![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
open | Caps, subject headers are your friend.
Who: Kain and various and sundry other people who exist, I guess.
When: 7/26, though I like to think of it more as 'ambiguously timed'
Where: The majestic outskirts of Lasker.
What: Gratuitous train adventures.
Rating: I'm still the worst at giving shit a rating. I'll adjust accordingly, but it'll probably have the standard PG13 'not entirely wholesome but still vaguely wholesome' bent to it.
In which they get lost at some point:
[Two hours ago there had been a conversation which led to them marking a tree, in some deliberate and hard to ignore fashion - an X carved into it, paint, whatever - after the subject of them possibly going in circles had been raised. Two hours later, whoever had implied it turned out to be right. They were standing there. Staring at the tree. Probably bleakly given the two hours in which they had gone in a gigantic circle, but who knows. Maybe someone was fucking thrilled by it.
Kain was resigned as he stared at whatever deliberate mark they had made.]
What now?
[Obviously they keep on walking so it's kind of a rhetorical question, kind of not because they just made a giant circle and if they had a map it was lost in some hilarious yet tragic fashion, like the river took it.]
Because I couldn't figure out a way to work this into the train log:
Hold this. [And without further preamble the small and pampered (up until recently, at least, the last few days were harrowing) Pomeranian that was literally dogging Kain's steps and getting in the way of them searching the boxcars was handed to whoever he was talking to.
The dog seemed thrilled by the attention. Woof. (The dog was Saint von Andeloga the Third, owned by a Lasker merchant called who may or may not have nagged the heroes until they promised to go look for the pup. They may or may not know this.)]
Obligatory escort mission:
[And then he asked the most ominous of questions, the sort of question that led to awkward situations typically involving not dying.]
Do you hear that?
[It's either the sniffling of small children or they've got some people they're shepherding and it's the prelude to a bunch of bandits demanding their GP or their HP, so to speak.]
When: 7/26, though I like to think of it more as 'ambiguously timed'
Where: The majestic outskirts of Lasker.
What: Gratuitous train adventures.
Rating: I'm still the worst at giving shit a rating. I'll adjust accordingly, but it'll probably have the standard PG13 'not entirely wholesome but still vaguely wholesome' bent to it.
In which they get lost at some point:
[Two hours ago there had been a conversation which led to them marking a tree, in some deliberate and hard to ignore fashion - an X carved into it, paint, whatever - after the subject of them possibly going in circles had been raised. Two hours later, whoever had implied it turned out to be right. They were standing there. Staring at the tree. Probably bleakly given the two hours in which they had gone in a gigantic circle, but who knows. Maybe someone was fucking thrilled by it.
Kain was resigned as he stared at whatever deliberate mark they had made.]
What now?
[Obviously they keep on walking so it's kind of a rhetorical question, kind of not because they just made a giant circle and if they had a map it was lost in some hilarious yet tragic fashion, like the river took it.]
Because I couldn't figure out a way to work this into the train log:
Hold this. [And without further preamble the small and pampered (up until recently, at least, the last few days were harrowing) Pomeranian that was literally dogging Kain's steps and getting in the way of them searching the boxcars was handed to whoever he was talking to.
The dog seemed thrilled by the attention. Woof. (The dog was Saint von Andeloga the Third, owned by a Lasker merchant called who may or may not have nagged the heroes until they promised to go look for the pup. They may or may not know this.)]
Obligatory escort mission:
[And then he asked the most ominous of questions, the sort of question that led to awkward situations typically involving not dying.]
Do you hear that?
[It's either the sniffling of small children or they've got some people they're shepherding and it's the prelude to a bunch of bandits demanding their GP or their HP, so to speak.]
no subject
Was it a judgmental look? No, at least not at first, when it was pointed directly at Rory. But Kain’s gaze shifted from him to a vaguely Laskeresque direction and it became more judgmental, as if he was imagining staring at the merchant and caving and going, “Why.” There was judgment, but it wasn’t thrown in a Rory direction.]
Do you really want me to answer that?
[Because he’s going to.]
Because among other reasons… [This being that the merchant had a talent for invading personal space and wouldn’t let it go in some literal ways, there’s a pause here so they both can remember that, don’t make him say it.] …the alternative we were also being encouraged to do was…how was it put? Give aid in The Shield? I’ve no talent for that. [Nor inclination and in fact he felt really uncomfortable with the idea.]
no subject
Just like its owner.
[The Pomeranian had taken to weaving around Rory's legs to escape the larger animal. Rather than risk kicking or stepping on the animal, he stood still and let Kain do the investigating.]
Tell me if you hear anyone.
[Because he could not hear his own thoughts over the barking. As he could not investigate with him, he instead tried to control both animals.]
no subject
Hm. I will. [Heh.] If I can.
[He nodded towards the dogs as he said it: hard for me to hear shit too, in other words. Still, he wasn't the one who was dealing directly with the dogs. Challenge accepted, in other words.
But the challenge and the request turned out to be moot, as a few moments into the search the sound of wood snapping echoed in the woods, like a too-dry branch (or something else) had broken beneath the weight of something approaching them, like some large, likely many-fanged thing had heard the sound of the dogs and was seeking dinner. It was loud as noises went and hard to miss.]
no subject
Someone there? We can bring you to Lasker safely.
[No point in subtlety, the animals had ruined that. A predator was not his only worry. There was also the possibility some Noir soldiers remained, or thieves coming in to take advantage of the wreckage. Still, there was also the chance it was a survivor and that was what made him call out.]
I might've just gone with the shitshow option.
But then it emerged with a deliberate step from the woods. It was lithe and composed, a beast well accustomed to hunting in these woods: it had shades of a deer to it, or perhaps a goat, mixed with something else. Something familiar. Its tail moved slowly and deliberately from side to side, like the lash of a snake's tail. Its eyes burned like cool fire and it made a noise which-]
Is it just me or did that…thing bark.
[Notice how it was said as a statement and not a question.
The pom barked back, suspiciously.]
Clearly the only option to choose. Also apologies for the late response.
What the fuck?
[What does one do with a goat-dog-beast? He barely had experience with animals aside from his own carrier. For now, he opted to observe the creature. As long as it was not dangerous, he had no reason to use his weapon against it. ]
S'all good.
...
[Yes, he, too, is going ??? over here. The beast seems...disconcertingly friendly. In fact, it just yipped at the dogs. On one hand, it seems pointless to kill the goat-dog-thing. On the other hand, it's a goat-dog-thing.]
We should leave.
[So unsure right now.]
Unless you've a stick to throw at it.
no subject
Get ready.
[He actually did have a stick. A stick he had gathered from an aromatic cedar tree, a little large for a dog toy, but this was not exactly a dog either. He waved it around to get the beast's attention before throwing it opposite of their direction.]
no subject
But that question can remain unexplored. The goat…thing appears to be going for the stick, leaving the other direction open for them to exit in. Barring Rory having some sudden pangs to play with the goat beast, they will be heading in the not-hircine direction.
But, after they’d walked far enough away that Kain felt it was safe to at least speak - though they’ll continue to keep on moving lest the dog yips again…]
You realize there’s likely others in these woods, and they’ll likely not be the same as that last…thing.
[Which might be hunting them down as they speak.]
no subject
Thankfully, his carrier had enough sense to stay by their side as they retreated. Rory did not have the same amount of trust in the Pomeranian so he kept his hand over its nose, ready to muffle any noise it may make.]
No shit? [His tone was not accusatory. It was an honest, though crudely asked, question.] What, like a pack?
[Made sense, he supposed. Dogs had packs and goats, he assumed, had herds. He watched his surroundings, not only searching for other beasts but to also note their location. As much as he wanted to stay, this was likely where the search would end today.]
Let's head back. We got the dog.
[That counted as a success for him.]
no subject
[And, lo and behold they meandered back with a job done, dumped the dog on the merchant, and went off to get a few drinks or something and did something more exciting a while later or something along those lines?]
no subject