IThe Cantinal All Welcome!

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The night was high, the sky was dark; all around the wind blew silently, yet with an unwavering touch, a touch unliked by the flames from the street lanterns; the streets were paved with none other than with old sandy cobble stone. The Lanterns all 18th century old dutch wooden masonery; Slowly the moon peered out from the old abandoned wherehouse, out from the clouds, It's light could be seen for miles; this old war torn town had taken a beating since the last galaxy war, now a haven for crooks. It's center was an abandoned mothership now converted into some form of local tavern, the moon it's self had been blown into several chunks. Not many locals lived here, well not many, but myself. We got many passer-byes through here, many people mainly looking for something or hiding, whatever the case everyone here had a story, both futuristic and simply ancient, either way people, if you could call them that, from all walks of life came here. . .

Under my garder strapped to my inner thigh was my blaster. I had a small backpack; though i looked small, I had been a well known thief around the area, believe me to be well known was no the best. I sat across from the cantina (Tavern) on the Inn steps staring off blankly somewhat exausted, my right sock ripped and my elbows both bleeding. I had been in a fight, my last mark, or victem, or payment on my house, as you will, got away! After several moments of exausted breaths I stood brushing myself off and leaned agenst a poll. When out of nowhere I was kicked hard in my back, face first I went flying down the stairs into the roadway; I lay there quietly and exausted as his voice was heard over my breath.

"Well Kumori, I see you failed again; I will not tollerate this much longer!" He said leaping to the ground next to me, his face shadowed by the hooded cloak he wore; waisting no time he steped on my back and all the wind was knocked out of my breath;

"Okay, sir, okay! I will get him, please!" I gasped as he let up, I rolled over onto my back watching him walk away.

I laid there quietly breathing. "Prick" I whispered silently sitting up and pulling myself upright breathing hard; blood ran down my cheek.

Slowly I got up onto my feet and stared at the bastard as he walked off into the far distance. ."This is not over!" I thought quietly to myself as I begun to walk back to the stairs of the Inn; I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my abdomen and fell onto my right knee and thrusted my left hand to the ground for support, as my right hand held my stomach, i winced, i stood once again and walked to the Inn door staring at it quietly for some time. . .

*"I can't do this!" I whispered narrowing my eyes and let both hands drop to my side and with my left hand i reached for the door handle, and my right hand I reached for my well hidden blaster; I unholstered the blaster and opened the door without warning I fired 2 fatal shots into the bellman's head, droping him like a rock from the sky. ran to the counter, slamming one hand onto the countertop and thrusted myself over the top of it landing hard on the otherside crouched firing 2 more shots to ensure death and stood quietly staring at the keys to the room 501a.*
___

[ November 27, 2004, 02:29: Message edited by: Kumori Shourai ]

 

I had just stepped out into the hall and closed the door when I heard blaster fire. Pulling my own blaster, I moved fast and low down the hallway towards the lobby.
"What have you gotten into this time?" I muttered to myself.
My covert ops days were far behind me. All I wanted to do was walk across the street and get a drink...

[ November 27, 2004, 03:41: Message edited by: el timtor ]

 

I staired quietly at the key wincing with my back facing el timtor from the pain in my abdomen; blood had been seeping down my cheek and from my elbows; after the beating i took earlier with those other 'marks' I hadn't had time to rest, I had to finish. . .

I raised and spun around facing the front doors again, without warning planted both hands on the countertop having thrown my body weight onto my hands and thrusted off the countertop doing a front flip through the air comming down hard; and hand springing to my feet with my blaster holstered in my right thigh once again and the key in my mouth; I darted up the stairs to the left side of the building. As i ran i grabed the key from my mouth and gripped it tightly; about half way up the stairs i fell to my knees clutching my stomach; "Damn! He broke them" I gasped refering to my ribs. "How am I supposed to do his slavery if he continually beats like this." I gasped standing to my feet, sweat running down my forehead from the pain, I continued up the stairs without hesitation to the 3rd floor.

[ November 27, 2004, 03:36: Message edited by: Kumori Shourai ]

 

I was impressed at his (her?) display of athleticism. Wetware or natural, I wondered. I had a reflex booster, but at my age it was only good for about 30% over norm.
The doorman was quite dead, cooked bits of gray matter decorated the wall behind him. The smell told me "don't get involved."
Too late. I cautiously followed the trail of blood up the stairs, careful to stay out of sight. What was happening here?

 

(her! http://www.kumoriscove.com/images/kumori231.gif )

I made my way up the stairs without hesitation to the 3rd floor. bent down and rand just below the window lining to room 501a. without warning I stood reared back and . . .

Just then the door flung open and my kicking foot, that trusty ol' right foot met a dark figures hands, and i was thrown off my feet, through the air and into the adjacent wall. . where my back met the wall. . . with the threshold of pain that shot through my spine i collapsed to my knees where i met his 'foot to face' technique. I hit the wall butt to ground, back to wall, coughing. . .

"You know I have to do this. . " I coughed as he laughed

"Veronica, we all know you're hardly in the. . " Just then my blaster fired a fatal shot through his groin, the barrel of the gun faced the sky!; The blast shot through the top of his head. . I moaned as I got up and stood to my feet holstering the blaster. . I looked down the hall. Seeing the shadow of El Timtor. . . "DAMN IT!" I Grunted, "They told me there would be no one else here!" I said darting down the hall towards El Timtor!

 

As I reached the third floor I heard another shot. I activated my reflex boost and moved into the hallway.
She darted out of 501a, unarmed and apparently injured. I saw no pursuers.
I took a chance. I holstered my blaster and called out "Over here! Let me help you!"
My chances of getting that drink were quickly slipping away...

 

As I aproached El Timtor, I crouched and slid across the ground, normally I'd have been able to control this but still injured, I was a little to slow on the timing and just before going off the top step down the steps I grabed El Timtor's Leg and yanked him down pulling myself up and with both hands as he went under me shoved off of him front fliping landing crouched looking up, with one knee to the ground, I looked back to the room, then back to El. . "Damn it! You weren't supposed to be here!" I yelled Charging El Timtor and body checking him off his feet, and off the top step of the third floor, through the air. As we started heading down the stairs, well with force just inches above the stairs, mainly in part of the shove; the room behind us begun to explode. . I clinched my arms around him locking them at my wrists-to-hand just above his waistline of his back; hoping to use him as a cushion when we finally hit ground, if we hit at all. I felt the heat from the room singe my back as the heat from the blast followed us over the steps and shot over us as we descended downwardly I pressed my head into his chest and winced for impact 3 flights of stairs below.

(OOC I used my last name for the character for the name of the character now, I figured it fit better) So don't be alarmed

[ November 27, 2004, 19:29: Message edited by: Finch ]

 

I grunted as the girl slammed into me, and a lance of pain shot up my back as it contacted the railing. It gave way, and the force of the explosion catapulted us into the access shaft of which the stairway was part of.
I flipped us over so that we dropped down-shaft feet-first. With my reflex boost on, time seemed to crawl lazily. My feet hit the support spar that I had been aiming for, and though my legs screamed in pain, I kicked out, hoping I could pull the move off.
The spar gave way from the stress, but I was able to direct our fall to the second floor landing. We landed on our sides, and bounced apart.
I rolled upright. "I don't appreciate being used as an impact cushion," I growled, gritting my teeth from the pain in my legs.
As debris from the explosion above began to rain down the shaft, I pulled the girl to her feet. "Let's get out of here, and then you can tell me what's going on."

 

After a long winded rest, I slowly sat up, and tried to look over my left shoulder at my ripped shirt in the mirror behind us, hanging on the wall, it has been burnt open from the back by the blast; the skin on my spine was red from a slight burn and begun to sting, as i leaned foreward then was helped up by El Timtor, my head had felt like it had been hit by a truck. I felt my ribs and that threshold of pain come back; my face battered somewhat from the master who'd hit me and the two 'marks' that i got into a scuffle and lost with; not to mention the explosion still burning in the third story of the inn across the way, or the swift kick to my face by that last guy. . watching the fire burn in that room 501a I sighed

I begun coughing in pain I stood to my feet only with the aide of el. I looked up at him then up the stairs burning into the nights sky. "I am in dire need of a drink. There is a local. ." I raised my hand and used my sleeve of the shirt to hold my nose as it bled. my hair fell in my face all natted, and my left shoulder strap had fallen to rest upon my arm.

"Pub, tavern, Bar. . . around here, I saw that abandoned mothership in the center of town just across the way, they'd turned it into a pub of some kind, Care to join me?" I smiled faintly and limped towards the door pulling him with me; by the looks of me it had looked as if i had been beat and raped. . "I stopped and looked back at El. .

"Thanks." I said in that sarcastic tone, yet that old fashioned, 'you know i really am thankful you took the stairs fall. without it i would be dead.' sorta way.

"I've had a really bad day" I said exasporated.

I said pulling his arm and forcing him with me to drink. and off i limped to the outside of the Inn and down the porch, the wind blowing a tad causing some form of relief from this botched up mission. . I smiled faintly and hobbled towards the center of the town; the porch of the cantina (pub). I looked back waiting. . . "Well you gonna keep a lady waitin or what!" I snapped.

 

I sketched a sweeping bow, saying, "Forgive me, dear lady. Getting caught in explosions and falling down stairwells tends to make me forget my manners." I took off my flight jacket and held it out to her.
"Here, put this on. By the way, my name's Richard Greymane. First round's on me, then let's see about getting you patched up..."

 

I rolled my eyes; but smiled taking the jacket and slowly started making my way to the cantina stairs. . Exausted, hurt, but somewhat pleased there was life on this little rock; I walked into the cantina pulling my left shoulder strap up once again, as it kept falling to rest from exaustion atop my left arm;

I then ran my fingers through my hair adjusting my comosure and walked into the cantina. . From the enterance there was the bartender clear across the otherside, tables and booths all about, and hardly anyone here, well anyone but El!; just the way i liked it. I stood in the doorway and wraped the jacket around myself tightly; from there I walked to the far right corner booth and simply collapsed in the booth waiting, and coughing up blood every so often, it finally made me sit up, my hair fell into my face as I put my hands between my legs and looked up; "El, I don't feel so good." I said wincing from pain in almost every part of my body.

"That bastard must have set me up." I said sinking back after moments of the pain finally subsiding. I begun telling the story before El even sat.

"It was supposed to be the last one, then I could find my brother dameon." I whimpered. "Its been almost 15 yrs since i've seen him, I was 6 he was 1 when I couldn't stop them. . ." I said as my eyes begun to water. . as soon as they did, I narrowed them and looked up. "El, or Rich. which ever you prefer. I . . Sorry about that, just before that incident you saw, I was supposed to go steal something from two men, but somone tipped those men off, and i ended up barely making it out of there, i know who it was, but that bastard cant be proven. so then i was commanded to go finish another job, where he too knew of my presence and that is where you came in, watching me get kicked in the face, well you saw me fly into the hallway wall. " I said lightening the mood and smiling faintly, my piercing blues faced El for a responce, well more a responce to his story. . .

"So what brought you here." I said scooting myself agenst the wall of the boothed seat and pulling my legs to my chest and wrapping my arms around my legs. . all the while resting my soar face ontop of my kneecaps staring intently at El awaiting.

 

"Retirement," I said, smiling back. There was a lot more to it than that, but I wasn't sure about bringing it up. "Just...wandering around."

My aching legs, along with the burnt smell on my clothes, all screamed "DON'T GET INVOLVED!" But I had caught a glimpse of something (tears?) in her eyes before she had looked at me. To give myself some time, I went to the bar and got our drinks.

"Here you are. That ought to take the edge off the pain," I said, placing one in front of her.

As she drank, I thought about what she had told me. She was someone's operative, and a good one, but why set her up to fail? A brother taken from her to compel obedience. Was he already dead? If she died then that would tie up loose ends. Now I was curious. Also, I was alone here. It would be useful, if nothing else, to have a friend on this world, at a time where I was woefully short of friends.

"I believe I might be able to help you--if you want it. Get the next round, and tell me what's going on. And, ...ahh... what's your name?"

 

I looked around the small room. A bed in one corner, a toilet in the other. All designed to I could not escape. I was sitting in the middle of the room, legs crossed, trying to meditate. Light filled the room. It was midday. The only light came from a shaft in the room above me. It once had been a glass skylight, but I had smashed it searching for a way out. That was when I discovered the shaft was a rough 30 feat long. It would be impossible for me to climb up there, especially since I had no strength left. Then I looked at the floor. It was covered with white carpet. White. The entire room was white. In one corner a strip of carpet had been torn up (By my own hands, of course) to see if I could escape through the floorboards. I found it had been laid onto concrete. There was no way out. Lastly, I looked down at my hands. They seemed old. My right index finger and thumb were bloody and ground down. I had slaved away in secret for the last few days. Secret. I was always alone, except when my captors entered to feed me or check up on me. No cameras watching me. I had been so busy for the last few days, and finally it had happened. I had unscrewed the end leg on my bed. A three foot long piece of steel. A weapon. I didn’t bother trying to escape yet though. I had to wait.

I sat quietly, and I waited. Trying to think. Trying to think about my life. Slowly, things would come back. But I still had a long way to go. Amnesia. IT was only minor, but I had forgotten a lot. Only a few hours before had I remembered my name was Dameon. I couldn’t remember my last name. I could remember how to use a gun. I couldn’t remember how to read, but I could remember how to write. It was strange, but it as getting better. I was remembering. I remembered my sister.

I waited.

Being in captivity for so long (I had lost track of time) I had learnt many things, noticed many things. I could tell when they were going to check up on me. It was all timed, so I knew when my time would come. Today I was going to escape. I just had to wait.

 

I smiled faintly at Rich, and oddly enough he seemed a patient man; Though my nerves were shot I managed to muster a slight smile and freed a hand from it's interlocked position holding my head up, and brushed my hair out of my face; and with a slight sigh; i scooted off the seat and onto my feet.

"Mr. Graymane, pleasure to meet you" I said putting out a hand "The name's Veronica Finch, most know me as Kumori". I shook his hand and walked over to the bar grabbing the whole damn bottle with a smirk and walked back to the bar booth planting myself down. . . and slamming the bottle atop the table.

Oddly enough I felt the presence of Dameon once again. "It's been so long; All I know is I wait; I wait to recieve a minilla envelope with the next job on it. Every job leads me closer to him, my brother that is." I said faintly pulling a necklas with a small medalian with two interlocking hearts and a small picture in the center; that small picture is me holding my brother at 6 yrs old, he was 1.

How do you say you can help?"

After several moments I heard the local law enforcement finally comming, without hesitation I ran to the barcounter and planted both hands on it as with one swift motion, thrusted off and over the counter and ran to the employee door. .

"Follow me. . ." I said quietly.

I smiled faintly as I almost forgot about the shirt ripped in the back; I grabed an employee uniform on the way out and ran into the otherside of the village and unsnapped the skirt. and ripped the shirt i had on, off. . .

then pulled the janitor's cloths on smiling faintly "Sorry Rich there isn't any time."

as I got the damn thing on, though a little to tight, I ran to a small parked car in the allyway just across from all the comotion at the Inn; the car seemed to have been damaged many times over from the great war, but it was a safe spot to hide my stuff. I then put on the jacket Rich handed me.

And looked to Rich (El Timtor) holding out a uniform for him as well. . . "Hey you saw me, its only fait!" I laughed throwing the uniform to him. . I then looked back to the car and pulled out a bamboo staff about 6 ft in length, and a double barrel shotgun with a shoulder holster strap; I put it over my right shoulder diagnally, to rest on my entire back; My backpack, I put on my back over the shotgun; I grabed my cushinto blades (Claw like Daggers), and entangled them into my hair to hold my hair up, and to conceal the daggers well.

After a few moments, I looked over and smiled faintly at the bamboo staff, snatching it with my right hand; I shoved it over the shotgun but under the backpack, 6 foot in length even diagnal it almost touched the ground, it sill went about 6 inches over my head. .

I reached in finally and grabbed my leathertipless gloves and put them both on; i begun punching and gripping to flex them out.

"I often wondered how to get information so I looked around quietly for anything stating "South District"




[ December 03, 2004, 00:01: Message edited by: Finch ]

 

I downed the rest of my drink, the brew burning like acid all the way down, and followed Kumori.

"Doesn't that girl ever sit still?" I muttered to myself before vaulting over the bar and following her into the back room. Her smile was impish as she changed into a janitor's uniform. I turned around to check for pursuit, then followed her out the back door.

I quickly changed into a similar uniform as she rummaged in her car. "Yah, fair trade, I guess," I said in response to her remark. I buckled my gunbelt on over the uniform, and secured my other weapons--a fighting knife sheathed in my right boot, and a small needle pistol in a quick-deploy wrist holster on my left arm.

The sound of police sirens was getting louder. Wonderful. I don't enjoy dealing with law enforcement, since my picture happens to have "Reward: 50,000 credits" at the bottom.

I turned to Kumori, who by now had finished arming herself. The scared, beat-up girl from a few minutes ago was gone. She looked confident and ready for anything. Noting the number of weapons she was packing, I grinned at her and said, "It seems I'm a bit underdressed for your party, but it looks like it'll be a good time. Shall we dance?"

 

The time had come. I stood there beside the door, just waiting for it to happen. In my hands I held the long piece of metal. Then it just happened. The door opened. A guard walked in. He was a tall, brawny chap wit dark skin. With one movement, the man was unconscious on the ground. I let the door partially close, but then wedged one of the man’s shoes in the opening to keep it from locking. Then I got to work. I stripped down the guard and put his cloths on, leaving him lying on the bed. I checked for weapons. He was loaded. Rifle on his back, four pistols and a hunting knife. I grabbed the rounds for all the pistols, only one of the handguns and the knife. The rest I left alone. Then I began. I didn’t where I was or where to go, but I had to try my best I departed to room into a long corridor. It was empty. I started moving.

 

I turned and faced El. "As you wish". I said cracking my knuckles and staring at the police car. . "We do need a set of wheels; I need to wait just long enough until we get that minilla envelope, you see, you are just as much apart of this now too, i am sure by now he knows you have heard some of the story, in fact. . . " I said wraping my arms around him and pulling myself to embrase him and nudged my head to his chest and looked up batting innocently. . "You're probarbly gonna get the next mission since he wants to ensure your death too." I said laughing and backed off smiling faintly. "The man is dangerous, and my brother is somewhere around. we need to stay focused. That car. . ." I asked quietly awaiting his thoughts.

 

I proceeded down the hallway. There were no doors, just a right turn that was up ahead. I turned quickly, my new gun held in front of me. Another hallway. This one was very long and had a door at the end. Two guards stood there with uzis. They must have been ready for me because as soon as I showed myself they opened fire. I dived back around the corner while emptying a round at my new enemies. I knew I had hit them both, but I wasn’t sure weather either was dead. They had certainly hit me. I crouched around the corner as my legs fell out form below. Three bullets had struck my left leg, the nerves hit. It just collapsed. I sat there and reloaded my weapon. I needed a way to tell weather I would live if I poked my head around the corner. I couldn’t think of one. It was just going to be luck. I rolled around the corner and emptied another round into both of the guards. I had wasted my bullets; they were dead. I crawled down the corridor like a crippled man. I ripped off my entire shirt and, wasting no time, wrapped it around my wounded leg. I then continued to crawl down the hallway, reloading my gun. It was only then I realized the truth.

I wasn’t going to make it out of here.

 

"Hey, what's one more person who wants me dead," I quipped. "His name, whatever it happens to be, is tacked on to the bottom of a very LONG list."

Thinking of our need for transport, I said, "I've got a jetbike stashed in the alley behind that hotel we just came from.* Since I'm new to the game, your "friend" may not be expecting us to use that."

"I have no wish for a long gunfight with police," I added. From my wrist holster, the needler popped into my left hand, and I fired two bursts at the oncoming police car. The first shredded the right front tire, the second punched multiple holes in the radiator. Enveloped in a cloud of steam, the vehicle slewed to the right and plowed into a parked car.**

I then took her hand and headed for an alley. "You know the back streets and alleys better than I. Get us back to the hotel, and we'll take my jetbike and go find your brother. Oh, yeah, one more thing. WHO is this man who wants us dead?"

*Ooc: a jetbike is kinda like the "speeder bike" that the scout troopers used in Return of the Jedi.

**Ooc #2: I took some liberties here--It seemed from your intro that our playground was a relatively low-tech world, so I assumed the police car was a wheeled vehicle. If not I can edit...

 

ooc; well it is a low tech world, since the great battle that took the starship down. it was the most advanced planet at one time..
IC

I smiled faintly then reached over my right shoulder with my left hand and pulled what appeared to be a blaster capped with some sort of claw like device. I aimed it at the top of the hotel and smiled; soon there was a bright flash followed by a loud bang! from the gun, out shot the claw at ungodly speeds followed by a rope; I looked at our hero over here destroying cars, and laughed giving the grapple a yank tight. . without warning I shot through the air and aimed right at Richard slamming him between my legs and wraped tightly as we both shot through the air to the building.

As we reached the building i let lose of the grapple gun; within instances we shot through the air and I grabbed the emergency railing; it broke free to the stress of two people; just as we impacted it, we came crashing down with speeds of excess of over 50 mph or so. and without warning I backfliped in the air and Rich still between my legs and let him loose and landed safely and gracefully crouched on the ground watching him flip end over end through the air into the matress I'd set up several days ago for an escape route.

"I dont know his name, he kidnapped us, I've always called him Sir. but I fear we might not have much time, my brother is somewhere around here; in this village. I was told if i did not accomplish this final mission he was going to die. My problem is this mr. Richard. I . ." I stood slowly looking around with my hands at my side. " I dont even know if he is alive anymore, its been well over 10 yrs.[/i]

I'm sure there are many many people looking to hunt me down now.