Return of the Emblem Chapter Thirteen: Flight

[Toogee]

As soon as the wagon stopped, Jam jumped off from the driver's area to greet Elrey. She knelt down to his level to give him a big hug, despite the smell of a dog lost in the wilderness. The dancer had forgotten that they were still on the run; she had forgotten much of her troubles.

"How are you doing boy," Jam said to Elrey, checking the dog for wounds of any sort. "You ready for a wagon ride? I'm sure we have some food somewhere."

[Eail]

As they came closer and closer to the site of the incident, and he finally caught sight of the bandit leader being choked out in some burly man's arms, rage was starting to build up in Alphonse.

"My friends and I were attacked by this man and his company a few weeks ago... lost a few, we thought we recognized a few of them from afar. Looks like you've taken care of it though..." The other redhead commented from behind Valter. "Are you two bounty hunters that were after him?"

[Ether]

"Jamilla, shouldn't you give it a minute before that?" Angelica noted, as the dancer began to offer said dog some food and a wagon ride.

"Looks the same as ours... do you remember where you found him?" She asked the man in the opposing cart.

[Nanami Touko]

"Oh, screw it," Tia said, jumping off of the wagon and going to pet the mildly smelly dog with Jam. The cuteness of the fuzzy animal helped deal with it. "You said his name was Elrey, Jam?" Tia asked, giving the poochy an affectionate scratch behind its ear.

[roymbrog]

Dogs Oh My

“You should not all be leaving the wagon…” Kimiko muttered. After Tia’s invitation, Elliot had been glancing between the wagon opening and his teacher, and she sighed. “No, Elliot. We do not know who he is, or if it is still dangerous outside. If the dog comes with us you can pet him afterward.”

When the wagon stopped and Jam hopped down, Elrey was estatic, his whole body wiggling with the force he wagged his tail. He ran over to her and attempted to lick her face both before and after she started hugging him. Tia was going to get the same treatment, if she got close enough.

Well his question hadn’t been answered verbally, but the wagon had stopped and the girl jumped out to hug the dog. Kamal was going to assume it was hers for the moment. He was quite fine with leaving the mutt behind, and was about to continue on his way before someone in the wagon questioned him. “I was following my employers, but they seem to have things handled without me,” he answered back. There was a hint of bitterness in his tone if you listened for it, but he did a pretty good job of sounding disinterested.

Angelica pretty much confirmed Elrey was theirs, but Kamal shrugged in response to her question. “I found him south of Ursaea. Offered him food once; big mistake. Couldn't get him to leave me alone. You can go ahead and take him.”

At Least Three Sticks in the Mud

“Curious or not, we don’t need civilians involved,” Charles muttered. They hadn’t stopped approaching either, though they had slowed. Both redheads gave an explanation for their arrival, though he considered the second more complete. So this was some sort of vengeance party, then.

“Something like that,” he said in response to Al’s question. Actually, this could present an opportunity. “You said you’ve been attacked by this man before. Would you be willing to give testimony to that effect?” There hadn’t been many living witnesses of Lagar’s crimes.

“Aww, come on Charles, why does that matter? We’re gonna get paid either way,” Gregory called over. “…Shit.” Lagar groaned as he started to come back to consciousness, and the bowman went back to tying his ankles.

[-Cynthia-]

"So who are your employers then?" Liam questioned the man, who seemed to be a mercenary of some sort. I wonder if he was with the group that attacked the wagon or whether he was supposed to defend it...

[roymbrog]

“The bounty hunters down the hill,” Kamal answered simply. There was no one else around here, right? Seemed pretty obvious to him, but…

For the first time the Rexian took a good long look at the wagon and those in it. Between at least one Avian, a couple Rexians, a kid, and the armed group now down by his bosses, this was an odd assortment of individuals to be traveling together. He was quite sure they weren’t merchants. “Since you asked me first, it’s only fair. Why are you all here?” he asked Liam.

[-Cynthia-]

"We're traveling to Kigen," Liam answered simply. The statement was a true one, but telling random passerbys about the emblem piece seemed like a poor idea. They'd either try to take it for themselves or report it to the Wrathites for coin...

[Nanami Touko]

"Oh, and, we're running from the Wrathites," Tia added in, having gone back to jovial from playing with a dog. She didn't think it was a bad idea telling this guy about that. He seemed nice. He'd taken care of a stranger's dog despite not even knowing if he'd ever find the owners again. How could someone like that be a bad guy?

[Ether]

This girl... Angelica hadn't responded to the man yet, with Liam having made the first attempt, a nice conservative one. And then Tia happened, what in that girl's mind would possess her to say that, of all things? Needless to say, were it a plausible phenomenon, Angelica's palm would have transcended her face, and gone on with such immense velocity so as to strike Wrath himself with enough divine fury to erase him from existence entirely. Of course, when one keeps plausibility in mind, they would see that the physical place stopped her palm upon her face with a resounding smack... but if you paid enough attention, you could totally see the other thing in the background, no joke.

[Nanami Touko]

Tia heard a loud smack from behind her, turning her head to see Angelica resting her face in her palm. "What's the problem, Gelly?" she asked, only paying slight attention as she kept petting Elrey. Perhaps there had been a mosquito on her face! Those bugs were always annoying...

Edited October 26, 2014 by I have opinions

[Ether]

"Heh... hehe... don't pay any attention to her, would you? You know how kids are, always making up crazy stories and whatnot..." Angelica noted to the man in the cart, as she exited the wagon and began walking over to Tia, shooting the ex-mage a look that would convince you she was actually Steinn and using that stone-gaze thing man how great would that be. Regardless of her ability to physically stone people something that small shouldn't be allowed to look that intimidating holy shit.

"Now then, Tia... why don't you fess up to your crazy little tales, hmm?" The adept asked with a sweetness so bitter that I don't have an analogy for it, wind swirling about her with enough force that one might think a hurricane had suddenly spawned out of nowhere... or perhaps one did.

[Nanami Touko]

And now Gelly was being scary, for reasons that Tia didn't quite understand. She ended up backing away from the dog, and her, more than a little scared (though less than she thought she'd be; perhaps the Nyx encountered lessened how scary the rest of the party was.) "Wh-What story? That's what's happening!" She didn't quite understand this reaction. What was the problem in letting some nice guy know? Maybe she really just didn't understand...

Edited October 26, 2014 by I have opinions

[Ether]

"Come on now, you don't want to keep saying things like that, the nice man will get the wrong idea." Angelica replied, kneeling down next to Tia and firmly grasping her shoulder, giving it a not so light squeeze... not enough to be physically painful... yet, and looking her directly in the eye with a look that absolutely screamed 'take the hint Wrath damnit I swear if you turn this into a fight that didn't have to happen I will flay you alive if it's the last thing I do'. Also in unrelated news, weather stations around Ursium are reporting the sudden appearance of a Category 5 hurricane along the roadways near Ursaea, and are advising to drop everything and leave the area because your house ain't gonna be here very long.

Edited October 26, 2014 by Ether

[roymbrog]

Well the avian told him where they were going, but not why. “Kigen, eh? Quite an odd assortment you’ve got here, though.”

And then one of the girls let slip something the others clearly didn’t want him to know. Well, well, wasn’t that an interesting bit of info. “So you’re fugitives, ey?” he said, grinning. The smack of Angelica’s hand brought his attention to her, and he grinned even wider, especially after her excuses for Tia.

Once she was out of the wagon and staring down the small girl, though, his expression became slightly more nervous. “Yeesh, you don’t have to terrify the poor girl.” Or Kamal either, really. “There’s something to be said for honesty, here.”

[Eail]

"Testimony? Sorry friend, don't have time for that, the rest of our group is in a rush, personally I'd rather see to it that this son of a bitch doesn't live to see another sunrise... but I suppose his bounty is higher Alive rather than Dead isn't it?" Al replied, a bit annoyed that he didn't get his shot at revenge.

[Nanami Touko]

Tia zipped her lip shut as she finally got Gelly's implications, though she still didn't understand why she was getting them. At least the guy had understood what she was saying. She didn't have to repeat it again. But she might, if Gelly kept trying to keep it under wraps! There was no point. "How can we trust anyone if we can't trust a guy taking care of someone else's dog for no reason? Geez..." she mumbled to herself.

[Ether]

Angelica sighed, as it seemed her efforts had been in vain. Tia's outburst had in fact informed the man of their fugitive status, which he affirmed. Shaking her head, half to clear it, half to attempt to deny the sheer stupidity of the situation, she turned towards the man in the cart.

"And what if we are, bounty hunter...? What will honesty bring, from you and your friends, then?" She inquired, looking the man over. No point in open hostilities yet, but it seemed almost inevitable at this point, what with how the usual bounty hunter - fugitive relationship goes.

[Phoenix]

Wagon Tales

Either the guy didn't recognize her or didn't care to do anything about it, Fizza noted to herself. That was definitely for the best. She nearly grinned to herself, but then things took a turn for the inept and she began to wonder if this was a good opportunity for violence. Some seemed convinced the bounty hunters would try to turn them in now that they knew the Wrathite Order was after them. The disparity in their numbers made a direct confrontation an extremely risky prospect, so Fizza figured that no matter what happened, they would at least try to play nice until they were in a position to lure in the authorities.

Shadrak groaned at how easily their criminal status had leaked. There was little to be done about it, though, not with Angelica kicking up dust and not so subtly threatening the girl. It was obvious with or without her intervention that Tia was telling the truth. "There's something to be said about trusting bounty hunters, too, and none of it good," Shadrak countered irritably from inside the wagon. "Tia, would you just get back in here, please?"

"Just let me know if this is going to be a problem," Fizza chimed in. Shadrak didn't know what that meant; he knew she was an assassin, but not that she was willing to kill anyone at any time for the right reason. Amon knew better and quickly moved closer.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," he whispered to her. He immediately began to worry, seeing that her only reply was a smirk that was anything but reassuring.

Wrecked Wagon Tales

Give testimony? It felt like something of a consolation, and it was one Greta was immediately interested in. Lagar was either going to hang or get bolted for his crimes, and they were headed to Ursaea anyway. Since she wasn't among those in the group who needed to lay low, she could probably give her testimony while in town buying her own supplies. It wasn't perfect, but she disagreed; they had time, and just enough of it, at least if these bounty hunters were in a rush to get back to civilization.

"Now hold on a tick," Greta said, deciding to chime in before anything was decided, "if y'all're headed to Ursaea we might have time. I have some things I need to pick up there but won't be stickin' around long, so if ya want me to help with that bastard," she jutted her pistol in Lagar's direction, "I can be there in about two days."

[Toogee]

Jam was so enamored with Elrey, she hadn't realized that he might have belonged to the passerby. Fortunately, Kamal had no such attachments to the dog and told the group to keep him. That was when the conversation shifted to their comings and goings, Tia revealing their fugitive status. Though this supposed bounty hunter didn't seem malicious, it was probably best to move on.

Just as soon as Elrey finished giving her a saliva bath.

"Silly dog," Jam said as she stifled a giggle while pushing the overenthusiastic dog away. "Let's get inside. There's lots of people to meet."

The dancer waved a thank you to Kamal and escorted Elrey to the back of the wagon. She climbed in and urged their new four-legged companion to do the same.

[Nanami Touko]

Tia frowned, and felt like she'd done something wrong now, as both Angelica and Shadrak had shown their disapproval of what she'd done. Saddened, she hung her head, and climbed back into the cart. At least Jam was trying to get the dog to get back into the cart, so she could keep petting him. "Sorry," she said to the dark mage, her voice a bit quiet. This bounty hunter fellow still didn't seem that bad...

[roymbrog]

Smells Like Wet Dog

“Hey, I am not a bounty hunter. My employers are, yeah, but I’m just working as a mercenary. I don’t give two shits if you’re wanted or not,” Kamal told Angelica. If he sounded offended, it was because he was. He had chosen to work with them, but not because he wanted to.

He watched Elrey follow Jamila around the wagon. “You’ve done me a favor by taking that dog anyway,” he added. Something was tugging at the back of his mind, that he had heard something familiar, but he wasn't quite sure what. Maybe it was time to leave...

The aforementioned dog jumped up in the back of said wagon and wagged his tail. Elliot nearly bolted from his place next to Kimiko to start petting it. Once he'd began scratching its head though, he scrunched his nose up. "He's kinda smelly," the avian noted.

Stick Fight

“Well if it’s any consolation, he’s likely to meet the gallows regardless,” Charles told Alphonse. He then turned his attention to Greta and nodded. “We are headed in that direction. Their garrison is the one that requested our services, and also where you should probably go to give an account.”

Lagar was conscious enough to struggle against his bindings, which he did with no shortage of slurred curses. Gregory used his foot to roll him onto his stomach with his face in the dirt, and stepped on his back to hold him down. “Just tell ‘em the Bloodwraith sent you, ey?” he called over.

“Do not do that,” Charles said immediately. “They’ll have no idea what you’re talking about.” It wasn’t even a title he’d given himself, it was what he’d named his wrathdamn bow. “Charles Chandler sent you.”

Valter could’ve sworn that name sounded vaguely familiar, but he was quite sure he had no reason to know of bounty hunters. By now the two remaining bandits were out of range, and he sighed. He wouldn’t have caught up to them with a passenger in the first place, but it just seemed… wrong, to let them go. Pulling his attention back to the scene around them, however, gave him an idea. “What are you planning to do with the wagon and the bandits' horses?” he asked.

That earned him a suspicious glare from Charles. “And what business of that is yours?”

Well, perhaps that hadn’t come out as innocently as he’d thought. “Er, we were running low on water. I was going to ask if we could have theirs, instead of letting it go to waste should the wagon be left here,” he explained.

“Water, perhaps, but I will not allow you to take the posessions of the dead,” the other man replied tersely.

[Ether]

"Well, if you say so, then fine." Angelica replied with a sigh, as she began to walk back towards the wagon. At least it could have ended worse, even if the lead-up had been aggravating. Of course, the man sounded like he took offence to the comment.

"If you don't like being thought of as a bounty hunter, don't travel with 'em. So long as you're working with them, what else are people gonna think?"

[Phoenix]

Wagon and Cart

<"He's not a bounty hunter, apparently, so there's no need to take things that far,"> Amon whispered to Fizza, saying it in rexian this time due to how much he had to convey this time. She was still smirking back at him, though there was something else there, as well. She looked like she was thinking back on something.

<"No, he's much more dangerous than a bounty hunter,"> she replied coolly and quietly. <"If I do go after him, it won't have anything to do with this whole wrathite thing, trust me."> Amon didn't know what to make of that, and neither did Malik, who was sitting close by.

"Again with the rexian murmuring," Shadrak grumbled.

Wrecked Wagon

Greta had immediately thought about asking if they could have a look at the wagon, but then thought better of it. Even if it could be repaired, it was down a horse, and stealing from the dead wasn't something she could live down. She'd imagined the sight of the attack near Ursaea had been picked clean by now. "Oh no ..." she thought aloud. They were headed south ... they would probably come across the scene again if they took the main route to Kigen. She wasn't ready for that, not by a long shot. The very thought brought tears to her eyes and made her face go pale, all as she stared off at nothing. She'd forgotten all about Lagar for the moment.

Luca

Luca waited and waited but the prodding to move closer never came. He was needless to say, disappointed that they weren't going over to the scene to look for valuables. Perhaps Nadya was being cautious. The individuals he noticed earlier hadn't left, yet. Perhaps once they were gone ... but by then all the gold might have been taken. It seemed this opportunity was going to be missed. If only they'd gotten here sooner ...

[Mercakete]

Norbert would have pointed out that they were mercenaries, not civilians, but the fact was that that was only mostly true. The woman riding with him, in fact, was indeed a civilian. It didn't matter anyway, actually. This situation seemed to be under control, though the idiot with a sword seemed relatively bloodthirsty. At least it sounded like he was willing to let matters be. When the merchant lady offered to give testimony to the captured bandit's crimes, a bit of uncertainty entered his mind. It only grew, and even manifested as a grimace, as things on that subject moved forward.

Valter went on to ask about supplies while Norbert thought about talking to Greta. She said something before he could, though, and when he looked back to see what the matter was, it seemed she'd pulled into her mind and was both pale and beginning to cry. The pegasus rider loosed a quiet sigh. Well, that's annoying. Guess I'll just have to talk to her later. It's just plain dangerous for her to go into that city's garrison, but she might not know it.