[OPEN] The exact moment things went off the rails

[fuhrinkaed]

Who: Ed, Susan, YOU??
When: During TSI: Train Scene Investigation
Where: Somewhere along the tracks of the VIP train
What: Train Investigations
Rating: PG-13 at worst


[The job had seemed simple enough, 'just head out and look for some of the missing rail cars.' However, the battle had lasted for a while and the train was quite long--in the chaos several cars could have gone all over the place. With the wilderness around the area, it made finding everything a bit difficult.]

[After something like a whole lot of searching, though, there's a crater on the ground next to the tracks.]

[Ed's hand goes to his chin as he looks at it, then over towards the wilderness.]

Okay. I think maybe we should look around here this time.

Comments

[suzinkazan]

[Susan kicks the exploded remains of a Noir soldier's mask and represses a smirk.]

We definitely need to focus on one area a time, so let's do it.

[She's still nursing some minor injuries, but nothing really major.]

[fuhrinkaed]

[And Ed... well he's got bandages all over and he's only JUST been cleared to actually walk again. That means he's clearly 100% fine.]

Yeah. If the bomb exploded here, a car would fly off... [He points.] Thatwayish. So I guess we'll just look around, and if we happen to run into any wildlife maybe they'll be able to tell us something.

[suzinkazan]

What the hell could wilflife tell us, Ed.

[SHE WILL HIT HIM IF SHE SAYS HE CAN TALK TO ANIMALS.]

...And don't push yourself too hard, you moron. It's still possible we find a surviving soldier.

[fuhrinkaed]

There's supposed to be fairies around here somewhere! That means they could be the talk-toable types of fey, which means that since we don't drink we have a 50-50 shot of either having our babies stolen or being helped.

And we don't have any babies, so that's basically stacking the odds right in our favor! [Ed that is probably not how fey work here.]

[suzinkazan]

I am not talking to any god damned fey I will not be cursed or led off a cliff on the off chance they might provide some irrelevant modicum of help.

[The salt flows freely from her lips.]

Let's just... let's approach this logically. We know how strong the bombs were.. so we can narrow down where to look.

[fuhrinkaed]

...Yeah...

We could also try climbing a tree and seeing if there's a sudden clearing. Wreckage like that would definitely down trees and the like, right?

I can't remember the last time I actually climbed a tree.

[suzinkazan]

Probably...

I'll climb the tree, you check for anything we can turn in in the wreckage around her.

[She's not gonna let you fall and snap your neck.]

[fuhrinkaed]

Alright. [He gives her a nod, and starts looking around the tracks for wreckage.]

We've got some wreckage and bomb remnants and... drained crystals. [He pockets a few of those, thanks.]

[When he does he pauses for a moment as his fingers brush something in his pocket.]

Hey, Susan. You think there's a way to end things peaceably?

[suzinkazan]

Define 'peaceably', Ed.

[She's scaling the tree, grunting and grumbling, she's not a physical sort, not at all.]

Probably not with the leaders currently on both sides, that's for usre.

[fuhrinkaed]

Mmn... Teddy's one thing, but a leader who'd declare that kind of war isn't good at all. And then there's the Gammon representative..

[He puts a hand on his chin, looking over at her.]

...Hey. You're okay with all this, right?

[suzinkazan]

...It's hard to say. I definitely have issues here, but at the same time there really isn't any question that somebody has to try and stop Noir, is there?

I don't have enough information yet, though. You know me, I'm more the type to find my own solution to things than take one offered to me.

[She gets to the top of the tree..]

...Okay, I see a couple spots where trees were knocked down, there's probably cars in them.

[fuhrinkaed]

Haha... yeah. I'm the same way. [He smiles a little bit, nodding to himself once.] We'll do this then: Gather information, figure out what is, and then from there determine what we should do.

[The train of thought is derailed by the cars. Heehee.]

Alright, you'll lead the way to it then! I'll follow you and keep an eye out for any hostiles. [He hets his staff over his shoulder.]

It shouldn't be a problem, right?

[suzinkazan]

Right.

[She climbs down a bit.. then jumps down, trying to use wind to cushion her fall... it works, a little.

She still lands a little too hard on her butt, and hisses.]

Still not good enough..

[fuhrinkaed]

[He's already offering her a hand.]

...I think you did great. Like, really great. You're already pretty versatile.

[suzinkazan]

[She takes it and lets him help her up.]

You get versatile quickly when people are shooting metal spikes at your face.

Come on, it's this way.

[She's leading.]

[fuhrinkaed]

Alright. [He follows after her, looking around in the forest for threats.]

...Mm.

Say, do you promise you won't tell anyone about this stuff?

[suzinkazan]

What stuff, whatever we find?

[She's looking back.]

[fuhrinkaed]

Mm... yeah. That too, I guess.

--I wound up talking with one of them.

[suzinkazan]

...Oh? One of them actually talked, instead of going right for the throat?

[fuhrinkaed]

She tried going for the throat, but listened when I spoke to her.

I think I might have made a friend.

[suzinkazan]

...Ed.

You know, as much as I give you guff, I do appreciate what a gentle person you are.

But you know that's probably not gonna end happily for either of you, right?

[She sighs.]

What did you learn from it?

[fuhrinkaed]

What happens, happens. I'm sure it'll be fine. [It's a nonanswer--he's quite aware.]

I learned that they have hearts, and they see magic as a tool to be used instead of a natural bounty to be harvested in select ways. They're the opposite of Blanc in that way, and they see us as villains rather than heroes. Which, makes sense. She decided to retreat, too, when she had a clear chance to hurt me.

[suzinkazan]

That has bothered me since we arrived...[The magic thing.]

I find it a bit suspect that Blanc has the opinions of magic that they do, and yet let us freely use it.

That also doesn't surprise me, there's no such thing as a wholly evil nation.

[Of course it couldn't be simple, could it.]

[fuhrinkaed]

...I've got several of my own questions, too, but no idea how to find answers about them. Like--for instance, why do we contain so much mana compared to a normal human? Did we bring it with us?

[suzinkazan]

We should definitely look into this kind of thing.

Discreetly.

[Pointed look at him, as she says that.]