alley to have a chat." Fei suggests. Somehow sour doctor guy being sour hasn't dampened his mood any. Again, ACE INCOGNITO SPY GUY. He's downright near Bart levels of cheer here.
<Pose Tracker> Kaguya has posed.
...Kaguya's actual training for spycraft is something best left unspoken. She's a scientist, after all, by inclination and training. ...But there are things that help.
The awful things happen quickly, and Kaguya watches 'Thomas's' stress as she glances to Fei. "Maguya..." She considers, watches his gesture, and then blinks once before nodding. "Yes. Yes, my name is Maguya. That's right."
Did she get his name wrong? Whatever, he thinks she meant so she's suffering ~literally no consequences for her actions~, which is just the way the small Veruni likes it.
A beat as he says to stop talking and Kaguya laughs. "Sure sure, right." She looks right at one of those locals, and smiles at them. It's... a little manic-looking to behonest. But that fades as Loren looks her over properly and he asks his question. So before she answers Fei..
"Drugs," Kaguya explains. "Really, really good drugs, mostly." A beat, as her smile fades completely, "I'm dying, doc. I'll be just as dead if I lay in bed and wait for it so I'll take my chances. Besides, I haven't fainted in..." She thinks about it, "Days." Huh. Not bad.
A beat, "Sure let's go into a dangerous dark alley with a dude I don't know, that sounds great." She... She doesn't even sound sarcastic.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
Somehow, Loren's rather neutral expression -- other than the impression of stress building somewhere behind the veneer -- remains constant as Fei smiles at him like that.
His actual thoughts run something akin to: 'great, not only is he in possession of a monstrously powerful Gear that he absolutely shouldn't have, but he's an idiot'.
And with him his apparent good friend, the idiot mutant -- don't think he hasn't noticed the ears -- sick Lamb who has slipped her minder and run off.
...Why do these things keep happening to him?
Briefly 'Thomas' closes his eyes, as if invoking a higher power for the strength to carry on.
Strike that, make it dying idiot mutant Lamb. "You're dying," he says, his tone and expression flat as he looks her over. "...Well then, by all means." He spreads his arms, briefly gesturing towards the skies above. "Spend your last precious days collapsing in the street. If that's what makes you happy."
He, on the other hand, is decidedly sarcastic.
Whereupon he looks at Fei as the pilot makes his over, considers his options, and offers in response: "Fine. The alleyway it is. Why don't you lead on?" Fei, he'll let go first, hanging back to better judge the situation... and any eavesdropping townsfolk.
Briefly he wonders what his chances would be of taking Fei into custody, then weighs it against the unknown plans of individuals higher up the food chain, and discards the idea altogether.
Not without direct explicit orders he's not.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei says, "Cool, cool," to Loren. He has to consider whether or not he wants Kaguya to get involved here but to be honest, while she seems like a sweet girl but she's seen enough Kaguya in action to know that anything he's able to do isn't likely to offend her sensibilities. He's not really sure WHAT he's going to do just yet, which is actually kind of exciting. He feels unusually free in the options put before him. And he's angry, but it's not showing on his face. He's cheery af. Hell, Kaguya doesn't even sound sarcastic.
"Well not all alleys are...dark obviously but--" Fei begins when suddenly--
--huh. Somehow that alley is pretty dark. Huh. It's not even night really so it just must all be...shadow, he guesses? Sun placement?
Anyway, he slides on in, turns around, and looks at Loren. He's unarmed so maybe this is an opportunity to take Fei in though judging by Fei's lack of fear--indeed, if anything, he's joyful--he probably isn't expecting Thomas Blackwell to do anything.
"Cool, cool." He says, looking Thomas over. "Since we can talk freely over here." He gives Kaguya a small nod before turning back to Loren. "I wanna know something." He crosses his arms. "You told Elly that she should have died. Why did you do that? What kind of messed up person does that? She's your comrade."
Fei looks agitated despite his earlier smiles, looks like that was a front.
<Pose Tracker> Kaguya has posed.
"Yep," Kaguya answers, "I sure am." A beat, "Think I will!" She narrows her eyes at the sarcasm though. 'Mutant' is a good assumption of her, for a few reasons, even if it's not quite on the mark. ...Her horse snorts. "Yeah, what he said," she agrees with the horse. She's frowning though. THen she shakes her head. "Sure, sure, alley." A beat, as she looks to Fei, "It's sorta the principle of the thing, right?"
She walks along, leading her horse. She waits for Loren to walk ahead of her so as not to... stomp on him, anyway. She glances a bit more cannily than she lets on at the townsfolk, though. Judging their positions... Their expressions... AAll in a thoughtful moment.
But once she's there--
Fei gets pretty real, and Kaguya looks between the two. The agitation is clear in him. "...Man I dunno who you're talking about but that's pretty sick." She beats, "I think maybe I misjudged you, sour doctor guy."
Kaguya sounds impressed, somehow.
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
"Aren't we cheerful," he mutters, at Kaguya's quick response. Well, never let it be said he doesn't appreciate a good morbid take on life -- it's practically a coping mechanism for him at this point. So he shakes his head, but here makes no further comment. If she wants to wear what little's left to her treking about out here...
Well, it does bother him as a medical professional, but it's still her funeral.
There are a few people in earshot, he calculates, gauging the reactions of the villagers as surreptitiously as he can. What they might have heard, he can't say. ...Making tracks out of town may be a good idea, as soon as he can get out of here.
This far south has greener pastures than most of the west end of Ignas, but if there's one constant on the surface world, it's this one:
Dramatically appropriate shadows.
Fei rounds towards him. If Loren was expecting anything at all unusual, he doesn't look like it.
He might be perpetually pessimistic, and he might be expecting to die down here. He might be paranoid. But what he doesn't expect is anyone of surface birth to be able to touch him. Social class has its due, one way or another: even though he's here walking into a darkened alleyway, he looks unperturbed.
Just cooly suspicious, as usual.
That melts away as Fei asks him a few questions about...
Loren blinks. "...What?"
This is followed by the sickening realization that Elly had let the target know who he really was. ...Right? He's reading that right, isn't he?
It's no longer a thing in doubt, but here it is again, anyway: she's really trying to get him killed.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he says, shaking his head.
Sidelong, he glances at Kaguya, arching a blond eyebrow at her apparent approval. "...And this is none of your business." Trying to reorient himself in the way of getting blindsided by Fei, he tosses her way: "Are you that hard up on entertainment out this way? Go home."
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei says, "I guess?" to Kaguya. "Sorry, I guess I'm being kind of--"
Loren stares at him like he...doesn't know what he's talking about? Surprised? Fei blinks a few times in confusion. Did he get the wrong guy? No, he's certain Lily said it was that guy. But surely he'd KNOW she might have told him right? Why's he still acting dumb? Fei is briefly perplexed himself. Maybe he shouldn't be doing this. Elly can fight her own battles can't she?
No!! She can't! Neither of you can fight your own battles!!
Fei reaches up and holds his head for a few moments. "Ngh...." He grunts. This isn't Kaguya's business, that's true but Fei really wants to slug this guy and he shouldn't, he--shouldn't. Right? That's not the kind of person he wants to be?
But he kind of wants to. "It's probably better..." He manages. "That she stay here." He exhales, grabbing his own wrist with one of his hands as if he was like literally forcing his own body to not act on its own.
"Fine," Fei manages. "Play dumb. I know what you did to Lily. I tried turning myself in, cooperating before, I don't even want the damn gear." He flexes out his fingers, then curls them inward, flex, curl. "But she didn't deserve that. I'm not gonna hurt you or anything for what you did to her. She wouldn't want me to, I mean, I don't think. And she said you apologized so..."
<Characters> Riesenlied says, "... that's a pretty cute flag combo, does it help with Storms?"
<Pose Tracker> Kaguya has posed.
"Oh yeah," Kaguya says. "Like I said, drugs." Is she... serious? It's actually hard to tell, since her voice goes a little dry there. A glance to Fei as he looks at her and talks, but she doesn't follow up with that; Fei's stare would be awkward to act lightly around. Here they are in the shadows, though. Loren... Doesn't know. ANd it's--well, it's none of her business.
"You kidding?" Kaguya says. "I'm m making the most of the precious days I have left," Kaguya says, with a sweet smile, "And that means paying attention to all the dirty gossip I can find 'cause this shit is gold." She tilts her head for a moment after that, looking at Fei. "...Huh. This is pretty serious," she remarks. She considers. "If you don't want your Gear I'm kinda in the market for one," she suggests.
And then a look between the two, "Well uh, I don't know what you're talking about, but I kinda don't want to move right now. When I leave the alley I'm gonna have to deal with townsfolk giving me shit because I'm so loud. But I'm not without sensitivity, you know?"
Beat, "...Mei, you sure this is your guy?"
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
To be honest, Loren isn't ignorant of the power of pharmacology. He... seems more than willing to take her statement on 'drugs' at face value.
Well he is (was?) a medical student.
Kaguya announces her intent to (openly) eavesdrop as much as she can, while there's still breath in her body. 'Thomas' lifts a hand to his head, as if afflicted by a terrible headache. "Wonderful. I don't suppose I could convince you to go spy on people at the tavern or something more useful?" Just what he needs, a fly on the wall.
That's... strange, Loren considers silently, watching Fei as he almost seems to literally hold himself back. What did the reports say about the pilot?
When he thinks back, all he can recall is notes on the Gear.
Minutely, he shakes his head.
"I really don't know what you're talking about. Are you sure you haven't had a head injury?"
The one point in Loren's favor is that he is rather good -- most of the time, part of the time? -- at keeping a straight face. But as his ranking officers may attest...
He's not good at lying.
To real people, that is.
"Who are you talking about? This Elly, or Lily?"
Someone from the surface isn't a person. After that assessment, the rest of the calculus -- and any guilt -- are easy to manage.
He glances at Kaguya, apparently more than willing to follow her lead. "She thinks so, too. You're probably confusing me with someone else."
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei Fong Wong looks towards Kaguya. "Glad to hear that." He does seriously consider her request for the gear, surprisingly enough, but then he adds, "I know you wouldn't mind but it'd put you in more danger than i'm really comfortable with." He knows Kaguya would probably be like 'ha ha ha come get me bro' but Fei knows he would be biting his teeth or, worse, Grahf would drop ANOTHER Weltall on him. He's seen what Solaris does to prisoners. He got the NICE treamtent compared to Lily, he remembers.
Kaguya asks him if he's sure. He looks towards Loren as if to check that. All Loren has to do is deceive Fei. It's true that he's not that smart. He didn't even go to Lamb college let aone Solaris college.
He studies Loren. His expression doesn't look to be wavering or anything, but--
--he's a little too brave right now isn't he?
Elly wouldn't want him to do anything. She probably wouldn't have even wanted him to go this far but... but saying words is one thing.
"Elly wouldn't want me to do anything," Fei says, as if answering Loren, at which point he throws a punch right for Loren's gut. It's like a spring he was pulling tightly back suddenly released his hand.
"But Lily would probably be okay with that."
He remembers Lily before her capture and what she's been like afterwards. How long it took her to recover--and she still hasn't entirely recovered has she Fei? No, not by your estimation anyway.
GS: Fei Fong Wong has attacked Loren Voss with Avenging Lily and Elly With Kung Fu! GS: Fei Fong Wong has completed his action. GS: Loren Voss guards a hit from Fei Fong Wong's Avenging Lily and Elly With Kung Fu for 58 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Kaguya has posed.
Loren takes her at her word, and Kaguya figures it's because he's a doctor. That's fine. He'd know. But in the meantime, Thomas seems to have a headache and Kaguya laughs. "Yeah I'm gonna go do that too," she admits. "If you pay me I'll even pass on what I learn." Casually, she shows a mercenary side of herself with a light shrug. But the Gear... Kaguya indeed considers it for a moment. "Aww. Well that's cool, I've got enough trouble going for me already. Good luck with it."
Loren though... Well, "Thomas.' Kaguya keeps listening. Elly... Lily... two names that aren't familiar to her. Filgaians, "Sure like 'e' names..." Kaguya looks to Loren and back to Fei. It seems plausible to her. However--
Fei abrubtly does something really badass and really sudden and she also looks impressed. "...Man, go you. Stick up for them, whoever they are."
She waits a beat, and says, "So anyway Sour, offer's still open. Once you're done being punched."
<Pose Tracker> Loren Voss has posed.
"Maybe if you learn anything worthwhile, for a change," he grouses at Kaguya. Perhaps being sour is just his ground state. It's a mixed blessing, maybe: it's not like he can get much better -- or worse.
It's safe to say that Loren didn't come into this alleyway expecting to get hit.
And yet.
Still: one of the requirements for field medics is hand-to-hand, 'just in case'. This includes such things as the pure essentials of self-defense, along with a few tricks.
And reading someone's body language.
Fei's stance is...
A warning signals its way up the length of his spine. It's an ancient pathway, one laid down by an unknown length of time: those that live and those that die, winnowing a line through the generations.
This sort of fear (anticipation?) -- different from the anxiety that is a constant companion to him -- has a purity to it.
The action, when it comes, comes too fast to dodge. Instead he rolls into the strike -- punctuated with a pained huff and a grimace -- before shifting his weight off to the side as the fist connects and angles away.
Maybe his instructor might have even given him a grudging 'good job' for that one, he thinks.
One hand reaches for Fei's shirt sleeve. Almost intuitive now, he readjusts his footing and--
And, out of the corner of his eye, it's there. As unobtrusive as anything, planted on the wall innocently: the eye.
His hand drops away. Loren takes a few steps away from Fei and takes a deep breath. For a moment, it's as if he's not sure what to focus on: Fei or the wall of the building. He's seeing things. It must have been a trick of the light.
But as much as it broke his focus, it's also granted him clarity. His gaze shifts, fleeting, towards the streets beyond the alley.
"...I recommend you don't do that again," he says, forcing his focus forward. "And I recommend you don't do something like that now, unless you want to draw the attention of the entire town and explode whatever powderkeg's been set here." He jerks his head in a vigorous shake. "I don't. They're already suspicious. Can't you -- either of you -- see that?" He takes yet another breath, closing his eyes.
Particularly when Kaguya calls him... "Sour. Fine, whatever. I'd actually recommend leaving as soon as you can." The corner of his mouth twitches as if in a grim near-smile. "You said 'burned at the stake', and I don't think that's far off."
He's good at reading darker moods in a room, if nothing else.
Tension briefly bleeds from him and his shoulders sag. "But it's your funeral. Stay if you want to."
He's not hanging around.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei's long period of agitation was probably plenty of prelude to prepare for some kind of aggressive action, though a punch may be more than what Loren was expecting. Judging by the expression in Fei's eyes after that, he wasn't expecting Loren to roll with it as well as he did. But it's brief. He captured Lily somehow, after all. He had to live long enough to do that, even if he suckerpunched her somehow. Why did you hold back for so long even though he could take it?
Fei couldn't have seen 'the eye'. For starters, the back of his head is to it. Fei's hand moves to strike again instinctively but--
--it doesn't. Loren's right. That wasn't a good idea in the slightest.
It was just a satisfying idea.
But he doesn't like that satisfied feeling. He shouldn't have done that. Loren isn't freaking out either, or retaliating. Somehow that's the most annoying thing of all. How...does he have so much CONTROL?
He hates it. It just makes him want to hit Loren again.
Maybe getting arrested wouldn't be a bad idea, he thinks, if it got this guy arrested. It'd at least be a fair trade even if he got executed over it. He doesn't deserve to live anyway and--
--no, he thinks. Get out of that mindset.
He says, "...Fine. I didn't want to do that anyway." THEN WHY DID YOU DO IT FEI? Fei doesn't answer that obvious question or otherwise call attention to it.
"See you around," He stares at his hands for a while before looking to Kaguya. "Sorry you had to see that."
Geeze, he thinks, knowing what he knows about Kaguya...he really did mess up if she seems so proud of him for something like that, didn't he. She isn't planning on living past a few years.
Aren't you Fei?
Aren't you?
<Pose Tracker> Kaguya has posed.
"Hmmm," Kaguya says, "That's fine. Maybe I will." Kaguya doesn't mind grumpy, really; she got along okay with Ethius, and he's... Well. He's something. But the violence as it comes... She finds herself noticing how well Loren takes that punch, not just how well Fei delivers it. SHe sees the roll, she sees the way it almost turns into a fight, her teeth starting to show and her eyes growing more intent--
...It stops, suddenly. Kaguya does not see what Loren sees. She looks between the two, lifting an eyebrow. "...Eh?" A pause. Loren starts being... Reasonable. Super reasonable.
"Yeah," Kaguya says simply, "I see it." A glance to Fei, next, as he says he didn't want to do it. She pauses there, looks between the two again. "...Maybe," she admits about leaving. "I'm not sure tehre's much worthwhile here anyway. I just need a place to rest for the night." She considers. "...Later."
She watches Fei, seeing him stare at his hands. "You got nothing to be sorry about," she says to Fei. "It doesn't bother me. Don't be too hard on yourself. ...It's a violent world, you know?"
Kaguya watches Fei, and then walks with her cane back to her horse. "Violence is Filgaia's language, you know? You just gotta make sure you turn it on the ones you don't care about. Not the ones you do." She looks into space for a moment. "...Nevermind. Later, guy. Look me up at the inn around here if you're staying."
She starts off.
<Pose Tracker> Fei Fong Wong has posed.
Fei Fong Wong wishes he could just say 'Filgaia is violent, deal with it' but if Riesenlied can be, well, Riesenlied and manage--he should be able to as well but he just can't.
Still, his heart calms down eventually. "Just the people I don't care about huh?"
He didn't care about Loren...so why does he feel like that now? Primitive Filgaian Guilt?
He nods once and says, "I should probably head back out soon, but--yeah. Sure. I'll drop by."