❝ ── WASTELAND, BABY !

[vaell]

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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxa wastelander / future rebel. | unaffiliated. | tagged: valentina.
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indentfrom where she was rummaging about in the master bedroom, julian could catch the sound of valentina's own feedback to his question -- as well as the laughter following her quip. he scowled at this, shifting the handle of the hammer between his two hands while he eyed its weathered anvil. "yeah, right. like i ever need you need to knock some sense into me. and hey, not funny, by the way. i got plenty of wits about me, but i dunno about you.." he couldn't help but mumble the latter half of his reply, somehow simultaneously hoping she would catch his retort but also not, just in the event that she really was planning on knocking some sense into him. in his hands, a reddish flaky coating of iron oxide encroached on the iron surface of the hammer, similarly to the nails stashed away in his jacket pocket. the paint on the handle was heavily chipped although it was evident that at one point it had sported a deep navy blue coating judging by the small flakes which still remained on its surface. it had been so worn that its wooden core was exposed, cracked and raw. what mattered was that it was a completely useable tool; maybe it'd even be one that they kept around for a little while longer like valentina suggested, although hopefully it would not be used to knock him out or something. he was sort-of asking for it sometimes, though, regardless of how used to his antics she was. julian set the hammer down on the counter beside their makeshift box of tools. her next announcement had managed to catch his attention once again before he even began to proceed to sift through their cabinets. it sounded like she'd been successful in finding some jewelry stowed away beneath one of the planks. upon this, he could not help but grin at the mere prospect of what they might be able to sell those pieces for -- if genuine gemstones had been crafted into the wiring of necklaces or bracelets or earrings, surely they'd be able to make a sale to someone. it was better than them trying to auction off the entirety of their more lame supply of goods, he had to admit. when valentina began to list off some items they'd have to obtain from the kitchen specifically, he was spurred into action once again, abandoning his rifling through that container and instead temporarily diverting his attention upon their more immediate requirement for pots and pans and dishes. "yeah, i got it, don't worry!" julian called back to her, briefly hovering before the lower cabinets of their relatively small kitchen before he bent down to pull open the cabinet door. the handle clumsily wobbled in his grip, threatening to fall from its screws in just the same way it had for the last few years. despite this, the door still swung open easily on its hinges. within the space was where they stored their few objects of cookware; they really only had a few small pots and pans, all of them bought within the last four years, fairly new. still, no iron surface was free of baring obvious scratches and signs of usage. it was only inevitable that with such immense use obvious wear would follow, too, as with most things they possessed. julian sunk down to crouch on his heels, peering within the cabinet. for the two cousins, it wasn't like they had an oversupply of basic necessities. they could take all of the smaller pots and pans without leaving any behind. this thought comforted him, in a way. they had to indulge in spending some caps every now and then for such wares, and to find a good deal at the arcadian market was sometimes a bit of a challenge. with so many vendors and people looking to buy different assortments of goods, the demand of many products tend to go up along with their prices in an almost sporadic manner. a lot of prices get jacked up depending on the current marketplace flow and buyer interest. if they could conserve what they have already spent caps on, then he could find some happiness in that. for the amount of times he and valentina have bartered and struggled through endless debates between different vendors, there was no way he was going to let all of that pain be worth nothing. all of their possessions were investments, to an extent. they hoped for the longest span of life for everything they purchased and in turn offered their share of caps for such goods.
indentjulian reached within to take the handle of one of their small pans, his opposite hand grasping the other pan stacked atop it. when he drew them out, he briefly rose up to set them atop the counter before pulling himself back down, sticking another hand within the cupboard to fish for the remaining two pots they had. as he managed to draw both of the two pots out from where they were tucked away inside the cabinet, he could hear valentina's comment from the other room. he threw a glance over his shoulder as she spoke, carefully setting down the pots on the countertop beside the pans. "no, i agree with you for sure. guess that's where a lot of our own resources will manage to come in handy, especially if we're gonna try and avoid staying at inns as much as possible," he called back to her. "and speaking of valuable, you mind grabbing my dagger while you're in there? i left it sheathed and secured to the underside of our nightstand. oh, and remember that small chest of junk somewhere under those floorboards? you know, the one we tried to gather the majority of our parents' personal belongings in. maybe you might even be able to find some stuff in there. god, i think you might even find some copy of the order of the akir scriptures at the bottom of that chest. you know how my ma was with that stuff after all." julian shook his head. he hadn't touched those scriptures in ages and no doubt its cover would have gathered dust by now. his mother had always made sure to wrap the contents in a felt pouch; she'd kept the testaments in as good as a condition as she'd first received them in. he personally didn't find himself being hung up on religious affairs, for more reason than one. he'd learnt in life that no matter how much devotion or belief you poured into holy deities, they never helped you. his mother being dead was proof of that. the woman was no priestess, no, but she had truly relied on the akir through their most difficult times. he supposed the peaceful nature of the akir gods was what gave her some hope and stability in this wholly unpredictable life. they say that being able to believe in something, regardless of what higher entity it is, helps drive a person forward in times of despair and even retain a degree of hope. it's not like she ever expected him to learn the teachings of the akir, either. she wasn't that kind of a person. he could remember how once she and his father had been scammed a solid measure of caps short of a deal and he'd caught her mentioning that argus og would dole out his justice. where had that justice been when she'd died, he wondered? when the conclave had sent him and valentina's parents spiralling into nothing short of madness? would it even be so wrong to say he avoided any religions for that exact reason? what point is it to worship gods that turn a blind eye to the plight of man? she'd really, truly believed -- she had been a kind person, a bit too generous, even, and she'd ended up just like most of the people in their lives. if you wanted control out in the wasteland, then you'd have to create it for yourself. the wasteland, it's like an animal, one that is untameable at best, and all you can do is try and understand its ways, learn its behaviors and its patterns. its why he and his cousin possessed such an immediate advantage over whatever conclave goons had been sent out to search for them and that file. they'd lived their whole lives out here; they never had the luxuries of what a capital resident may have at their fingertips. not once. everything they've ever owned or sold or bought, they'd done it all through means of raw skill and survival tactics. they couldn't just walk outside of their house and expect to see a lovely, affluential neighborhood with perfect exteriors and seamlessly paved roads. everyday they woke up and found themselves in the same old rut of simply just trying to manage. he couldn't imagine what it'd be like, to not have to worry about what tomorrow may bring every single day of your life, or what you'd need to do to make it by the week. the idea of that sort of comfortability was such a foreign notion to julian that he could hardly wrap his mind around it. he was so accustomed to their struggle that to take it from him would be to remove apart of himself, too. their lifestyle had shaped them as people, it had helped them learn to persevere through the most troubling of times, even with that losses they'd experienced.
indenthe nudged the cupboard door shut with the side of his leg, its shelves now barren after he'd plucked their wares from within. a vast majority of appliances in their kitchen were gone, the disassembled parts sold by their fathers' years ago. a cooler had taken the spot of where their refrigerator had once been, but this was not the only modification they'd made to their home. a small campfire sat where their kitchen's oven had once been, a spit for cooking their meals positioned atop its bed. the space the oven had left was a considerable one. they'd amassed a small layer of sand at the bottom of their makeshift fire pit, topping it with gravel and rocks. retaining wall blocks had been stacked three tiers high to create the perfect barricade from the flames' immediate surroundings, a precaution despite the fact that it was still some feet from the nearest cupboard. luckily they also had a small window perched above where their sink had once been, too, which allowed for the proper ventilation within their house when they did light a fire. they have no running water so its no surprise that they also had removed the faucet and cut its supply lines long ago. you'd be surprised what parts or pieces of tubes or drains people would want -- living out in the wasteland, people have no choice but to be innovative. they have to think outside the box and use their heads to help themselves survive in whatever shape that may manifest in, and usually this involves a lot of meticulous handiwork in order to craft what you may need or repair what you already have. julian begun to tend to the spit, carefully plucking the long, solid rod used to hold food from where it was mounted atop the fire pit. it was a good thing that he and valentina were both hunters. they'd be able to sustain themselves so long as creatures weren't scarce wherever they headed to -- they had the appropriate means to both hunt and prepare their own food so long as they brought along all of this equipment. so, again he added another new object to the array of their possessions beginning to take over the surface of their relatively restricted countertop space. he had been planning on trying to bring everything out to mars in one trip although it was becoming a bit more evident how challenging that might be given the fact he still had to grab some more of their items. he'd fill his arms as best he could, though, when the time came.
indentnext on julian's mental checklist was their plates and mugs and utensils. luckily, inside their makeshift strongbox were some small leather pouches left vacant from the nails he'd already plucked out of them -- he'd be able to place their cutlery in there so they wouldn't be loose in the saddlebags. he opened up one of the hip-level cabinet drawers carefully. their utensils were scattered about inside with no containers or dividers to keep them separate from one another. it's not like they had a drawer-full, though. he scooped up a handful of their utensils -- forks, knives, spoons. with more caution he picked up their carving knife, given its relatively long and thin sharpened blade. he momentarily set the blade down on the counter while he dropped their cutlery within the small leather pocket. julian closed the drawstring-top of the pouch and set it aside before searching within the contents of the drawer to find the small blade guard that hadn't been put back onto the carving knife when they had last stowed it away. once he did, he secured the blade of the knife within the sleeve, effectively ensuring it would not be able to actually cut anything. they also had stored away a small whetstone used to sharpen and hone the edges of a knife at the back of the drawer. he drew out the small rectangular block. it'd be useful in the long-run, given how they'd need to keep both their weapons and their utensils in good shape while they were trying to locate the freedom trail. in cabinets positioned higher up above the counters of their kitchen was where they kept their plates and mugs, though. he shuffled a few steps over in order to reach up and open the door of one of the cupboards. revealed inside were a few plates stacked atop of each-other, their mugs closely aligned beside the stack. he gently moved a hand under the plates to lift them out from within, setting them down onto what free space of the counter was still available from all their cluttered goods. the plates were a plain white with a delicate blue floral pattern tracing their rims. the vibrancy of the deep navy blue had faded with time and the curves of the flowers engraved on its surface were a bit more of an outline now than anything else. there were several small chips that graced the underside and top of their plates -- they'd been able to manage off of these for quite some time now, although it was evident how weathered with age and use they were. next, he reached in for their mugs. he remembered when they had picked these up from the marketplace, actually. they'd been shaped of clay by the careful hand of a marketer who made a business selling their practical crafts. they were simple, beige colored cups with a slender stem of a handle. he brought them both out and shut the cabinets contents close once he'd retrieved their items out of there.
indentjulian stepped back for a moment, eyeing everything laid out before him. he huffed. he'd managed to collect all of their cutlery in a small pouch, although most of their other possessions were kept free. the dim glow of a lantern he'd lit up earlier flickered behind him, casting a soft orange glow across the contents spread out on the countertops. outside, night was beginning to embrace the land, shadows licking at the remainders of daylight, soon to swallow the wasteland into a deep nightfall. he crossed his arms, a finger tapping the side of his forearm as he debated how to go about this. valentina would be handling more than enough with all of the different items they'd stashed away underneath their floorboards or in alcoves formed between gaps in the walls, so it seemed that he'd need to get this done by himself. he sent a small glance over his shoulder in the general direction of the master bedroom. "okay, val, i think i got most of our stuff from the kitchen. i'm gonna take some of this crap out to mars now, but i'll come over in a bit and we can cover some more ground that way. afterward we gotta make sure we've picked this place clean, too," he called out to his cousin.
indenton his first trip out to mars, julian had managed to stuff their cutlery into the same inner jacket pocket he'd been using to house their screws. that was no problem. he decided he'd first make work of their pots and pans, given they were the largest pieces of kitchenware they'd need to bring with them. so, he gathered up the pans and the pots, sticking the pans in-between the crooks of his arm and his sides while carrying both of the pots in each of his hands. slowly, julian shambled through their living room, doing his best not to accidentally drop anything with his arms full. wallpaper hung off in large chunks from the faded walls, while other parts of the wall were completely devoid of any wallpaper at all. hardly any furniture could be found within the space, as they'd sold the majority of the sets that were still in good condition several years ago. they had some small stools set aside for whenever they'd drag them over to huddle for warmth at their fire when the cold weather would roll in. obvious markings were left behind on the wall from where picture frames had once been hung up in the room, dark stains of soot taking their place. down the hallway led to the master bedroom where valentina was currently looking through all of their stowed away items. he managed to successfully make his way through the living room after several attempts of having to readjust his grip on the pans shoved between his arms. luckily he hadn't dropped anything -- if he had, he was pretty sure he would've heard a snort coming from his cousin. this only made him more careful. the tricky part was going to be maneuvering his way through their front door, although luckily it had been left open a sliver from when they'd first headed inside. he stuck the toe of his boot in between the wedge of the bottom of the door, attempting to edge the rim inwards so that it would draw itself entirely open. once it creaked forward, he shouldered past the door and slipped through its small opening before making his descent down their steps. behind him, the door hovered open in the wake of his exit. the movement at the front of the house caused mars' attention to pique, the stallions head swivelling in his direction as he tried his best to cover the space between him and the horse without losing the grip he had on their kitchenware. an eerie silence hung in the outside air, ominous given how well aware he was of the hectic state of arcadia they'd long left behind. how soon would it be before laurel oaks succumbed to that same chaos? if the lockdown rang true, then no doubt by dawn their settlement would be overrun with conclave personnel. he let out a huff of exertion as he approached mars, slowly leaning down to momentarily set their pots and pans onto the hard surface of the ground. with his hands free now, he could locate the d-rings of the horses saddle. while they already had saddlebags attached, they'd still be able to hook their wares onto his saddle so that they'd be able to bring along their cooking essentials. at the back of saddle they had already tied some sleeping bags and a tent. he leaned down to pick up one pot at a time, taking one of the rings at the pommel of the saddle. he took a hold of the small metal ring built into the saddle and retrieved some rope from within the depths of their saddlebag, rummaging around past gideon. he threaded the slim rope through the handle of the pan and secured it to the saddle with a few quick motions of his hands tying a solid knot.
indenthe'd need to evenly distribute the weight of the kitchenware on the saddle to make sure that mars wouldn't feel the brunt of their items on one side alone, so once he had also been able to secure another pan to one of the rings located at the rear end of the saddle, he slipped around to the other side of the stallion with the remaining pots. he repeated this same process of tying and ensuring the wares were snugly attached to the saddle until he no longer had either of the two pots left to to deal with. satisfied with what progress he'd made, he gave mars a pat on flank. although he could carry their cutlery on his person, he decided to draw out the small leather pouch from where it sat within his jacket pocket. julian drew upon the cover of the saddlebag, this time seeing morris. he carefully set the pouch within, careful not to disturb the resting sand-cat within. morris' large ears twitched as julian removed his hand from the saddlebag and closed it shut once again. he'd keep the screws on him, mostly just because they were already loose anyhow. the man glanced over to their house, some dim light from within being caught from their windows. it looked like it was time for round two of gathering up the rest of their goods he hadn't brought along on this first attempt.
indentjulian emerged back within their home, heading straightaway back to the kitchen. what he had left to take was their carving knife, their whetstone, their spit and their mugs and plates. now, he might be overselling himself but he was going to try and take everything outside in one go. it shouldn't be that hard, after all. he was able to store the knife away in the now-free jacket pocket of his and he could easily place the mugs and whetstone atop the stacked dishes and even attempt to add their spit atop that entire pile. he wasn't so sure whether it was him beginning to feel a bit nervous with the late time of day becoming more evident and much more concerning for their travels and he just wanted to pack up and get out of here already or if it was because he was paranoid the conclave would actually set foot out here sooner than they anticipated. either way, lingering would do them no good. however far ahead they could get of those taskforces, the better off they'd be down the line. so he put his plan into effect. he scooped up the plates and mugs and the whetstone into his hands after stashing the knife. the cups were in a bit of a precarious position given the fact he was already a little bit hasty, but regardless he was able to pluck their spit up as well. he would take the same route he had before, if not a bit more slowly this time, given how the mugs warned him shakily of their position each time he took another step. at-least he remembered to keep the door wide open this time, making it a bit more easy to cross the way outside of their home. he scampered over to mars as soon as he got outside, freeing his arms of all of their belongings and placing them onto the ground carefully. he slipped the sheathed knife out from his pocket. since valentina was going to be retrieving his own and whichever other weapons she may find, there was no need to keep the carving knife on him. it could be situated within their saddlebags alongside their cutlery. luckily for the cousins, they hadn't taken up much space within their saddlebags to begin with aside from the caps they'd collected from zio earlier, some small essentials like rope and their sand-cats. this made it a bit easier for him to place the plates within. he did have to scoot gideon over a little bit but the sand-cat was able to restore its earlier position after a brief moment as julian attempted to set the plates in a semi-slanted position. the mugs and the whetstone he would put in the other side of their saddlebags just to decrease the amount of clashing between different objects. outside the leather clasps of the bag he was able to attach their spit, given how it was a bit more jutting and long he'd rather not shove it inside the saddlebags. he picked up the mugs and the whetstone and sifted through the contents of the opposite saddlebag, placing the objects in there beside morris.
indentwith everything from their kitchen being accounted for, julian was quick to head back inside. this time, he didn't head over to their kitchen, though, instead taking a turn down the hallway. their residence was a small one, consisting of two bedrooms and a bathroom. he strode down the short hall, peeking his head around the corner of the master bedroom. inside, valentina was making progress with their more hidden goods. a lantern lit up the space, casting the decently-sized chamber in a small glow of light. the massive rug that stretched across the floor before their mattresses had been pulled back into a pile of crimson and emerald to reveal the floorboards beneath. she'd pulled the floorboards up in order to access the subfloor where many of their treasures were to be found. an accumulation of several years worth of goods sat beneath the shadowy space under the floorboards. mainly they had kept family heirloom and antiques, although they did have items intended to be set aside as emergency funds too. "val? how's it going in here? ooh, wait, lemme see," his eyes caught the bundle of jewelry she'd found earlier. the young man stepped inside the room to curiously go ahead and inspect the items. he leaned down to place a hand within the small wooden box, the lid having been left open to expose the jewelry within. julian thumbed through the different bracelets and rings and earrings, sometimes taking a closer look at some of the different gemstones that were embedded into the various forms of jewelry. "huh. yeah, these could fetch us some caps for sure," he let the chain of one of the bracelets fall from his fingers and back into the container. "i got everything out of the kitchen, i think, and mars is already set to go with all of that stuff. i managed to bring it out in two trips, so we didn't have to go back and haul it all out later. besides, i'm sure theres some more stuff to uncover in here anyway, or at-least stuff we can make a profit off of, unless you've looked through it all already. did you manage to find anything our parents might've hid, by the way? i'm still debating where that elusive ass rifle went, too, the one your pa had. there's no way it just disappeared out of thin air." he frowned, inching closer to the opening of the panel that valentina had been sorting through. he peered inside the gap curiously before drawing back onto his knees. "i mean, i guess we don't wanna be spending too much time looking for things that we already have no clue of where they might be..but still. it feels wrong to just leave knowing we might've missed something important, you know? either way, we gotta get out of here soon. it's starting to get darker outside and i don't wanna get mauled by some beast in the dead of night." for now, he'd help valentina uncover what else they had left to search if anything but he was more focused on them packing up sooner than later.
indenthe glanced back over to his cousin, as if just remembering. "oh, my dagger. you got it?"

[vaell]

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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxaviation warrant officer two. | conclave military. | tagged: kai.
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indent"right? it should be a crime to keep something this deadly shackled to supply runs," she laughed, although it came out a bit more hollow than she'd expected. the main problem within the airforce was its infamously stagnant positions and rather suffocating restrictions. the prospect of being able to engage in actual tactical piloting out in the wasteland rather than in a simulated environment was something that has garnered a bit of a bad rep in this branch of military; they say, 'some people never see the chance at opportunity' -- or in this case the frenzy of battle, not unless the conclave direly required extra support in a warfare situation. the military has a wide selection of squadrons at their disposal, and unfortunately a lot of commanding officials presiding over these formations - like captain hayrmor himself - find it more practical to operate solely within the corresponding area of the capital, focusing their attention on transportation. it's not like aerial warfare is a constant presence out in the wasteland, so they usually justify their attempts to stay on the backlines through this exact method of reasoning. if she really considered it, really tried to look from her captain's perspective, she supposed there was some truth to it all. transportation was a legitimate concern and it's not like they could just abandon cities and their requests for supplies. somebody had to do it, and statistically the handling of cargo ships was evidently shown to be not as popular a field as tactical training was. perhaps it was just strange to think that her younger brother had covered so much more ground in the airforce than she ever has and maybe ever will. his own missions were ones conducted out in the wasteland; after all, there's no reason to waste such potential, to keep him constantly tied down to the capital like any other common soldier. was it strange to be wallowing in envy even despite the fact she'd received an upgraded ship? she could be grateful for the new asset but instead it just seemed easier to take the more deprecating route. she didn't do much to quell these feelings brewing within herself, either. didn't know how to. she's only known wanting more. mina has always found fleeting joy in life and maybe that was a part of her problem; if she just appreciated the fact her squadron had been granted new ships, then maybe she wouldn't be so hung up on what she wasn't able to do. "but, whatever, right? at-least i can show it off to some extent." she added, albeit in a somewhat resigned manner. mina eyed the upper engines the bots were working on. she could hear the whirring of screws being undone and the clattering of small panels falling onto the lower-hood tray beneath the engine. her eyes flickered back to kai. something of a smile touched her lips upon his apparent eagerness to check out the inside of the ship. it wasn't often anybody showed much interest in her affairs in general so the sentiment was appreciated. "sweet. well then, just as a preliminary warning, you're gonna flip when you see the interior. and i mean because of both the instruments at the control panel and because of my sick setup." she wasn't even joking. like many of the other people still hanging about the hangar, mina was never one to pass up the opportunity of installing some quality finishes. at-least she could take pride in that. it's why she rifled through ishaan's crap sometimes, why her phone was currently flooded with hasty images of his documents from earlier this morning. he always has the newest drafts of different models of ships in development or outlines of specific improvements to the functionality of an aircraft. granted, she couldn't do much with a lot of the schematics although they often gave her some ideas for her own modifications to her ship. as unwelcoming as her captain can be, so long as she kept to her own business she was usually left undisturbed hence why coming to the hangar was a frequent event for her even outside of work. when she couldn't be with kai, then she'd be here. it was as simple as that. mina avoided staying cooped up in her house for too long, and not just to avoid the regular old boredom everyone experiences now and then.
indenther gaze shifted back down to the assistance bots awaiting instruction at their feet, their robotic heads peering up at the couple in curiosity. kai went ahead to offer one of the two bots his arm, and unsurprisingly it promptly recognized his intents and clambered up onto his sleeve. she was about to follow his own motions when the other bot had instead decided to take a gamble and hitch a ride on kai's other arm. mina folded her arms in amusement as she observed the two bots manage their way up and onto his shoulders. their heads turned expectantly in the direction of the ship. "well, look at you, a bot magnet. you see what i mean when i say its tempting to snatch one of them up? although like i said, i would assume they might be a bit stubborn at first post-capture, given what programming they must have installed for mechanics and stuff but.." she could have sworn the two bots warily shifted on his shoulder upon her comment, attention slightly straying from their fixed gaze on the ship. "pfft. nah. i would never do that. come on, follow me."
indentat the front of the slender aircraft, the upper-half of the ship had already been raised open by captain hayrmor earlier. the glass which held the cockpit had been slid up and backward, leaving it suspended atop the frame of the ship to allow for entry inside. the innards of the aircraft were left exposed although from kai and mina's position on the ground their view was rather limited. without the tinted glass that usually covered the front of her gunship, the space left for them to enter was a large one considering how much surface area the windows normally took up. she placed a hand against the side of the ships unblemished, almost mirror-like exterior. the gunship was by no means of extremely high elevation. it was designed to be closer to the ground than a large freighter; they would be able to access its interior without requiring the usage of any external objects like a ramp. mina cast a brief glance over her shoulder at kai, looking in particular toward the two bots whom were perched dutifully atop his shoulders. "be careful, 'cause god forbid the bots fall or something. hayrmor would magically appear and then he'd have a legit reason to reprimand us. 'i knew you two were up to no good, destroying government property like its so easily replaceable!'" she joked, picking up an evidently mocking tone toward the end of her sentence as she turned her gaze back toward the gunship. obviously the assistance bots were capable enough to clutch onto things pretty well given their frequent interaction with machinery, but the image of the bots losing their balance as kai made his way in the aircraft was a pretty amusing one. although kai wasn't particularly used to entering an aircraft, he'd be able to mirror her actions pretty easily to get within even with the two bots balancing on his shoulders. mina placed her hands on the edges of the noses frame, very briefly using the long armament that jutted out right beneath the cockpit in order to swiftly boost herself up and inside. one foot at a time, she stepped up onto the rim of the ship and then hopped down into the flight deck. there, she was greeted with the familiar sight of the gunships instrument panel. she shuffled behind the two seats situated at the front of the vessel to allow room for kai to join her inside. the rotatable seats were made up of a red leather, easily drawing the eye given the much more darker scheme of her gunship. much like cargo ships, gunships boast a singular command-and-control center located within the cockpit. the only aircrafts that really stray from this design are airships, given the fact they're much closer to airborne military bases than anything else. however, there was still some differences to be noted of. gunships were equipped with several targeting computers and sensor scopes, all erected at the front of the control panel. the screens usually used to identify enemy aircraft or alert the pilot of weather complications currently had darkened monitors considering the gunship's systems were offline. the main armaments on the aircraft could be directly controlled from here by either the pilot or the co-pilot. one singular holoprojector had been embedded into the middle of the panel in between the two pilot seats, ideal for both communication purposes as well as for heeding to travel routes. a large array of different buttons varying in color of both red and blue took up the rest of the space surrounding the holoprojector and extended down toward where the windscreen would normally sit -- these were all buttons that controlled the actual flight maneuver process of the ship as well as its thruster intake and lift-off procedures, known as primary and secondary controls. in gunships, the traditional switches associated with freighters or cargo ships are mainly absent, however. the instrument panels which held those buttons were replaced almost wholly by electronic displays which can be re-configured to save space. there are even various different controls dotting the stick and throttle to enable her to maintain a head-up eyes-out position on the course ahead of her. this implementation served to be an extremely valuable addition for actual combat situations given the fact that all it takes is a single movement of your finger to toggle a control or set off a strike.
indentmina stepped closer toward the front panel, giving kai a slight grin as she did so. she couldn't help but feel herself already veering a little off-topic, given the fact she had so much she wanted to tell kai and show him about the new optics of her ship. in fact, it felt like she was going to burst with all she wanted to say. "okay, i know everything might look the same to you, but gimme a chance here. i got control media now. direct voice input and a helmet mounted sighting system. meaning some controls are recognized by a point of my head, or by a single word," she casually set an arm against the headrest of the main piloting seat as her eyes once again set upon the polished dashboard. it matched the exterior of her ship, boasting a dark ebony finish with a silver trim surrounding the length of the control panel. above their heads would normally sit an overhead panel if it weren't for the currently retracted state of the cockpits windows. most of the systems-related controls were located there in the form of technological visuals, given the fact this model was mainly utilized for combat. electrical, fuel, hydraulics and pressurization could all be toggled via the overhead panel. "although i guess everything else is manual. i mean, i feel like the gunship model in and of itself has come a long way. a lot of the technical assets are all situated at the front of the craft and a lot of different controls are being converted into electronic feedback screens and whatnot. i guess it looks a bit cooler with the hatch down, but you get this gist of it. anyway, the fuselage might be a bit less intriguing than all of this. i can't say there's too much to see in there aside from what finishes i've chosen," mina once again looked toward the bots on kai's shoulders, who seemed as if they had already given the inside of the ship a good look-over from their positions. they now peered down the small chamber leading out of the cockpit rather impatiently. "but i guess that's where the real business is at, after all. maybe if you're lucky i'll be able to take you on a short ride someplace soon, and hopefully not one with any cargo onboard. like, if things with alarie go well..? maybe my piloting skills would actually be able to be of some use out in the desert, huh? i could totally teach you to man the armaments. imagine. i think you'd be a natural." she laughed, drawing back from her position over the pilot's chair in order to lead their way into the fuselage of the ship. a few curious beeps sounded out from the bots perched atop kai's shoulder as she moved along. the carpet lining of the ship was a dark gray, trimmed by fluorescent floor lighting along the edges where the carpet met the sable colored walls, effectively illuminating the inside of the ship. it didn't matter too much considering a lot of light was already flooding in from the opened cockpit behind them, but it was a feature automatic of entering the ship. they passed beneath the short corridor that connected the cockpit to the main body of the ship, the space ahead of them not entirely enormous although considerably spacious given the purpose of the aircraft. a few panels lined the back wall of the ship; it was there were the assistance bots would be able to access the more technological parts of the ship to ensure everything was truly without system failure.
indentmina headed toward the rear of the ship to guide kai over to where the bots would be able to begin to inspect the internal portions of the aircraft. although the gophers wouldn't have been able to breach the securements of the panels at the back of the main body, the manual configurations of the ship could be manipulated within. the bots would be able to detect if any specific parts of the ship had been tampered with or not; its a much more reliable method than counting on the systems automatic alerts which only takes into account major apparatus. there are various different wirings within although what was most critical for the bots to access was the terminal of the gunship; they could gain access to the systems mainframe and communicate information through it as well. the bots would need to connect with a wall socket located on the side of the panels with their interface arms. this accessory - one of the many different tools that a mechanical repair assistance bot boasted - allows for bots to plug into terminals, computers or other equipment; its an extensible arm with a rotating tip. once they'd approached the two moderately sized panels positioned relatively closely to one another against the wall, she turned toward kai to draw out a hand towards his shoulder as invitation for one of the bots to scamper down onto her own forearm. one of them instantly recognized the offer and begun carefully maneuvering its robotic legs onto her hand before then crawling down her sleeve. once it had gotten itself properly balanced, she slowly moved her arm back toward the ship's walls and pressed her forearm just below the bottom of the panel. "just follow my lead with the other panel. don't worry, the bot will know whats up. you just gotta help them out a bit, you know? let them reach the higher screws if they need to, otherwise we just gotta let them do their thing. they'll stop working and alert us if they find something wrong right away."
indentonce situated in front of the panel, the bot gave a quick scan of the compartment, the projection of a red light briefly emitting from its head. the light moved up and down the length of the panel before the bot seemed to have successfully identified what work was to be done. the assistance bot was quick to call upon its screw-driver headed arm to begin unscrewing the cover of the panel from its securement. she changed the height of her arm depending on if the bot was ready to take off the top screws or not. once it had made quick work of opening the panel up with a few whirrs and twists of its screwdriver, she took the panel with her free hand so it wouldn't clatter on the ground as soon as the bot released it from its hold against the wall. the bot had also made sure to store all of the screws within its back compartment so that they wouldn't fall onto the floor and get misplaced somehow. mina continued to hold her arm up toward the opening, admittedly somewhat warily upon the sight of a mass amount of wires now being revealed within. red and white cables were carefully bundled together and ran down the length of the interior of the panel. they were average sized in width and organized meticulously. she knew the bots were aware of how to perform their job properly and yet she still didn't want to be the one who got electrocuted through contact. but whatever. it was no different than her poking around the ships machinery -- in fact, she herself doing these sorts of procedures was probably a lot more risky even. she didn't exactly possess the same type of precision that a piece of technology does, not even with all of the years she had under belt spent inspecting and repairing ships. mina half-turned to face kai as best she could while the bot begun assessing the situation and tinkering away from atop her arm. her eyes swept over their immediate surroundings. there wasn't anything entirely remarkable about what was contained within the space. she had a smaller empty supply crate up against the corner of the furthest wall as a container for some emergency use items; stuff like first-aid kits, abrupt landing gadgets. not that'd she'd ever need any of that. she was never in the field enough in the first place. the flooring and the inner walls were obviously newly installed, and mina had opted to choose a refined look in the attempt to achieve a minimalistic style. it was something that she was keen of; a neat and tidy workspace. she respected her ship. it was her second home, after all - although if it were up to her, she'd call it her first and only. "it's pretty great, right? i mean, i guess i haven't had too much time to make more personal adjustments..although, if it were my choice, i'd want a ship that bristles with weapon emplacements. i'm talking xx-9 heavy defense cannons, pyfrit nk-7 turrets, and dual 07 turbolasers. imagine the sight of that drawing up on the wasteland, all the weaponry dotting its black hull. but it's not all just about the exterior either though; i'd make sure the weaponry is hooked to an array of auxiliary power cells inside the main body here. and ideally, i'd prefer more space than what a gunship could offer too but i guess i'm starting to sound like i got some sort of airship dream more than a gunship one, huh? i mean, don't get me wrong. i've seen officers in the nafs and their gunships, and hell, they're just about as decked out as you'd imagine, but an airship..? that's an entirely different beast. i mean, come on, you know a bit about them, don't you, mr. charmer?" she snorted, playfully nudging him in the side of his free arm with the elbow she wasn't using to hold up the assistance bot. "i'm just teasing, but for real. a person can only dream, i guess."
indentwhile it was every pilots dream to even be able to step foot onto an airship, she felt kind of strange talking about it. being born into her family, it almost seemed like she had to get to that level at some point. sometimes she wondered if the only reason why she even had interest in the airforce was because of her family. its all she's ever known; she never chose to branch out or put herself out there. her first instinct had been to take this route and she'd never looked back since. what if she was never really cut out for this, after all? maybe that's why she was hardly making progress. unlike kai's own family whom had a bit more of a diverse set of careers, her own was quite concentrated within this specific branch of military, aside from her mother, of course. she just never considered any other options. there were some days where she doubted herself and asked the question everyone does -- 'what am i doing here?'. does she really love being involved in the airforce? well the answer is; mina has no idea. she cannot decipher between whats she been preconditioned to think and what her true feelings are. it was frustrating, not knowing if you actually formulate your own true and authentic thoughts. how much of herself was just solely her family's known repertoire being channeled through her? in a way, it didn't even matter. she was in this field and there was nothing to do about it, not now -- and it's not like she had any other particular interests, either. that was a part of the problem, part of why she felt so obligated to just do the same thing as everyone else in her family had, aside from the obvious external pressure. everything surrounding her own personal opinions were constantly up for debate, though, and she'd rather not try and dissect anything for the fear she were truly posing to try and be a 'true' parekh. whatever that was. "anyway, enough about me. we've consumed enough aircraft talk. hell, it's all around us right now. i wanna hear about your work. what's news? you formulate any new prototype ideas lately?"

[vaermina]

ＣＯＮＳＴＡＮＣＥ ＡＤＬＥＲxxx
I.xdemigirlx II.xthe rebellionx III. an entertainer known as dahlia


indentconstance stared at the rusty lantern on the table. the wick's flame flickered and trembled like a dancing woman. a tightness had formed in her throat. she could not believe it. she still couldn't believe it. all six of their colleagues, dead just like that. constance and edwin had been so sure in their glee that they had escaped fort themus. they had truly believed that the other rebels bypassed the fort's defenses and fled into the wasteland in unabashed success. it had not crossed her mind even once that they had been intercepted and killed. god, she should have known better. luck is rare in the rebellion. a plan gone astray usually means something terrible has happened. base break-ins are naturally risky. you go undercover with only a handful of companions to infiltrate a large military fort that holds hundreds of conclave personnel. it's like walking into a wolf's den with the entire pack lounging inside. plenty of infiltration missions have been successful but many of them have failed, as well. it's not the first time constance has been told something like this so why did the glumness always return? deep down, she knew why. those rebels - those men and women - they had been people. they were human beings with hope, aspirations and ambition. they had fought to try and make this country a better place for the masses. they had died for their beliefs, for a cause they so vehemently supported and believed in. the fact that their deaths were in vain... it was hard to describe what she felt. every rebel is aware of the dangers associated with this line of work. the end of the line is a bloody one; most rebel deaths are gruesome. if it's not the possibility of being shot to death during high-stake missions, it's the chance of dying in some conclave prison. it's a never-ending gyrate with death itself. such knowledge does nothing to cradle the pain of losing colleagues, though. now, constance found herself wondering if they had died quick and painlessly or bled out in excruciating slowness. nobody deserves to die that way. nobody - rebel, bandit, wastelander or conclave - should write their epilogue in the form of bleeding out to death in the middle of the wasteland. it was a horrific way to go. judging by maven's words, she had protested this mission from the start. not only had they lost several good men and women but now they had to deal with the aftermath of their failed actions. hundreds of conclave patrols, checkpoints and tolls at every corner, the entire area on lockdown for god knows how long. they could not communicate with surrounding outposts or headquarters because there's a high possibility of the conclave scouting for radio frequencies in the area. they were faced with not only a crushing defeat but a high chance of even more violence spouting from this situation. constance felt frustrated and melancholic. she could not help but wonder if headquarters knew just how dangerous this mission was going to be. she would like to think they would have not sent a group of men and women to their deaths but who knows? it only seemed like the rebellion was growing more diverse in how they should approach the war with their oppressors, and it's causing people their lives. risks are expected in this line of work but surely the rebellion is not getting as desperate as to send their associates into situations where death is absolute? constance wanted to gain the upper hand over the conclave as much as the next revolutionaries but she did not want it to come at a price of a hundred lives.
indentconstance looked back at the other two rebels. edwin was explaining the situation in arcadia to maven. honestly, constance could not imagine that the culprit who took the file has put a lengthy amount of distance between themselves and the city. the lockdown had been initiated pretty quickly; there was a good chance the conclave may be able to retrieve what has been stolen from them. who would even steal a file off a dead body, anyway? there are plenty of pesky creatures who could have taken it but they could not imagine that the file would get very far if the blame were to be put on an animal. any critter would be quick to sense that the file is not edible and abandon it. it had to be a human being. bandits, maybe? outlaws are notorious for looting dead bodies. they did not really see how a bandit would find any interest in a conclave file, though. it was puzzling. constance did not really see why the conclave would think the culprit is in arcadia, either. that'd be like walking into the belly of the beast and they were sure that the government would have found the file on someone's person by now if that were the case. it was difficult to picture someone out there right now with that file, most likely having no idea of its content and how crucial it is for the rebellion's plight. it's only been missing from fort themus for half a day and already the blood of multiple people has been spilled because of it. it was obvious to constance that the file was quite important to the conclave. why else would they be acting so swiftly to get it back? constance forced themselves to smile reassuringly at the older woman. "of course. like edwin said, let us know if we can do anything to help." there was not much they could say to make the situation better. maven was tired and so are they. the news of their colleagues' deaths and the missing file is a lot to take in, and they did not want to pester maven when the woman has an outpost to command. there's only so much you can say during a situation like this, and rarely did reassurance help.
indentconstance hesitantly departed from the table. she followed after edwin as he directed their path to the upper left corner of the basement. she eyed him almost amusingly when he suggested they grab something to eat. honestly, constance had no appetite after learning what had happened to the other rebels but she knew it would be foolish to pass up on dinner. they have to take care of themselves, no matter how somber they feel. "sure, why not?" the small dining area in the upper left portion of the basement is about what one would expect from a small outpost in terms of a mess hall. a single cook feeds the entire garrison. they don't have much in terms of creativity with their cuisines. a lot of the meals served in rebel outposts consist of non-perishable food. canned goods don't spoil as quickly as fresh fruit, meats, vegetables, and dairy. the outpost would attract far too much attention if its cook traveled to arcadia every week to buy fresh groceries. constance did not care. food is food and as long as its edible, that was good enough for her. there were a few old picnic tables scattered about the floorspace that had been moved into the basement from the church's courtyard years ago. they showed signs of obvious wear but the planks weren't rotting so they were doable. apart from khalil and fairfax who appeared to be getting a bite to eat before going to check on their valiant wagon warriors, the kitchen area was empty. constance's heels clacked against the hard basement floor as she followed edwin over to the service area. multiple metal containers and pots had been set on the table alongside silverware and dishes for the outpost's occupants to help themselves. a curtain had been drawn around the kitchen itself, a sign that the cook was not preparing anything at the moment. constance observed their options alongside edwin. chicken noodle soup and tomato bisque. she decided to divert from edwin's choice and go with the bisque. she put the lid back over the chicken broth before grabbing herself an empty bowl and spoon. there was a ladle she used to gently stir the contents of the bisque before scooping it into her own bowl. she put the lid back on the container in-case someone else were to come and help themselves to a serving. the kitchen area was suspiciously quiet for being around dinner-time but she knew that rebels don't exactly stick to clear-cut schedules. the entertainer glanced at edwin once she found them a few napkins. there were a few refreshments that had been set on the table, too. a few cups of distilled water, a can or two of warm beer, some juice boxes that had been bought off from a market. she opted for the water. constance grabbed both herself and edwin a cup, passing one to him once she was able to properly shift the amount of clutter in her hands. "yep, a nice bowl of soup for all our troubles," she joked. "and the conclave claims we aren't dignified people."
indentthey found a table several feet away from where several members of their band sat. the seats creaked underneath their weight as the two entertainers sat themselves down. a lantern sat at the far end of the table's surface. constance drew their poncho tighter about themselves before glancing down at their bowl. they dipped their spoon into the soup, stirring it a bit before taking a sip. "hm. do you eat soup or do you drink it? like, you know, the terminology of it. because its content are just basically liquid apart from when you throw vegetables and other stuff into it." their random pondering came out of nowhere and, if anything, seemed like something danny would wonder about. maybe he was beginning to rub off on them. constance pursed their lips as edwin jumped straight into his curiosities. his bafflement about maven's mention of the general in arcadia today made constance wince. they kept forgetting that edwin had no idea about that; babette had only mentioned it to constance and danny. "aheh," the woman began, "don't be annoyed but babette actually told me about that earlier when we came back to the wagons with karelsa. she hadn't witnessed it but she said she heard people talking about how a general executed a group of wastelanders in front of arcadia's gates not long after we arrived in the city. i think she said it was the crusader - general cosimo amabele. i'm not exactly sure what he was doing out here but according to babette, he had tracked down a group of runaway villagers to the city. they had fled all the way from new california. i'm not sure why he had his sights set on them apart from the fact they were accused of helping rebels. he might have been searching for some information that only one of those villagers could have given him. either way, i'm pretty sure he departed with his unit right before the lockdown hit. if he had stayed in the area, i think we'd all be food for the buzzards right now." general amabele slaughters a group of rebels only to hear that suspected rebels were in the city? he'd probably burn the place to the ground right then and there. military generals appearing anywhere is never a good sign. as one of the highest positions a person can reach in the military, generals command legions and squadrons of soldiers. they rule over specific fleets of men or aircrafts and wield a certain independence in their respective campaigns and duties. typically, generals reach their positions through years of hardwork and climbing the military hierarchy. they are violent, cruel and powerful people. their presences demand fear because they do not typically bother themselves in meager situations unless it appeals to them. constance was sure that general had killed all those people because they did something to personally inconvenience him. the exact details, though? they had no idea. none of them were there when it happened. so many innocent lives only continue to be taken. none of it had anything to do with the missing file, though. the conclave will send literally anyone but generals to frighten people. generals are deployed when a situation needs to be handled, like with the massacre of valdosta and subsequent destruction of the black hand. generals are admired for their harsh work ethic, and the executive branch do not use them for petty reasons. constance sighed, stirring the brisque again. "either way, i'm sorry for not telling you. everything was happening at once and, well, i didn't want to fray everyone's nerves even more than they already were because of the lockdown. besides, you know how mikey would have acted if he overheard. he already likes to conjure up ghost stories and frighten the kids. he'd be a menace if he knew a general had been in the area."
indentshe took another sip of the tomato soup. the bench's wood dug uncomfortably into the back of her thighs. she sighed at the mention of declan waters. "oh, don't even say that oaf's name." she snorted, albeit a bit lightheartedly. "honestly, i'm not sure. probably. i mean, we've already seen how restless this feud has gotten within the rebellion in recent years. some people have been pushing for years that we need to speak their language in order to be heard. hostages, ransoms, ambushes, executions. we've already seen some of that going on on a lesser scale recently. you know, commanding officers agreeing with the vehement crowd's plans to ambush an unsuspecting envoy or kidnap some small military commissioned officer to try and hit a sore spot in the conclave. it's only growing worse. people can't agree on anything anymore. one man says we need to keep a more covert approach while someone else says we need to ramp up the aggression so we can make some progress. this situation will definitely fuel that fire. maven said we can't try and communicate with any surrounding outposts for several days. this lockdown may even result in some rebels being arrested. it'll be used as an arguing point that fort break-ins aren't enough anymore." the tides of change were coming, and they were coming fast. more and more rebels are turning to extreme methods. sure, you reach your goal by doing so but at what cost? risking more lives? unintentionally urging the conclave to increase its brutal methods against the rebellion? the government does not view the resistance positively to begin with but considering the power they do wield, they have not gone after the rebellion like they could have. constance was certainly not complaining. of course, rebels are going to be shot at if they're seen trespassing on government property but that's for everyone. and, sure, rebels can be arrested and sentenced for their alleged crimes. if you're real unlucky, you may be shot and killed right there if you happen to fall into the claws of a high-ranking official. taskforces have been created in recent months to handle files, supplies and government property stolen by the rebellion - amongst many other things - but that's about as much work the government has put into handling the rebel threat. they knew the rebels are not strong nor advanced enough to fight them head-on, which is why their approach has been so relaxed. it was the type of surface-level illusions that fooled revolutionaries into thinking they can do more and get away with it. going after conclave personnel, massacring entire forts, ambushing conclave patrols, killing anyone associated with the government. how does that make them any better than the people they're attempting to overthrow? captain declan waters is one such man who believes that the rebellion must be brutal in its thrashings. he believes that they will never get anywhere unless they speak the conclave's bloody language. and, sure, constance knew that they have not made the best progress the past few decades but that's the reason they've avoided mass destruction so far. if you go after conclave officers, ambush and kill their families on the roads, raid forts and slaughter everyone inside while also destroying everything you can get your hands on... the end result will not be pretty. the conclave does not see them as a threat - something that would probably slowly change after the events of today, admittedly - and while constance was not sure what she thought about that, she knew that such a viewpoint is the only reason they're not constantly under fire. conclave soldiers are not tearing up the hills searching for them. they'll question people who are suspected to be aiding the rebellion but they aren't mowing down villages for just being located near a possible rebel base. declan waters did not see things the way constance and edwin do. he can make even the most bloodthirsty of conclave officers tremble in their boots because he lacked empathy just as much as they do. the loss of his wife and young daughter years ago at the hands of drunk soldiers has changed him into the very person he claims to be fighting against. declan would kill any man, woman and child associated with the conclave because he saw them as one. every soldier was the soldier who bludgeoned his daughter to death. everyone involved in the government shares its same sick ideologies and they must perish for it. its a mindset that has poisoned not only the man's own heart but those who follow him and admire him. they want to wreck havoc because they have seen how havoc has destroyed the people they care about and they knew how much pain it causes.
indentconstance did not agree to that. conclave officials who willingly spread violence, misery and suffering need to be held accountable for their crimes and behavior but destroying families? killing people just because you know it'll hurt the person you really want to strike at? they were stooping to the conclave's level. he was putting people in danger whether he knew it or not. personally, constance believed they should be working to expose the top dogs in the government rather than needlessly slaughtering those who are not involved nor aware of the conclave's true and sinister mission. their knowledge of the conclave's veracious purpose is limited. judging by maven's words and what they and edwin knew of the themus break-in, that file contained incriminating information. constance was unsure of its exact contents but it must be damning to some noble names in the conclave if they're scrambling for its return. the rebellion needs to get their hands on implicating information to expose the conclave's true intentions to both the general public and its followers. anyone with a brain knows that the conclave is anything but a truly democratic organization but nobody apart from a small pool of elites knows the full story. members of the conclave are conditioned to act the way they do because that's the way they were raised. they grew up in a society that shoves propaganda down people's throats as soon as they enroll in school. but do they know everything that is going on behind the scenes? the rebellion is almost positive they don't. it has become abundantly clear that whatever plan the conclave has conjured the past few decades has begun. and such events started with the recent presidency of rehan morgan. his father was the founder of the conclave and his sister, charmaine morgan, is the director of the enclave dominion. he's a relatively reclusive figure. his public appearances are far and few in-between. many have described him as a man of purpose. everything he does has a reason to it. he was praised for his focus on work ethic, hard labor, progressive policies and conclave advancement out in the wasteland. he had greenlit the assault on the black hand once it became apparent to his cabinet that the group of mercenaries had no intentions of conforming to conclave rule. he had been the one to spearhead the fight against the terrifying bandit hoarde known as wulfgang by declaring the group as domestic terrorists. conclave society liked president morgan because he was not afraid to fight for the people. on paper, he looked like an ideal president but the reality is much more different than that. president morgan is well-liked because the presidents before him had been described as lazy, cowardly, stubborn and puppets of congress. former presidents had done nothing to deal with the growing number of bandits, violent cultists, rebels and other such people the conclave deems as 'undesirables'. there were no huge military campaigns before president morgan's term. four years ago, rehan morgan was sworn into office and suddenly, there were massive changes in terms of the conclave beginning to finally assert some level of dominance over opposing factions in the wasteland. citizens of the capital and members of the conclave liked that. they praised him and listened earnestly to his speeches and his opinions on bills and upcoming laws. he won a second term by a landslide. the rebellion knew that this was no coincidence. rehan morgan, his sister and numerous other conclave officials are involved in a much more sinister scheme that is unknown to the public. president morgan's rise to power and actions during his first term heavily reflect methods, events and actions taken by nineteenth century european dictators. he has subtly increased the power of the executive branch while appealing to the livelihoods and opinions of his subjects and citizens. he pushed for an industrialized united states; a pre-war society but molded to fit their current worldly situation. from what constance has heard throughout the many rebel outposts and bases they've visited, commanding officers are worried that sometime within the next four years, president morgan will push for an extended term based on his outstanding years in office. at this rate, he would probably get support from the general public due to their admiration of him. congress would have little to no say in it because of the president's small tweaks of executive power and the executive's branch careful manipulation of the way people viewed politicians - a shift that only continues to decrease as citizens favor military 'heroes' and scorn scheming politicians.
indentit was a frightening thought. it was dictatorship beginning to blossom. history was repeating itself but nobody realized it. president morgan had the support of not only his people but the enclave dominion and the supreme court. the rebellion has ample evidence to support their claims that the supreme court works in favor of the executive branch by limiting the legislative branch's power. they did it in a way that is not blatantly noticeable, though and only years worth of collective evidence could support such an accusation. there are plenty of cases that come before them where they favor congress but it was just a facade to limit suspicion falling before them. constance was personally convinced that the supreme court is involved in whatever the morgan family is conjuring. and charmaine morgan's dominion works to not only further the conclave's goals but to help keep their followers in line. every single dominion agent has been labeled a code red due to their strength in not only combat but their keen cunning and immoral code. they are dangerous people. they are more dangerous than the average military officer because they know what the conclave's true purpose is. constance knew that there were two agents stationed in arcadia who have been there for years: zyair asfour and hattie girensky. the rebel outposts in the surrounding area believe that the two agents were responsible for the death of seth kelly, a prominent human rights ethicist who once lived in the city two years ago. it's not uncommon for such figures to pop up across the country. wastelanders who try and publicly fight for the rights of their people by holding rallies, peaceful protests, charity events and other such affairs to help promote the well-being of the general public. obviously, they don't live for long. to this day, they suspected the two dominion agents had killed seth kelly for not only attempting to push an anti-conclave agenda in the city but also attempting to convince the people their mayor was not the genuine man he claims to be. his body was found on the banks of a creek a mile or two outside of city walls by a traveling merchant. his cause of death was deemed to be an accidental drowning after being bucked off by his horse found a few yards away but they knew the truth. corruption ran deep within the government, and the enclave has never been afraid to kill those who may be trying to thwart their plans. they aren't puppets brainwashed to serve a purpose.
indentand the purpose of the conclave? the true purpose? they are not sure. they have their theories and speculations but what president morgan's cabinet is truly seeking and their crimes of corruption are not known to the rebellion. maybe there was some information in that file that the executive branch wants to keep buried. murder, intimidation, corruption, abuse of power; the possibilities are endless. these people are obviously quite powerful and will do anything in their power to stay that way. that's why constance did not really understand declan's methods because he wouldn't be the one suffering from his actions. he could defend himself just fine but what about the rest of them? they did not know how to wield plasma swords. they did not have decades of training in such weaponry like declan. in many ways, the captain lived a life where he was one solitary man against a mortal enemy and everyone else - no matter their allegiance - is disposable. he had one mission and he aimed to complete it, no matter how many people perish during it. he was playing a very dangerous game. he was poking at the coals to a fire that has the potential to suddenly spiral out of control. if he harmed the wrong person, killed the wrong person, the consequences could be devastating. there are plenty of conclave personnel who only care about themselves but there's also plenty who adore their friends and family. they were a diverse society made up of millions of different people with different views on life, family, relationships and careers. constance had a bad habit of narrowing them all into the same box but she knew that they were not all the same. there's a matter of debate if members of the conclave all deserve to be held accountable to the same degree and, yes, they all deserve to face the consequences of what they have done but there's men and women who deserve more aggression than others. some are just simply carrying out their duties and what is expected of them while others go out of their way to create carnage. there are varying degrees and they have to be mindful of that. declan is not. most of his antics aren't even entirely beneficial to their cause. long ago, the conclave had established a law that hostages and prisoners of war held by other factions are not negotiable for release. they do not barter for hostages. one might think that was a death sentence for said prisoners but in reality, it's cut back on the amount of conclave personnel taken for ransom because enemy factions know they cannot get something out of it. that did not seem to stop declan. instead of just holding officers and soldiers for money, he simply killed them after a few days.
indentconstance shifted again before they sighed. "it's just so... i don't know. we had some success when they raided fort snow and destroyed it because of the low amount of guards and soldiers inside but i'm afraid that headquarters might be getting too bold. too bold or too anxious to start making some progress. you heard maven; she said she was against this plan from the start which makes me think that fort themus was a rocky venture to begin with. i would like to think that headquarters wouldn't have sent a group of rebels to their deaths but i can't even tell anymore. there's so much in-fighting and people not agreeing on how we should handle things. and, yeah, i know the whole spiel about death and revolution but why send a group of men and women into a highly guarded base if there was such a high possibility of failure? we take risks but we don't take that big of risks. our colleagues weren't just disposable dolls to be used to see if a mission would fail or not," the entertainer sounded rather fierce. "you know as well as anyone i would support the rebellion until my last breath but i don't want this organization to turn into a lesser form of the conclave. treating people like they're disposable, wrecking violence and havoc out in the wasteland, fighting tooth and nail with people who don't agree with you. i know that a lot of people just want us to start making progress and i do too but the only reason the conclave has grown as big as they have is because they dominate and hurt and kill. they intimidate people and they feast on people's fears. i know our more low-key approaches haven't done much but we've avoided catastrophe that way. i mean, think about it. we don't have tanks or warehouses of weapons or bots or androids or factories to produce power armor and vehicles. sure, we've stolen a fair amount of vehicles and weapons and technology from the conclave but they could produce much more than what we could steal. people underestimate how lucky we are right now. i'm not saying it's totally safe for rebels right now but we're not seeing specific military campaigns targeting us or parties searching every acre of the country for outposts to burn out. why are we trying to jeopardize that? it just seems like it's getting harder to appeal to every rebel with how we should proceed. on one hand people want us to be more violent and assertive and on the other, people want us to be low-key and quiet. one option may doom us while the other may not get us anywhere anytime soon in terms of change. i just don't want us to start sacrificing people's lives, you know? even if there's a sliver of success to be found in a mission, it's not worth it." they had to stop themselves when they realized how they were just ranting at this point. constance is someone who has a lot of opinions and they never hesitated to show that. they aren't going to just sit there while obvious carelessness is going on and they were sure edwin would not, either. they shared the same opinions on many different things. "ugh, i'm sorry for ranting. it's just frustrating. everything is. i mean, what do you think? about the fort break-in and everything? we're obviously going to have to be careful when we leave village cross. we'll probably have to be cautious just traveling through the dixon wasteland if the conclave fails to find that file. we're generally pretty careful with everything we do but you know what i mean. plus, can you imagine how this might affect our specific duties? what if the conclave begins to limit the amount of outsiders who even step foot into their bases? obviously, they let entertainers like ourselves in but they also employ wastelanders as janitors and maids. what if they start putting tighter restrictions on who can access fort grounds like how the enclave dominion refuses to let anyone but confirmed conclave elites inside their embassies? without access to their forts, we'd be screwed and a huge portion of the rebellion's insight would be taken away." obviously, constance did not expect edwin to have any answers to their unfortunate plight but they valued his opinions. they agree on many things, especially when it comes to the leadership and steps taken by the rebellion.

[vaermina]

ＶＡＬＥＮＴＩＮＡ ＫＡＬＡＪＩＡＮxxx
I.xcis femalex II.xno affiliationsx III. a wastelander


indent"yeah, sure thing!" valentina called back in response to his inquiry about his dagger. "maybe they have a few things in here we wouldn't mind parting with. we're definitely keeping those scriptures, though. i'm not much religious but it's comforting looking at the notes and doodles your ma made on the pages." she had forgotten about the small chest underneath the floorboards containing most of their parents' personal belongings.
indentit did not take long to find it.
indentafter pulling up a few more planks and tossing them aside to gather small trinkets, valentina quickly stumbled upon the chest julian had mentioned moments before. "found it!" the chest was as old as it looked. a medium-sized box of chipped wood with a broken lock, it has not been touched for a very long time. a thin layer of dust had settled on top of it. her hand briefly grazed the top of the container before she flipped it open. a cough escaped her lungs when she aggravated the dust. the chest was full to the brim of old possessions once belonging to their parents'. books, jewelry, baubles, heirlooms, letters; anything that might be considered chattels in wastelander standards. she felt a twinge of sorrow touch her heart. god, it's been so long since they've opened this box. it was painful to look through it. everything inside is just a painful reminder of what they had lost. sometimes, valentina got caught up in the mere struggle of surviving that the thought of her and julian's parents' slipped her mind for weeks on end. she missed them. she could not say their deaths had been sudden as they had fallen into the grasp of android hysteria but she had never expected to lose most of her family at a relatively young age. they had nothing to remember them by apart from the belongings they left behind. her aunt's scriptures was one of the first items she saw. she carefully took it out of the box. it was wrapped in felt although it appeared like mice and other small critters had been able to chew through the material to access the contents inside. julian's mother had always took great care of her scriptures but the past few years have not been kind to the book. rodents and silverfish have devoured chunks of its pages and dust had practically melted into its leather cover. valentina could not help but flip through its pages in doleful curiosity. similar to the bible and the christian testaments, white scriptures are a series of religious texts, writing and stories dedicated to the godly pantheon known as the order of the akir. generally regarded as peaceful and benevolent beings, the akir represent the just and honorable traits of life and the holy goodness of men. they value hard work, compassion, kindness, nature, benevolence, honor and accord. it is said that the giving of charity, the stretch of a helping hand, the whisper of comforting words, the kindness of a stranger is the akir's influence on the human race. there was a temple in arcadia dedicated to the goddess of love, moira, where priests and priestesses bind spouses in holy matrimony. she and julian have stumbled upon a number of shrines out in the wasteland dedicated to the goddess of the hunt, eostre. hunters and fishermen often leave offerings at these shrines to appease the goddess. akir worshippers are a common sight out in the wasteland. many people have lost their family's bind to older religions as the generations went on. families that participated in christianity, islam, hinduism and other such religions lost their tight connection to their faiths once the world fell into an apocalypse and they were forced to focus on survival. polytheism has become increasingly popular because they can attribute nature and earthly phenomenon to specific deities that the average wastelander cannot understand themselves.
indentvalentina could not help the sigh that escaped her lips. her aunt had been a faithful devotee to the akir. look where that had gotten her. valentina had always felt flickers of frustration back then whenever julian's mother would credit the gods for everything, or believe that the akir would dish out their own form of justice upon those who did the kalajian and moreno household dirty. valentina found it difficult to not be irritated whenever anyone tried to rely upon godly deities, an unfortunate habit that has only gotten worse after the death of their parents'. gods are not going to stop an animal from mauling you to death. gods will not stop a bullet from piercing your flesh. gods will not feed you, bathe you, clothe you, spoil you in riches. no, you have to depend on yourself and yourself only if you're going to survive in the harsh society they live in. valentina knew that religion is a comfort to most people but solace makes you vulnerable. people put too much faith in deities they cannot see and it costs them their lives. maybe valentina was just missing something here. maybe she just lacked something that those people have. truly, it did sound heavenly to not be hyperaware of everything around you. the akir sound peaceable enough if you don't take the draelyn princes into account. they are an antagonistic patheon that rivals the holiness of the akir. she did not know much about them other than the fact they represent the adversary of humanity. their followers typically engage in bloody rituals and human sacrifices, which is why the conclave has nationally outlawed the worship of their chief deity. hell, she was pretty sure one of the draelyn princes is known to have cannibalistic followers. they'll definitely have to be careful to not wander into some sort of sacrificial ritual while travelling out west.
indentvalentina set the book aside before digging into the remains of the chest. old letters and books, rusty jewelry, some clothing, artwork, knick-knacks of sentimental value. none of it looked to be of any value. if anything, the jewelry could be pawned off but valentina was unsure considering most of said jewelry are family heirlooms. she did not think any of the knick-knacks would sell unless someone was looking for something of their nature specifically. they can't take the whole chest with them, too. they had nowhere to put it. valentina decided to take what she thought was the most valuable, in terms of both caps and keeping. she took most of the jewelry, as well as some of the letters and books. the artwork and knick-knacks stayed in the box. she and julian did not have time to appeal to every vendor across the dixon wasteland. valuables like jewelry are always in demand. glass figurines and old toys? not really. she only kept a few such as a porcelain basset hound her mother had bought. she shoved the keepers into a small bag alongside her aunt's scriptures before closing up the chest and putting it back into its original position. it was difficult to leave behind so many of their parent's belongings but, like always, it was a sacrifice they had to make. who knows, maybe they'll return to laurel oaks someday and find the chest still underneath the floorboards. someone else might take up residence in this house and find it. houses don't stay abandoned for long out in the wasteland. if you decide to move and leave your shack behind, someone new will gladly move in. shelter that you don't have to build yourself is hard to come by, especially as pre-war buildings continue to crumble as the years go on. valentina knew that she and julian could not afford to be sentimental right now. if they sit here all night debating about what to bring and how valuable their parents' belongings are, a conclave patrol would catch them in no time. she knew their parents' would not want them to put themselves in that position, either. her father had always told her that material items are not worth losing your life over. granted, he probably meant that more in a sense of when you're being robbed than anything else but the point still stands.
indent"that sounds good. i think i got nearly everything in here recovered but we'll still have to check the bathroom and living room. we don't even have to waste time with the guest bedroom considering the floor has caved in in there," she responded to her cousin's exclamation. they had only stored a few things in select locations underneath the floorboards in here. some of the flooring doesn't budge so they had to utilize whatever space they could access. valentina had stored what they were taking with them in a small bag while leaving everything else in their original positions. she set the boards back into place before moving on to the next area. she neared the nightstand that sat between their torn mattresses. julian's dagger was secured to its underside. she was careful not to yank it out of its sheath as she retrieved it from its hiding spot. after resting it atop one of the mattresses, she pulled out another loose floorboard. a glint of silver quickly caught her eye. the fading rays of sunlight that shone in through the broken windows illuminated something hidden underneath the floorboards. it was tucked quite a ways underneath. the only board in the immediate vicinity that could be moved was the one she had just put aside; the rest were nailed securely in place. valentina frowned to herself before she reached in, pawing around for the source of the glint. she could hear the surprised squeaks of a few mice as they scrambled off into the shadows. her fingers accidentally destroyed cobwebs. it took her a few minutes to grab what felt like something sleek and cold. after getting a good grip on the elusive item, she pulled it out from where it had been shoved deep inside the protection of the floorboards.
indent"hey, i found it! i found that rifle!" she called out to her cousin excitedly, despite the fact he was currently out in the front yard with mars. she eagerly observed the sleek weapon. a 5.56 ruger american ranch bolt-action rifle, it looked to be in relatively decent condition despite having been stored away in darkness the past few years. it was a beautiful gun. with a stock varnished in pale ebony, its grip had the precise carving of a wolf standing in front of distant mountains. there were victorian carvings of blue steel sculpted into its frame and barrel. the trigger, frame, bolt, barrel and hammer were the same color as the carvings. the rifle was enameled in straight grain. it had a customized groove for improved bullet stability, as well as adjusted sights for better target acquisition and an improved scope for long-range shooting. a quick test with her hands confirmed it had aggressive grooves and texturing to provide a more positive grip. a suppressor had been installed to absorb the weapon's recoil. a small bag was tied to the barrel of the gun; inside its contents was some gun oil to clean the weapon as well as leather wrap that could be used to protect the rifle from wear and tear and some rounds of ammunition. the gun itself felt quite light in her hands. she held it up to her shoulder to peer through its scope. this gun had once belonged to her father but he had never used it much. much like valentina, he was a hunter and had preferred a bow for clean kills. the rifle has not been touched for years. her father had only used it whenever they would need to defend their settlement. thus, it was in good condition but it has gathered dust from not being touched in a long time. did she have any intentions of selling it even though it could fetch them a good price? nope. she knew that they had their shotguns and her bow and julian's dagger but it wouldn't hurt to hold onto the rifle. the rifle can hit targets that their shotguns are unable to, and could be used for hunting if something were to happen to her bow. if conclave goons are going to be tracking them, they need to have whatever weapons are at their disposal to defend themselves. the cousins are not as skilled in combat as military officers but they have years of experience with weaponry under their belts. they can defend themselves just fine as long as they don't allow any conclave soldiers to get near them. valentina did not want to have to test her agility by trying to dodge a knife attack or pull herself out of someone's grip. she is taller than the average woman - she's only about two inches shorter than julian - but she doubted she could do damage to someone twice her height and weight. the rifle, on the other hand, could do quite a bit of damage to an unsuspecting enemy.
indentshe carefully pulled the small bag off the barrel of the gun before slinging it over her shoulder. right at that moment, julian entered the room.
indentshe looked over her shoulder as her cousin greeted her. he did not hesitate to lean down to inspect the small jewelry box she had discovered earlier before inching closer to where she was at. valentina motioned towards the rifle slung across her back. "i actually managed to find the rifle. it was hidden underneath some of the floorboards that can't be pulled up; i'm thinkin' my pa set it there on purpose. don't know why but it's in good condition. i'm gonna keep it." her tone inditcated she was not willing to be convinced otherwise. she motioned towards the bag that she has been stuffing valuables inside for the last fifteen minutes or so. she nodded approvingly when he mentioned how mars is set up to go. "good. i think i got most of what's been buried underneath the floorboards. jewelry, your ma's scriptures, old books, some knick-knacks, small pouches of caps, ammunition. our parents' chest of belongings is still underneath the floorboards over there. i picked out what i thought we could sell and what i thought is most sentimental. the chest itself is too heavy for mars to lug around so we can't take everything. you can look through it if you want and see if you think there's anything i left behind we could sell or keep. i left most of their old clothing and knick-knacks behind apart from the ones our mothers really enjoyed and ones that could fetch a nice price at a collector's stand." what might not be sentimental or valuable to valentina might be different for julian so she didn't see harm in him looking through the chest himself if he wanted to. they just have to be mindful of what they stow on mars. carrying a crate full of glass antiques does not sound like a very good idea considering there's a huge chance mars might get spooked out in the wasteland and accidentally destroy the figurines by bolting over rough terrain. plus, they can't afford to wear the animal out. they've had him for quite a long time so he was practically apart of the kalajian and moreno household but they'd also be screwed if they had no transportation. they wouldn't be able to lug all of this stuff around on their own. it's bad enough mars had to carry two people all the time.
indentwhen he inquired about his dagger, valentina nodded towards one of the mattresses. "it's over there. here, i'm gonna look through the bathroom and see what we can take from there to stow on mars. you can double check in here or go into the living room and see if anything might be stashed in the holes that are in the floor and walls. after that, we should try and get moving." valentina was not very excited about the prospect of traveling at night but she supposed there's nothing they can really do about it. if they try and wait until dawn, they might walk straight into the arms of a conclave patrol. she did not plan for them to travel all night but just until they're a considerable distance away from laurel oaks and arcadia. their best best is to probably set up camp in the wilderness and that was also something she was not looking forward to. valentina and julian have camped out in the wasteland dozens of times but that doesn't mean she viewed it favorably. not only are animals a constant problem but bandits, hostile wastelanders and people of undesirable factions can pose issues, as well. valentina has heard plenty of stories of settlers getting kidnapped by cultists and outlaws. it was an unsettling feeling to know they could potentially face that sort of danger. and when it comes to people getting kidnapped and dragged deep into the wasteland, you have to try and save yourself. local law in every part of the country is notorious for being lousy when it comes to looking into missing people. hell, there's a section on the arcadia community notice board dedicated to people who have gone missing in the last few years. valentina has come to discover that you can't really rely on the people who are supposed to protect you for help. in the wasteland, justice is not served in the form of a courtroom and judge. people have to settle civil disputes themselves, which can often turn violent if one party feels they have been wronged. thieves are usually handled by having their fingers chopped off as punishment and murderers who are convicted are hung outside city walls for all to see. valentina is well aware of the fact there are dozens of conclave prisons across the country but it's rare to find something like that in wastelander society. people don't really do time in facilities unless they are specifically convicted under government jurisdiction. physical punishments are more common with the general public. after that, you get off with a warning and perhaps several days in a small cell if said town or city has a jail run by a local sheriff. if you keep committing offenses, though? capital punishment is inevitable.
indentvalentina knew that such a system is seen as barbaric by residents of the capital city but what did they expect? national law can barely control the population as it is. there are plenty of people out here who will murder and steal and plunder because they lack a sense of morality. wastelanders kill each other over bottles of rum and packs of cigarettes. it's true that most wastelanders have a sense of community with one another and will gladly help another person out but there's also plenty of people out there who have no qualms stabbing others in the back. valentina and julian will have to be careful in who they interact with and not just because the conclave may potentially be on their trail. there's plenty of people out there who would gladly try to rob them and she wasn't just saying that out of cynicism. even having something as simple as a horse could make you a target as someone with ill intentions and sore feet would gladly kill to have a mount to cover ground faster. living so close to arcadia has given them some protection as most people won't go out robbing near a densely populated settlement but the further they travel out west, the thinner their luck will grow. they'll most likely have to deal with situations they have never dealt with before but she supposed they had no choice. the best they can do is stay alert and keep moving when possible.
indentbut they'll figure it out. they always do.

[vaell]

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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxinr tactical intel. officer / covert ops. taskforce. | conclave military. | tagged: roland.
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indentit seemed that the two officers had wound up with little choice but to head out past the walls of arcadia after all. they were needed to investigate what a vendor claimed to be as a spotting of two allegedly suspicious individuals who might have been smuggled past one of the checkpoints during the lockdown. while this was a much better lead than what stammering, fear-filled response mayor finnall had offered them about some potential whereabouts of a rebel outpost, she couldn't help but feel a bit irritated either way. obviously you cannot expect to be able to control just about every aspect of a lockdown, although she did feel pretty strongly that something as concerning as smuggling should have been something that the personnel at the checkpoints could handle. if tainted-bloods were apparently able to go undetected through the checkpoints - mind you, said checkpoints are supposed to ensure thorough frisking, clear identification of everyone who passes through as well as entire inspections of any modes of transportation - then just how high was the likelihood that their culprits had slipped through their fingers regardless of what information this vendor would supply to them? it was a frustrating thought. the actions of their fellow colleagues did little to affect their own day-to-day lives, but she and roland could not afford such a luxury. their positions in the taskforce were riding on this mission. whatever slip-ups were bound to occur out at the checkpoints would affect them in ways unthinkable to those manning the exits of the city. in a perfect world everyone would be completely alert and on the ball, although that just was not reality. human error is bound to interplay with life no matter how much you try and create a controlled environment. most conclave personnel here today were likely fatigued, yearning to get their workday over and done with after standing about in the hot afternoon blaze of the wasteland for countless hours on end. if what information they heard from this man turned out to be accurate, though, jazmín would feel pretty firmly that said exhaustion is no excuse for making such a major mistake, one that impacted her and roland's pursuit of this file. the mere notion of anybody slipping past their security implementations was enough to bother her. she and roland couldn't be at every place at once, supervising every single aspect of the lockdown to ensure that everything was going to standard and that was the trouble. she would not label herself a control freak but considering they had squandered much of their first day as a part of the taskforce through pathetic encounters with the mayor of arcadia and the dominion agent, and later a skirmish with two griffins, was it so wrong to want something to go right today? if they were going to be able to stay assigned to this mission, they'd need to procure something of some substance for their overseer. if not, there was no telling whether or not they'd be able to retain their positions. in truth, if they did show up with nothing of actual significance, then the chances of them staying aboard the mission would be slim. by now, they should've been able to have caught someone at the checkpoints with the file on their person. the problem she had with it all stemmed from the fact that somehow, somewhere along the line, someone might have been a bit preoccupied elsewhere and managed to miss some tainted-bloods hidden away in some wagon or other. yes, she and roland had also gone a bit off track as well, but it was not their duty to be babysitting at the checkpoints. they shouldn't even have to contemplate whether or not things were running smoothly in terms of inspecting the people and the goods passing through the gates but apparently it seemed like every possible thing that were to go wrong today was going to. she didn't want to get too ahead of herself just yet, though. they still had to hear out what this vendor had to say.
indentwhat she did know, however, was that roland's earlier words rang true. completely and entirely. this situation is not going to go over well with the overseer. they had to get something out of this questioning, or else they would be completely and utterly empty-handed. they couldn't just start rambling about the potential of a rebel hideout, either. that information would be considered next to nothing in their overseers eyes. he wanted tangible progress, not just some handouts of whereabouts uncorrelated to the attack on themus. if they had to offer that explanation up they'd already be done for. nobody has gone to conduct a formal investigation on the abandoned town, and nobody has any background information pertaining to the town and its potential rebel activity. their source was the damn mayor of arcadia, for crying out loud. they'd look like fools. they'd have obviously failed to retrieve anything of use to the mission and with what pressures were mounting upon their overseers' shoulders he would not be so kind as to entertain their sad scraps of a potential lead. not only would they look ridiculous but it would be embarrassing to have been cut from the taskforce so soon, quite literally within the first twenty four hours of being on the job. of course their mission was a high stakes one; that was already evident, but still, they had a bit more dignity to uphold than that. they weren't promoted to the taskforce in the first place for no reason; the selection process was a long, meticulous one and yet they had come out on the other side. the two of them couldn't just let this opportunity slip from their hands. it would mean the ass beating they got handed today would be for nothing, too. and speaking of which? she highly doubted their overseer would be pleased if he heard about their scuffle with the griffins. not only would they be accused of wasting valuable time by not putting their foot down sooner, but also of injuring themselves needlessly. the blame would be quickly pinned on them, and for good reason, she knew. she and roland had both been fully aware of how important this mission was right off the hop and to have anything distract them from their main goal was already a mistake in and of itself. was it exasperating to have endured so much exhaustion and pain within the last few hours only to have to continue pressing onward; well, yes. again, though, it was their fault almost entirely, regardless of mayor finnall's deception. now they had to suffer from what choices they made because they had not gotten any other leads and had instead spent their time at the crash site of the cargo ship. right about now what they needed was something to keep their overseer satisfied, at-least temporarily.
indentwhen the pair had successfully parked just outside a plethora of tents sitting beyond the lines of impatient wastelanders, jazmín caught roland's glance. he let out a knowing sigh.
indentin a sense, she had been caught off guard. the attentiveness of -- the tenderness of his words -- they stirred an inexplicable sort of comfort within her, like the feeling of genuine security, perhaps. if that were a real concept to be had, then the only time she knew of it was with roland. it was a pleasant, warm sensation. although but a gentle reminder that they would soon be able to take care of themselves properly, the man's reiteration of his intent to help alleviate her pain..it was something of an anomalous conversation for jazmín to be on the receiving end of. every syllable he spoke felt like they each weighed so heavily, like a promise of sorts. she did not let the curiosity, this attempt of trying to make sense of just what she was feeling to reflect upon her features. 'i said i was gonna take care of you and i meant it'. did he know what such a simple phrase meant to her? it was hard to even explicitly express just how much his care resonated within her. so, she supposed what came easiest was a smile. she offered it to him like a silent 'thank you'; by now it was pretty evident her demeanor had softened under his reassurance. even amidst her own assuagement, though, she was still quite aware of the fact that roland was so focused on her own suffering that in the process he hardly chose to acknowledge his own. no, that would not sit well with her; she was going to make sure that he too was just as tended to as he meant to take care of her.
indent"mhm..that sounds good to me. after all, i'd like for us to try and keep our heads. and hey, i'll be alright for now, okay?" after what he had just told her, she could face another length of time to pass by even despite her pain. "and i'm going to make sure your wounds are dealt with right after this, too. i promise."
indentseveral interrogations tents had been erected on the premises just beyond the boundaries of the queues, each made up of a dark purple canvas. the couple had found their way over to one of the nearest tents while deedee had decided to remain back at the car. they were greeted with the sight of two soldiers as well as an officer clad in a beige uniform posted at the entrance of the tent's currently closed opening. inside the tent, jazmín could make out the vague shouting of a man, a bit more audible now that they had neared the entrance. he was proclaiming something or other about knowing his rights before receiving a rather quick shutdown by the threat from the woman in beige. regardless, she and roland both were quick to earn several salutes from the soldiers, even despite the apparent fuss going on about the tent. the officer's composure had been quickly regained upon their approach, and she dutifully gave them a verbal acknowledgement as well as a salute. the couple pretty evidently bore some wounds although no eyes seemed to hover upon their injuries. thankfully, roland was quick to get right into it and assess the situation at hand. she personally didn't have the best feeling about this. if the protests they had heard just moments prior were not already a telling enough of a sign of how this might go, then she'd be damned. hopefully though, for their sake, they'd be able to get through a relatively quick questioning period with some degree of ease. with all that they'd endured today, they deserved to be able to get through this man's relaying of information efficiently.
indentapparently, the vendor went by the name zio. the woman was quick to inform them of what he had reported to see; strange behavior, what he defined to be as the suspects acting squirrely and fleeing from his stall as soon as the lockdown commenced. and to add, he had never seen the two suspects act in such a way before. already she wasn't entirely too sure what to think about this. it's hard to judge the accuracy of another's perspective. could the lockdown not have sent many people into such a state? they had been reported to be acting peculiarly beforehand, sure, but still. it wasn't until the mention of their lack-of records being taken at the queues that gave jazmín a slight shift in attitude. this meant there was a rather high possibility of them having been smuggled through after all. if they could just confirm that the two had been inside arcadia in the first place with other shopkeepers, ones that were set up nearby zio's own stall perhaps, then that would be proof enough of their avoidance of the security measures. too bad that taking records at the entry tollbooths was a bit of an excessive and quite frankly tedious way to go about things -- if it weren't so ineffective in the grand scheme of things, such a measure would be an excellent idea, in theory. although again, confirming that the two had been in the city wasn't going to be the most difficult thing to do at-least. jazmín watched the woman hand roland a folder, one that supposedly contained the names, general descriptions, and facial composites of these two individuals. the officer informed them that they were cousins, living in a settlement only a few miles off from where the rebels had been killed. that could not be a coincidence, could it? she took the folder from roland when he handed it to her, promptly flipping the front cover open. inside, several different pages had been tucked securely within its holds, and just as the officer had so outlined, an array of different information pertaining to the two suspects and zio's case was presented to her as she leafed through the pages with her thumb. her brief scanning of the documents took a pause when she landed upon the sight of the facial composites. these images were reconstructed representations of the both of the two suspects' faces, based on the memory of their prime eyewitness. jazmín slightly drew forward the page directly atop this one since it was obscuring the lower half of the images. now she could get a closer look. the two faces were set side-by-side of one another, both titled respectively as julian moreno and as valentina kalajian.
indentshe was quick to flip back to the first page of the file to get a quick reread of their general database information and criminal record. surprisingly, or perhaps not so surprisingly, they both bore a clean record of any formally recorded crimes. she pursed her lips, turning a page or two to look back at the two faces again. what the hell would a pair of random cousins want with that file? did they have any idea of what import it was, or did they just mindlessly snatch it up from the dead body of that rebel back at the crime scene? the better question was, why did they think they would be able to get away with this? roland's words drew her attention once again. her eyes flickered from the papers and back up toward the officer whom was now leading them toward zio so they could ask him some questions. her fingers lingered upon the pages of the file as she fell into step behind both the woman and roland and into the tent. after having stepped past the threshold of the opening, the shift in lighting was enough for her to stall her current curiosities; she decisively closed the file shut for now. there would be no use in trying to decipher all of that information while in the darkness of the interrogation tent. a single table had been positioned in the middle of the tent, the lantern sitting upon its surface just barely giving off enough light to illuminate their immediate surroundings. the low lamplight flickered lazily amongst the gloom of the room. several chairs were pushed into the table, although across from them, one of the positions were already occupied by who could be none other than the vendor, zio. his wrists were secured to a small bar in the center of the table, handcuffs keeping him in a restrained position. there was nothing remarkable about the man himself. from what she could judge, he was definitely a bit older and from the looks of his stained leather work apron, speckled with splotches of different substances, he was just like any other tainted-blood vendor. it's why she wasn't fazed by his grubbiness.
indenta brief moment passed before the man had caught sight of both roland and jazmín. he was quick to perk up when he saw them approaching; in fact, he did not even hesitate in beginning to spout some nonsense, as if they were going to be his free ride out of this tent or something. a grin continued to form across the older man's face as they begun to approach the table. unsurprisingly, he seemed rather intent on getting out of those shackles, claiming that he would give them his own 'personal appreciations' if they would just release him. this was a normal reaction, although admittedly he did seem more sure in his words than most people tend to, as if they really would consider his offer. 'that's not something i give people often' -- she shook her head lightly in amusement as she took up one of the chairs beside roland. she placed her hands in her lap, neatly resting them atop the folder which had been granted to them earlier. with a rather neutral expression having been practiced many times over, she looked upon zio but did not offer him any response to his proposal. with both of the two officers essentially ignoring his pleas, the smile on his face was quick to vanish. it seemed he had come to the realization that he was not going to be released just as soon as he had anticipated. because of this, the man let out a groan, setting his head down on the table in defeat, beginning to despairingly mutter about how he was going to die in this tent. she eyed this display as her boyfriend informed him that he was, in-fact, not going to be harmed so long as he cooperated with them further. in a curt manner, roland then posed the idea that zio should recount to them his understanding of what made the two suspects suspicious and just what exactly had happened earlier in the day. at the sound of this, zio's head slowly begun to lift from the table. he looked between the two apprehensively, and as soon as he started to remind them that he had already done this, roland was quick to interrupt him. again. please. exasperatedly, zio obliged. as expected, he gave them a clear rundown on events. jazmín made sure to listen in carefully in order to spot any discrepancies or inconsistencies in the story he had offered the other officer, the one she had relayed to them in the first place, although she knew that of course things were bound to be a bit more detail-oriented given the fact they were hearing the story from his lips this time. he made a comment about the two cousins losing their parents awhile back and how allegedly they were never the same since. she could not help but watch his face rather intently as he spoke. there was nothing to suggest he were necessarily bluffing; no shifty eye movements, no increased blink-rate..his words were as well articulated as any tainted-blood could be expected to muster. he went on to tell them that the two cousins had been acting nervous the moment they had arrived at his stall, looking like they were 'up to no good'. apparently they had been trying to sell him a doe and were nearly on the verge of being aggressive with him, trying to sell their catch as quickly as they possible could. hm. if his words were to be heeded, then the two suspects' attempts in selling their doe as fast as possible was a telltale indicator of their guilt. zio reinforced the fact that he had experienced plenty of customers who acted in improper ways, however, so he didn't think much of it. ultimately when the lockdown came to commence, the two had booked it. and not in the direction of the main flow of travel toward the second entrance, either. they had apparently gone the opposite direction in a panicked manner, seemingly avoiding conclave soldiers. zio was clueless as to where they were headed or what they were up to, but he had to reassert the fact that it was not something good. she shifted in her seat, resting her elbow against the armrest while propping the side of her face into her palm as she eyed him. her other hand remained slung across the folder, this arm being her injured one. it was hard to tell whether or not this story was authentic or even legitimate in any way shape or form. jazmín exchanged roland's glance. she wondered what he was thinking right now. obviously, this information was more useful to them than was the measly inkling of a rebel outpost, but even then, it was still a weak lead. their source had shaky credibility and they couldn't just hinge their entire mission on his words alone. who knows his motivations, either. perhaps he was just hoping to get some people who have wronged him thrown into a jail cell. if you looked aside from the usual tainted-blood mannerisms, zio still seemed to be a bit of a peculiar man. he sounded very sure for someone who didn't have much more proof than his own sightings.
indentso, roland persisted in his questioning. what do the two suspects act like, could they pose any potential danger towards the conclave? fortunately, zio begun, albeit with some reluctancy, and expanded a bit more on his perceived dynamic of the pair. he grew to become a bit more and more vehement in his proclamations the more he spoke. julian moreno, one of the two cousins, was what he called a trickster. he robs..he tricks..he's cunning, deceptive..a lot of words with negative connotations ascribed to them. whether or not zio was exaggerating their true capabilities was hard to say. he already had a quite distinguishable manner to the way he spoke and that was one of a dramatic nature. his cuffs made a clattering noise as they hit the surface of the table as he made an attempt to gesture with his hand. he was quick to transition to addressing the woman, valentina. he gave a bit of a ridiculous take on her name and its potential ties to mafioso blood, but jazmín ignored his off-topic rambling. rather, she picked up on the world 'violent'. interesting. he described her to be dangerous, smart, just like her cousin..a shoot-first-ask-questions-later type of woman. zio also made sure to tell them to check out the backyard of their house or the stream by their settlement in the case that the cousins had a body or two buried in either places. now she could not help the slight raise of her eyebrows. he was threading actual information in with his own absurd commentary, which did not quite help in her own deciphering of facts from fiction. all of a sudden, though, something must have clicked inside of his brain. the man began urging them to write this next statement down. she straightened a little at his abrupt zeal, lifting the side of her face from where it had been resting in her palm. curious. valentina wears a necklace that has the claw of a baby sharpclaw on it. she supposed that might just be a vital piece of information, so long as the woman did not ditch this piece of jewelry. she herself stored the knowledge to the back of her mind, even despite the checkpoint officer taking notes down on a clipboard off at the side of the tent. zio's last statement contained his own opinion, that he would not be surprised if the two happened to be rebels, allegedly being 'high and mighty' sort of people. jazmín narrowed her eyes. anyone can pin the rebel tag on any person they hate. its the easiest way to make someone - or in this case, two someones - look bad. now, he might not be wrong but the chances of this were debatable. his last speech was one filled with a lot of personal takes, highly emotionally driven. she was glad roland asked his next question because of this. how do they know he is telling the truth? he seems quite set in his ways that these two are in-fact rebels but are his intents truly aligned with the government or was he just doing this for his own benefit, a petty businessman trying to get rid of some people who pissed him off somehow? if he truly was trying to enact some revenge fantasy against these two people like roland so pointed out, then he would find himself in a rather deplorable situation. their time could not be wasted, especially not now, and if he slipped up in any way to present himself in such a manner of trying to do all of this for his own benefit, then he would face some severe consequences.
indentzio was quick to fend off roland's subtle accusations in a rather fierce manner. he claimed that this was his duty, to help the government in any way he possibly could. he was coming off as rather intense in an attempt to get his point across. they only had his word to go off, the swearing of an old tainted-blood vendor whom claimed to be upholding the truth. jazmín looked up to roland as he rose from his seat. the effects of his battle with that griffin were beginning to make themselves known, given the fact she could spot the pain making itself more present in his body language. she tried not to frown, getting up soon after him once she'd collected the file in her hands. he gave zio a final warning, this time presenting a much more serious threat; a potential sentencing to cidma mine. he was within reason to say such a thing, too. they couldn't afford to have this man waste their time with lies, nor could they let such a web of deceit complicate their lives down the line of this mission. if they even kept their positions on the taskforce after today, that is. roland gave zio a rather rough pat on his shoulder, the man laughing tensely in turn, visibly stiffening under roland's touch. he must have thought he was kidding, for he looked toward both her and the other officer in the room, gesturing in roland's direction with his shackled hands. zio nervously made an attempt to dismiss the topic of cidma mine, like roland were not serious. when he did not receive any amused chuckles from either of them, he was quick to try and straighten himself out. again, he claimed his words to be the truth, furthering attempting to portray himself as some faithful servant to the lord. the checkpoint officer had remained silent during the duration of their conversation, jotting down notes on a clipboard as they had progressed throughout the questioning. she now looked over to roland and jazmín, informing them that zio would be handled from here. he would be issued an order to stay in the city boundaries for the next days in the case of further questioning if his testimony would be required for any other matters in the investigation and they were to keep the folder. jazmín needed to look through it in some more depth later, anyhow, given how they had gone straight into questioning the man. the officer's next statement was worded a bit more carefully. she acknowledged their wounds as minimally as possible while offering them some guidance; a medical tent had been set up across the way from here. field medics were busy at work tending to both soldiers and wastelanders who had been injured during the lockdown, although there were also suture kits, medical supplies, cots and portable showers in the event that they wanted to patch themselves up. her and roland would also be informed if they found anything else important regarding the investigation.
indentjazmín gave a small nod of thanks to the woman. behind them, zio was mumbling. she could hear the slight rattle of his chained hands whenever they moved about. she looked to roland. "well, i'm thinking it'd be a good idea to head over to the medical tent, considering we're done here. we can talk this over a bit more and check in with our overseer in a hour or so, too."
indentleaving the tent, the same darkness they had been sitting in for some time now also greeted them outside; the sun was beginning to slip well beyond the horizon. she noted that the queues were also much more thinned out than they had been when she and roland first arrived, too. regardless, it wasn't hard for them to locate the medical tent. it stood out from the array of interrogation tents, larger in width and donning the traditional medical cross atop the conclave sigil embedded onto the side of its canvas in a white print. two soldiers were posted outside the tent, as per standard. they each gave roland and jazmín salutes as they passed by to enter within. as she drew back the opening of the tent with a hand, inside they were met with a relatively spacious area. the main space was dedicated to those who had come in with injuries resulting from the chaos of the lockdown, both tainted-bloods and soldiers alike. there were eight cots paired with small rolling tables spread out evenly down the line of one side of the tent, and from what she could tell, only about three field medics were on site. each cot was occupied by someone. a flickering lantern sat on each cot-side table; transportable strips of fluorescent lights had been placed about the perimeter of the tents innards as well as its support beams so that the field medics could properly inspect wounds. a few cots down, she noticed that two of the medics seemed to have their hands full with a tainted-blood - she was far too young a girl to be a soldier, and she lacked any sort of armor - who was groaning in pain, clutching down at her leg. they could only see the backs of the two field medics from where stood as they attended to the girl; her injury was entirely obscured by their bodies. the opposite side of the tent had been divided up, however, sectioned off by the taut material of the tent attached to some support beams. these areas could be accessed through sealable flaps in the material. jazmín assumed it was likely that she and roland would be able to conduct their own patching up within one of these spaces. as a whole, though, the atmosphere of the tent was a bit dismal. a stark quiet hung in the air, only interrupted by the sounds of hushed conversation between the medical professionals and the groans of pain from the people laid out upon cots. following their arrival inside, though, one of the three field medics seemed to have noticed them just across the way. in his hands was some gauze, stretched out in order for him to cut the proper amount for the person he was just attending to. the harsh lights set up within the tent made the gauze appear to be a bit translucent in his hands. the medic donned a sleek grey uniform embellished with the red printed medical cross and conclave logo upon his chest. the man was now paused, though, the roll in his hands suddenly idling.
indent"oh! hello, officers. erm..my apologies for the lack of room we have to spare. i'm sure i can take a look at your wounds right away, i just need to-"
indent"no, no, please," jazmín interrupted. she noticed the look of strain across his face as he wiped away a bead of sweat upon his brow. "please, it's quite alright. we don't want to distract you. it seems like you've got a lot on your plate and we're quite capable enough. you can just direct us to the private medical unit instead." although he did not express any outward relief toward this statement, she knew he must feel a bit better knowing he did not have to take on another two patients right about now. "ah, perfect. well in that case, feel free to head into one of the areas sectioned off at the side here. we had to begin making room for more people so we started allotting some of these spaces to those recovering from their injuries. i do believe we have one free, though. its the one with the unzipped entrance. there should be suture kits and other medical supplies in a cabinet in there as well as a cot and a portable shower to be accessed from the other side of the wall, but please, do feel free to pop back in if you feel like you need to get any concerning wounds further assessed," the field medic carefully raised his bandage scissors to the gauze and began cutting across the material. "thank you for being so understanding. again, i apologize. although i do insist, if it truly is urgent.." his eyes flickered over to them warily. he had obviously noticed both their disheveled appearances and their apparent wounds. it didn't take a genius to see that they had been in a scuffle of sorts. jazmín offered the man a reassuring smile. "don't worry, for now we'll be alright. thank you for your guidance."
indentas the two begun to amble on into the thick of the tent, abandoning their position just before the entrance, she could not help but catch a few glimpses of the sorts of injuries to be found in here. if she had to assume, most of them would be as a result of the surging crowds. events such as trampling can prove to lead to severe wounds depending on exactly what was doing the trampling itself. a horse can easily kill a person, for example. she wouldn't be shocked if some of the other wounds stemmed from tainted-bloods simply just being resistant to the lockdown protocol and thus enduring some sort of repercussion from a soldier -- these injuries were not so incidental, and more justified considering that anyone should expect to see consequences if they do not want to obey the rules laid out for them. she noted that there was definitely more tainted-bloods than there were soldiers being treated in here. upon passing observation she was able to catch the sight of a man and woman with their arms slung to their chests, sitting half-propped up on their respective cots. another older man a cot down had gauze wrapped around the length of his skull. a deep red blossomed through the white material of the gauze, right at the side of his forehead. he stared at the ceiling of the tent almost lifelessly. the younger girl, the one exhibiting the most outward pain right about now, most likely had suffered some injury or other to her leg as a result of the massive crowds. her cries of pain did not falter. jazmín's attention didn't linger very long on those whom were being treated, however. soon enough she and roland were able to enter into one of the sectioned off spaces through one of the resealable flaps situated along the side of the medical tent. the entrance had been hung open to indicate the space as being free to use. she made sure to close the covering behind her after they had set foot within, briefly reaching down to zip up the length of the divider. just as described to them by the field medic, a small metal cabinet was placed in the far corner of the room consisting of two drawers most likely containing all of the supplies they'd need. it was well-lit space, given the fluorescent lighting bars attached to the four metal support beams of the tent in each corner of the room. there was a cot situated just a few feet away from the cabinet, placed alongside the wall. they would be able to access the portable showers just outside the small space via another small opening at the back of the room, as of now currently zipped up. two stools and a small basin of water were on the other side of the room, just across the way from the cot. as jazmín turned to face roland, she briefly shifted her weight onto her toes, giving the man a quick peck against his jaw. she drew back with a light smile. "i guess we'll have to check the file out a bit more when we get the chance," with said file in hand, she stepped away to head over toward the cabinet, meaning to drop their file off on top of its surface. she supposed they'd have the opportunity to look over its contents later, for right now their injuries were the most pressing matter. "unsurprisingly though, from what i saw there isn't very much on the two suspects." she set her helmet down at her feet with a huff. it felt like there was a layer of grime coating her skin from the buildup of both sweat and blood. it was an uncomfortable state to have been inhabiting for the past while, to say the least.
indentas the adrenaline begun to entirely deplete from her body at this point, so did her strength -- she didn't realize how heavy her limbs had grown, shoulders sagging, a headache building behind her eyes.
indentgod, she was exhausted.
indentone hand at a time, she sluggishly reached for a vambrance and unlatched it from her forearm, sliding the piece of armor off. she let both of them drop to the ground beside her helmet, in the process also ditching her clawed-up gloves, too, nearly tearing them from her sore hands. the pieces clattered against each-other as they hit the ground. she briefly looked down to her hands, now entirely bare. the cuts running along her knuckles were incredibly tender -- the inflamed skin around the lesions was red and agitated, although luckily there was no way that the amount of blood lost to the cuts could be more than the wound on her shoulder. so without much further thought, her hands moved to unbuckle the holster hugging her waist, and with a small click she was able to remove the belt carrying her dual pistols. the portable holoprojector she had clipped onto her holster earlier was still hanging from its position. it reminded her that they would need to check in with their overseer in a short while and hopefully not lose track time while they were tending to their wounds. the fleeting memory of snatching up a pack of cigarettes from the crash site briefly entered her mind, too. the thought made her perk up. she'd stored it within one of the compartments hosted on her belt, although considering she did not have a lighter on her right now, she only felt the dull sensation of disappointment suddenly roll over her desire. jazmín set her holster atop the other pieces of armor she had already disposed of and then leaned downward to begin working on the securements of her shin guards, reaching up to unlatch her thigh guards right after. the movement had jostled her wounded shoulder, sending a twinge of pain to shoot down her arm, although this only made her hands move quicker in an effort to withdraw the armor as quickly as possible. the removal of these portions of armor exposed her to be wearing a pair of fitted black pants. next, it only made sense to try and get the majority of her struggle over with, so her hand begun working at the clasps of her left pauldron. jazmín could feel her shoulder scream in protest when she stretched her arm forward to aid in the removal of the piece of armor. the intensity of the wound struck her quite hard considering that she had been able to keep it relatively undisturbed since they had gotten to the interrogation tents. now, though, such sudden movements were like reentering the suffering she had endured earlier. with an inward hiss, she pulled the pauldron from where it was attached, letting it too drop to the ground. without much delay, though, she was able to swiftly remove her breastplate. all that was left to do was make the careful attempt in removing her right pauldron from her arm. the ruptured metal and leather had already revealed the deep vermillion of her laceration, but when she was able to unbuckle it from her shoulder entirely, she was met with the sight of a rather sizeable tear running across the sleeve of her white button-up. the fabric had been frayed by the clean slice of the griffins talons, running the same length as the size of her wound. blood had long soaked into the fabric, staining the surrounding area in a deep crimson. the blood appeared to be partially dry, having soaked into the material although the moist feeling against her skin said otherwise. the only way she could get a closer inspection of the severity of the wound was by drawing back the material of her shirt away from her skin.
indentto be honest, she was lucky her axillary artery had not been punctured.
indentjazmín did not need to linger very long on the sight of the angry wound, nor did she want to. the extent to the breakage of skin was pretty evident; the griffin's talons had sliced a clean cut from the top of her left shoulder down, about the length of two pointer fingers. it was a deep laceration, yes, but surely not enough to garner immediate medical assistance from a field medic. it appeared that the bleeding had currently stalled, given the time from when she had first received the wound to now, although the skin around the wound was coated in red. she hadn't expected it to be a small scratch in the first place but its ugliness was equal to the pain it bestowed upon her. with that being said, it was not hard for her to peel her eyes away from the sight of the gash. she didn't want to stare at the broken skin for much longer. jazmín carefully stepped past what armor and habiliments she had left scattered about at her feet, choosing to instead divert her attention toward fishing out the medical kits housed somewhere within the cabinet. "so, you wanna guess how sore we'll be tomorrow? i think i'm already dreading waking up in pain," she remarked lightly, back still turned to the man as she peered into the open drawer. surely they'd feel the effects of their run-in with the griffins a lot more tomorrow morning than they did now. they'd both been manhandled by the griffins, and it was likely that bruises and aches unknown to them now would further develop with time. inside the top drawer she spotted a suture kit, a compact black container, as well as a deep forest green med kit sporting a small white medical cross. they would need each. she produced them both from within the drawer and momentarily sat them atop of the cabinet where she had placed their file only moments earlier. in the second drawer was stored a medium-sized bottle of alcohol solution as well as an extra supply of hand towels, cotton balls and different sizes of sterile gauze dressings. she only pulled out the alcohol solution and two hand towels, assuming they would have access to the appropriate amount of dressings within the med kit she'd found. they would always have the option of looking toward this small source of extra supplies if need be, though. she threw a small glance over her shoulder. "hey, you should sit down on one of those stools so i can take a look at your leg in a second. make sure you've uncovered the wound from your armor," jazmín straightened back up to her full height after having been bent over the cabinet looking through its contents."and i mean it, too, roland. i'm not going to let you sit there in pain while you insist on looking after me first and foremost. you know i appreciate the concern, but you just need to trust me when i say it's alright. you've been putting a lot more weight and usage into your leg than i have my shoulder." her voice was gentle yet firm. knowing them, though, she wouldn't be surprised if they ended up a tangle of limbs trying to tend to the other by the end of this. and of course she wouldn't have any complaints about the prospect of him cleaning her own wound but she wasn't going to let roland focus solely on her. jazmín collected the two towels in her arms, setting the med kit, the suture kit and the bottle of alcohol solution balanced atop of the stack.
indentafter having successfully rounded up all of their necessary resources, she finally turned to face him, displaying to him both the assortment of supplies clutched in her hands as well as a full reveal of her wounded shoulder. she slowly approached the stools and the basin, briefly pausing to lower the pile of supplies she had taken from the cabinet down onto the ground. if roland wanted to, he could too access their medical supplies where she set them. she slipped one of the towels from underneath the kits, taking a step toward the basin in order to wet one of the towels with some water. they'd need to make sure their wounds were rinsed before doing anything else. she dipped the fabric into basin with the hand that had not been free bleeding all day, effectively soaking a generous portion of the material with water. the water was neither cold nor warm; most likely it had been sitting here for some time now. after a brief moment of holding the material beneath the surface of the water, she raised it from the liquid, making sure it was soaked enough to be able to thoroughly cleanse what wound he bore on his leg. satisfied, jazmín drew back, stepping back over to where she had urged the man to take a seat.
indentwith the towel in her hand, she sunk to her knees, essentially kneeling between roland's legs as she reached her opposite hand toward the medical supplies she had set down beside her at the the base of the stool. the kits were easily accessible in range to both her and roland. the towel was placed in her lap for a brief moment as she pulled open the lid of the med kit, exposing the various different medical grade supplies they had at their disposal. there were two tins of ointment, a bottle of antiseptic, some cotton-balls and some medium-sized gauze dressings all neatly bundled up. when she accessed the suture kit next she was greeted by various different instruments. suture pullers, fine suturing scissors, a box of nylon sutures and some scalpel blades. it seemed like they had the appropriate supplies to fully clean their wounds, if not more. jazmín grasped the bottle of alcohol solution, drawing it forward while beginning to untwist the cap. once opened, she titled the bottle onto a slight angle on its side in order to get some of the liquid to spill into her own hands to ensure they were clean before interacting with his open wound. although a small stream dripped from the edge of the bottles opening and onto her palms, she didn't feel any stinging just yet, not until she had to rub her hands together with the solution. the moment the alcohol touched her broken skin she let out a small wince. her breathing slightly hitched as the solution absorbed into the cuts running across her knuckles. it seeped into the open slits of skin, the sensation bordering between discomfort and pain. she ignored the feeling as best she could, though, taking the towel laying in her lap with a single hand. the stinging caused her fingers to curl around the fabric.
indentjazmín glanced up to roland in curiosity before she shifted a bit of her weight forward, placing her free hand on the ground as she made an attempt to gain a better view of the gash on his right legs lower calf. as she leaned around to look at the back of his leg, her eyes were quick to catch sight of a rather nasty wound. a few strands of her hair fell forward past her shoulder and into her direct line of vision. she exhaled through her teeth. a small "my god," managed to escape her lips. roland had mentioned that he had nearly been dragged into the cargo ship earlier -- and obviously, this was a result of that. griffins have sharp beaks to begin with but their bills are also tipped with chiseled ends making them serrated; it was apparent just how the griffin had been able to puncture the area between what must have been his armors thigh and shin guards. her fingers carefully brushed against the skin surrounding the gash. she was heedful not to prod his injury while inspecting it. it was a long cut. obviously he had not gotten the griffin off of himself without outside intervention, although the signs of struggle were pretty obvious given the length it ran down his leg, like a tear. she wasn't sure if he had played down the extent of his injury or if it was just because he had not been able to properly assess it, but it wasn't a pretty sight. after a moment of silence, jazmín pulled back, returning to her prior position before him, drawing her hands onto her knees. as she looked up to meet his eyes once again, she gently ran a hand up the front of his leg, settling her hand to rest atop his knee. "it looks painful..i guess that griffin wasn't planning on letting go of your leg so easily. i'm sorry we couldn't look at it sooner." her hand moved upward from his knee in order to take one of his hands in her own. "here," she gave his hand a gentle squeeze of reassurance as she raised the still-wet towel in her opposite grip. "it's just water so it shouldn't sting too bad, but who knows. i'm going to quickly clean it before i apply anything else, though, alright?" aside from the actual suturing, the alcohol solution and the antiseptic cleansing to come soon after this initial cleaning would be one of the more considerably painful parts of the process.
indentso with that forewarning in mind, jazmín leaned around the side of his leg once again, much of her weight distributed onto a hand she'd placed on the ground. she slowly raised the dampened towel and begun gently patting away the blood that had been left to dry on his skin. her eyes flickered up to his face as she dipped the fabric of the towel against his skin, trying to discern whether or not she was already causing him too much pain. she had no idea just how bad the wound had been throbbing without any applied pressure, but to add her touch into the equation, she could only assume there was some heightened discomfort. she tried to be as delicate as possible, though. "this is going to hurt a little," she whispered in warning, drawing the cloth closer to the actual laceration. the hand towel was already easily bloodied from what she'd managed to mop away from the surrounding area of the cut. jazmín dabbed the wound as gingerly as she could. her own cut flared up in disapproval as she further utilized her arm, causing a small hiss of a curse to escape from her lips. she tried to divert all of her focus toward roland's wound in the hopes that she could ignore some of her own growing pain. more than anything, though, she was eager to keep him preoccupied from the cleaning of his wounds, and was quick to come to the conclusion that it might help to try and distract him with conversation while she made to clean the area further. as she spoke, she continued patting the slice of raw, open skin. "hey," she begun, her attention shifting between looking up at roland and looking back down at his wound, "focus on me, okay? can you believe how today turned out? i mean, we seriously thought that we would just be able to retrieve that file and be on our way. just think, we would've been celebrating back at fort sancus right about now instead of trying to recover from an encounter with some griffins," she couldn't help but chuckle at their current situation. it was hard not to, given the obstacles they'd come across so far. "and that vendor? tell me what you're thinking about the claims he made earlier, my love." to be truthful, she had a pretty good idea of what his response would be, although admittedly she was just trying to make an attempt to veer his mind away from the angry gash at his calf as she cleaned it. she still wanted to hear what he had to say, though. that man they had talked to earlier in the interrogation tent -- whether or not that tainted-blood vendor was being genuine or not, they really didn't have much choice in their approach to the mission right about now. they couldn't tell their overseer that all they had was a random tip about a potential rebel hideout. it would not be enough. at-least for now they had something, the potential of two tainted-bloods having been smuggled out of arcadia. while she too wanted to have made more progress on their investigation so far - thought they would have - there was not much they could do about it now. she just hoped they would be able to please their overseer, at-least for now. currently though she was much more focused on making sure roland wasn't in too much pain.

[vaermina]

ＫＡＩＲＯＳ 'ＫＡＩ' ＬＯＵＫＡＮＩＳxxx
I.xcis malex II.xthe conclave militaryx III. an android deployment & utilization warrant 2 officer


indentkai resisted the urge to frown at mina's hollow laugh. he had not meant for his comment about her gunship to hit some sort of sore spot. in hindsight, though, he could see why it would. he's never really heard anything about aerial battles out in the wasteland. the conclave is the most advanced organization in the united states and no other faction has reached their level in terms of technology and strength. sure, there are a few who have stolen conclave weaponry and vehicles but nobody has crafted their own militias from scratch. if anything, kai has really only heard about ships conducting airstrikes against coteries such as wulfgang and the odawa syndicate. the air force did not really need to worry about engaging enemy aircrafts considering there are practically no enemies to worry about. as far as kai knew, transportation and subjugation is the air force's main focus. he supposed that made sense. armored vehicles and convoys can only transport cargo and materials so quickly, and most of them are raided by rebels and bandits before they can even reach their destinations. transportation via ships is much more convenient. and of course, hegemonizing will always be a popular past-time in the air force. the primary focus of airships is to utilize them as a portable military base while soldiers and officers pioneer acres of untamed land for conclave establishment. they destroy pre-war towns, mow down villages, tear up farmland and chase out the original settlers to claim property for government forts, bases, towns and warehouses. if wastelanders do not comply with the original eviction notices, they are usually arrested and forcefully located. kai supposed there's really no other way to approach that situation. suitable sized land is usually always occupied by a wastelander or two. tainted-bloods make their homes out of pre-war ruins and like any other group, the conclave has to expand to occupy their growing numbers. sacrifices have to be made. hell, there were even wastelanders occupying the ruins of the capital city when the conclave was first established that they had to chase out. naturally, such conquests did nothing to soothe their already sour reputation. wastelanders have been living on their plots of land for generations before the conclave was founded. when the government uproots them for land development, they rip out everything those people have known. true, some wastelanders are nomadic and never stay in one place for long but others have lived in settlements and farmhouses for decades. he supposed there's no easy way to look at it. kai was not sure about destroying people's entire livelihoods but the conclave has a right to expand. he supposed that for pilots in mina's position, having such limited options in terms of career progression can be frustrating. transporting goods and cargo is a worthy undertaking but not exactly invigorating. it's definitely something kai himself would not be very happy doing for the rest of his life. he did not blame mina if she somehow felt like she was in a pointless rut right now. certain military branches such as the army and commando corps will always be needed because there will never be a shortage of demand for ground troops to keep order across the wasteland. the air force and android utilization branch? kai was not so sure. it's become so dangerous to even step foot out in the waste with androids that android squadrons were being pulled out from the field left and right, and pilots are generally not needed for aerial warfare unless they were specifically assigned to assist ground forces against enemy factions via airstrikes and armaments. kai was unsure how exactly mina was feeling about all that but it's not like he could say much to comfort her when the odds only continue to be stacked against them. he just hoped she realized how worthy she was as a pilot and that her skills will always be seen as valuable. he wanted to say that but he was not sure if he was reading her right, and he did not want to make her uncomfortable or mention something that was not even there to begin with.
indent"oh, i don't even doubt that." he glanced at the bots on his shoulders when mina's comment made them shift uncomfortably. he couldn't help but snort in amusement. he decided to hold off on adding to her comment to save the two robots from having some sort of wire aneurysm. he looked up at the aircraft. the glass of the cockpit had been slid up and backward to allow entry. the disappearance of the tinted glass made the ship's entryway almost ridiculously large. he eyed the ship inquisitively before he laughed. "forget about the bots. what about me? these two suckers can scale a ship better than i can. i'm the one who's gonna be sprawled out on the hangar floor. broken ass and broken bones and everything." honestly, he doubted her captain would show much concern. he'd probably scold them for 'screwing around' and initiating the accident in the first place. someone scolding him as he's dying? yep, sounded like something that would happen to him. his smile quickly died when she began to ascend the gunship's nose. "now hold on," he began as she started to climb. "there's no ladder or anything? a ramp? a chair i can stand on?" he glanced around uncertainly. "you guys don't have any rope i can use to just climb up indiana jones style?" the aircraft is not very high up from the ground but he wouldn't say it's exactly jumping distance, either. he was more apprehensive about having to try and swing his leg up to get into the ship than anything else. it wouldn't look very majestic for him to fall to his death in front of everyone, either.
indentwell, looks like i have no choice. he grumbled under his breath before he followed after mina. placing his hands gingerly upon the frame of the gunship's nose, kai began to ascend the aircraft by utilizing the protruding armaments as a booster. he was going slower than necessary but he was wary of loosing his grip. the bots beeped impatiently on his shoulders. kai scowled. "you two are gonna learn what it's like to be footballs if you don't stop." if they thought he wouldn't toss them at that captain's fat head than they had another thing coming. luckily, his threat temporarily fanned their impatience.
indentkai entered the gunship a few moments after mina. he perched on the rim of the ship before stumbling down into the flight deck. he had to catch his balance before he ended up barreling into his girlfriend. he huffed and gathered his composure before glancing around. now... what was he looking at exactly? he knew that the cockpit held some sort of command-and-control center but the nitty gritty mechanics were unknown to him. there were plenty of screens to make your head ache for days but they were blackened as a result of the gunship being offline. he did recognize the presence of a single holoprojector buried in the control panel. the panel itself was covered in dozens of colorful buttons. it was a lot to look at, and kai was unsure how pilots even manage to remember what does what. he supposed it's something that just takes practice. he was not a pilot himself so that's probably why it looked overwhelming to him. to someone like mina, it was second nature. he was sure she felt the same way about androids and their functioning. there were two rotatable seats of red leather in front of the control center. kai could not help but reach around and swing one of them around. the crimson color made the seats stand out against the rest of the ship's dark exterior. it particularly went well against the jet black coloring of the control panel that was bordered by bright silver trim. red goes well with everything but maybe kai was biased with that because it's his favorite color. hell, even his plasma swords were the color red although in recent years their cores have begun to develop sable sheens. the bots shifted on his shoulders as mina began to speak again, this time explaining to kai some of the new features she could now play around with. he was quiet as he listened to her. kai eyed the control panel impressively. "the point of your head? man, if we don't sneak in here one night and take this baby out into the wasteland now," he joked. the mention of different controls being converted into electronic feedback screens did not necessarily surprise him. he had no doubts that aircraft models have come a long way since the conclave was first established. there's improvements and advancements being made everyday in terms of technology. he was sure that in ten years or so, ships might even be able to command themselves. "but seriously, it all looks great. i'm sure it flies like a beast." the mention of mina teaching him how to man the armaments made kai laugh alongside her. the image of her piloting the ship while he's shooting was an interesting one. "actually, i wouldn't be opposed to that. you're gonna have to teach me what every single button does, though. i don't want to try and fire but end up clicking the button for the emergency ejection seat and go flying into the high heavens. like, imagine me taking myself out in such a stupid way. no enemy faction intervention required." he hoped that general alarie's plans end up working out because it would be good for mina to be able to actually utilize her skills. he's never seen her man a ship before but he knew she was a great pilot. she was wasting her potential doing a bunch of cargo runs all the time. he knew that wasn't her fault but god, why the hell is the air force utilizing gunships for transportation? it made absolutely no sense. enemy organizations out in the wasteland don't even have any sort of massive organized military presence, nevertheless a few hundred aircrafts that could pose dangers to the air force. if anything, mina should be stationed where the air force is focusing on providing support for ground forces who are fighting bandits, cultists and other undesirables.
indentthe young man followed mina into the fuselage of the ship. similar to the cockpit, the rest of the ship was donned in ebony and the walls bordered by fluorescent lighting. the overall aesthetic struck kai as something similar to minimalistic. they neared a wall close to the back of the ship that boasted a considerable number of panels. mina offered an arm for one of the bots to take; the robot on his left shoulder did not hesitate to inch itself onto her hand. once it managed to properly balance itself, she pressed her forearm just below the bottom of the sleek panel so the bot could access it. kai watched her warily before he looked at the bot on his own shoulder. it met his gaze before letting out a beep. "erm, yeah, okay, sure." he followed suit. he stepped closer to the opposite panel so he could raise his arm against it for the bot to access the screws. it did not hesitate to begin ambling down his limb to start its work. admittedly, kai was a bit nervous and he wasn't even doing anything. he just didn't want the bot to screw up. yeah, the possibility of something going wrong was probably a slim one. the bots were quite literally designed to work on the more meticulous affairs of potentially altered aircrafts. if they detected a malfunction out of their range to repair, they'd let them know. still, kai was just nervous. he was always apprehensive when it came to the repair of technology he had no idea about. the bot on his arm had begun to follow in the other one's footsteps. kai would move his arm on occasion when it needed to access some screws. it did not take long for the bots to uncover the plethora of wires underneath. they were red and white, organized punctiliously to avoid becoming dangerously entangled. the fact the bots knew exactly what to do was fascinating. kai watched them as they worked before he glanced over at mina when she began to talk. his face flushed when she mentioned his knowledge of airships. "jesus christ, am i ever gonna live that down? i gotta make sure mateo and his wife are the ones who decide what goes on my headstone when i die because i just know you're gonna be a menace with that. it's gonna go something like 'darling brother, loving son, devoted boyfriend, airship scholar.' i'm gonna be buried six feet under and still look special." he smiled at her. "seriously, though, it's amazing. if you had that many weapons on a ship, your ship might as well just turn into a weapon itself at that point. i guess we just have to try and keep pushing for a promotion. i mean, it's not like we even really have any other choice, y'know? you're smart, though and you obviously take great care of your ship. your time is gonna come. your captain is just a... well, you know. he probably just likes to hold petty things over people's heads and thinks that every little mistake is enough to keep someone from progressing." he reassured her. there was little he could say to help the situation considering they're both in the same boat. in the grand scheme of things, kai and mina are not even that old to be warrant officers. there are people who enlist in the military in their late twenties and don't become warrant officers until their early thirties. it was more along the lines of the fact they both hail from prestigious families who are very respected and powerful in their own careers. in kai's case, being a warrant officer but having family members who are well-known commissioned officers, influential politicians and aspiring actors is not exactly the best look. just like mina, he was expected to progress quickly in his career and make a name for himself. he knew that his girlfriend has found herself being overshadowed by her younger brother while kai himself was just struggling to get into the same league as his siblings. it did not feel very great. everyone progresses at different speeds, not everybody experiences the same career path, yeah, yeah, he's heard it all at this point. that did not make the longing for more any less significant. he knew they should be grateful of what they have but kai didn't even have anything. he did not have his own android squadron or unit. honestly, he was beginning to think he should have enrolled in the air force. at-least he'd have his own ship by now.
indenthe was surprised when the focus of the conversation turned away from aircrafts and circled back to him instead. "huh?" her question threw him off guard. he was not expecting her to ask about androids, primarily because he was just not used to such interest. his parents did not support his career so, naturally, he was not really prodded about his latest ventures with technology. his feet scuffed the floor of the ship before he looked over at the bots. "well..." he was not going to mention his uncle and how the older man has been practically ignoring his insane text messages recently. honestly, kai would probably do the same if he were in his shoes. "you know how it is with me. i'm always sketching or drawing out something. a bunch of things, actually. prototype ideas with thermal imaging, signal generators, software package updates. nothing that'll ever probably be made reality but like you said earlier, a person can dream." kai had a lot of ideas for someone of his ranking. he loved to create and improve things. and when it came to technology, the possibilities are endless. he knew that androids are pretty revolutionary in and of themselves, especially with the creation of the recent generation. the newest generation of androids are unrelated to their mechanical counterparts but were derived from modified human dna and the advantageous adaptions encoded in several artificial viruses. combined with the versatility of the human body, this has allowed conclave scientists and bioengineers to create organic androids of varying races and appearances despite the base dna coming from only one simple source. the latest generation of androids are assembled in laboratories from scratch. the skeleton is assembled by giant machines and serves as a basis for artificial soft tissues woven on top of it. such a process includes analogues for all human components: brain, lungs, intestines, muscles and so on. the unfinished model's organs are then kickstarted using powerful electric charges and placed in a fluid bath that completes the activation process by rapidly covering the android in artificial skin. then, the android emerges with the mental faculties of a full-grown adult human. after that, the android must undergo an extensive period of programming, job assignments and other tests to make sure nothing goes haywire with its functionings. and while entirely biological, the brains of lab-grown androids contain neurological implants that allow them to be manipulated by their commanding officers. these implants cannot be removed without severely harming or killing the android in question. similar to their more robotic counterparts, though, the newest generation of androids still undergo constant upgrades. their synthetic organs can be modified as extensively as bioengineers wish without the fear of complications that's so present in human surgeries. most upgrades are relatively minor and usually consist of sense enhancement, better firing accuracy, speech applications and even blood transfusions to decrease the risk of blood clots or infection. autonomous behavior and uniqueness have also begun to increase in the latest models where androids display their own sense of individuality, personalities and thought processing. each android - no matter the generation - has its own designation, a multiple-character identification code that is not only its official name but can also be used as a recall code to initialize a hard factory reset. it's not uncommon for commanding officers to refer to androids by human names, though. it's convenient and shows how a lot of personnel in this branch become attached to the androids under their command.
indent"hmm, actually, you know what? that just reminded me. there is a new prototype they're working on that has yet to be deployed. they're called venators. apparently, they're being modeled to help the fight up in the northern commonwealth against that bandit group known as wulfgang. their primary duty is to eliminate the direwolves those people ride on. you know, those massive wolves that bandits have been known to breed and ride into battle? their main weapon will be an electrical spear they'll use to impale the wolves before they can get close enough to lunge. those wolves are one of the leading causes of death for soldiers stationed up there. i think they have the most powerful bite of any mutated creature in the wasteland; they've been known to completely demolish power armor." the bandits up in the northern commonwealth are a different breed, and kai was not just saying that because he knew of his father's struggles of keeping the vile hoarde from advancing further south. they are notoriously dangerous and far more cunning, blood-thirsty and wicked than the average bandit gang. the ordinary bandit group is usually small to medium-sized, stationed out in some abandoned town or settlement where they rob people on the roads and plunder nearby communities. a well-equipped party of soldiers can wipe them out easily. wulfgang, though? it's an entirely different story. they're a massive group consisting of thousands of murderers, robbers, arsonists and undesirables who have made it their brand to slaughter wherever they go. they not only rob people on the roads but they shoot them all and burn their wagons and possessions to boot. they raid settlements and kill those living inside before adding their homes to their ever growing territory. they watch people and animals fight to the death for entertainment and displays of violence are how they show their power. they do not believe in government but rather think they should be left to their own devices out in the wasteland, that only the true and powerful will survive the apocalypse. they value strength which is why they only follow the whims of their leader, a man known most infamously as the bandit king. he had killed the former leader to claim the spot and has led the group for over a decade now. wulfgang has grown increasingly malevolent under his leadership. they have ambushed conclave patrols and even raided the forts that were in the region, stealing not only power armor but weaponry and vehicles. there were positions of leadership underneath the bandit king who helped him control his growing number of followers. not only have their sheer numbers made them such a prominent threat but their acquisition of conclave property. they ride into battle on the backs of mutated wolves, usually donned in sets of stolen power armor and purloined guns. as with most mutated animals, direwolves are considerably resistant to damage. they can take a lot of bullets and still remain standing so rapid-fire machinery and plasma swords are your best bet at killing one. it's why his father's commando legion are the ones spearheading the fight because only commandos have proper training with plasma swords. an ordinary soldier from the army would be demolished trying to kill a direwolf. if one manages to pounce on you, it's difficult to get them off. their strong bite force means they can easily crush the outer plating of power armor and access the person inside, as well. it's what made these bandits so dangerous. not only does their stolen power armor protect them from damage but their mounts can wreck carnage without the riders having to even lift a pistol. that's why rapid-fire weaponry is utilized up there because you can mow down a direwolf before it can reach you. that, and a plasma sword could easily slice it open if you manage to dodge its initial attack. kill the mount and the rider will become twice as more vulnerable.
indent"i think i have a picture on my phone of one of the first models created a few months back. my uncle sent it to me before the venators were officially confirmed by the council. technically, he's not supposed to do that but i guess it's not hurtin' anybody." hell, kai wasn't even really supposed to be showing mina any of this, either. the android utilization branch is extremely secretive when it comes to their latest projects. details surrounding new prototypes are heavily guarded for the government's sake. it'd be a disaster if anything concerning android production landed in the wrong hands. granted, no enemy faction has the technology to develop organic androids but it's better to be safe than sorry. wastelanders and opposing groups alike have already figured out how to rewire and tweak robots to do their bidding. even the most basic of mechanical androids are far more advanced than robots but the point still stands. precautions have been made when it comes to this subject. only those who are enrolled in the branch can visit android warehouses, laboratories, training facilities and bays. cell phones and other recording devices are typically not allowed in laboratories where androids are being created and tested, although it looked like his uncle has managed to bypass this rule multiple times. he supposed such safeguards are necessary although many people are more focused on destroying androids than creating more of them. wastelanders, the odawa syndicate, religious groups in general. there have been dozens of instances where androids are brutally attacked by tainted-bloods out in the wasteland. some of them are set on fire while others hogtied and destroyed beyond repair. he's seen various models transported back to the capital after falling victim to such attacks and the outcome is never pretty. luckily, it's always the mechanical prototypes for it's impossible to distinguish an organic android from an actual human being. sure, they don't age nor gain or lose weight but you'd have to be around one for a long time to notice. android hysteria is a very real thing amongst the general population. it's gotten to the point where people will shoot each other out of mere suspicion. he supposed the early actions of scientists did not help with that. before the discovery of organic androids and before the mass production of autonomous implants, the conclave would experiment with the concept of androids harboring independent thinking. hundreds of mechanical android models had various personalities and memories from former humans loaded into them. most of said humans had donated their organs - most specifically their brains - for science although a few bioengineers veered from the moralistic route and purposely extracted encephalon from conclave prisoners. they wanted different subjects than the ordinary capital citizen. these trials eventually led to scientists discovering how to let androids develop their own personas but the direct results of these experiments ushered in the existence of dregs. the models who inherited the personalities, memories and overall dispositions of said humans had their chips wiped clean once the conclave discovered a way for androids to develop their own autonomy. many of them were disposed of and destroyed but quite a few of them had managed to escape out into the wasteland. how exactly they escaped, kai had no idea. most of them were transported to specific labs across the country to be scrapped but a lot of the convoys were raided by bandits or ambushed by predators, leading to the dregs' lucky escape. many dregs have been demolished by wastelanders or hunted down by the conclave. some of them, though, have managed to find their way in life. most of them are so worn down by the elements that it would be impossible for enemy factions to capture one and try and decipher their bodily anatomy. kai found it rather interesting. the conclave has never exactly captured random wastelanders to turn into androids but that's the story that most people believe, hence the massive fear surrounding the subject. admittedly, he found that whole process to be eyebrow raising in and of itself. removing select pieces of the prefrontal cortex and connecting it to an android's neurological chip so the models are functioning with an artificial cerebrum that's already loaded with organic memories? it was curious but could be seen as disturbing, and kai was not sure how that process is even done. he believed the procedure stemmed from practices such as deep brain simulation. well, it's not performed anymore for a reason, he supposed.
indentwith one of his arms still balancing the working bot, kai reached into his back pocket to grab his phone. facial recognition granted him access almost immediately so he could go to his phone gallery and rifle through it. it did not take him long to find the picture his uncle had sent him a while back. he clicked on it before turning the phone in mina's direction so she could see. his uncle had to sneak the picture, hence its subpar quality but you could still make out what was going on just fine. there were a handful of people standing around a singular venator. standing at nearly seven feet tall, it was completely covered in flowing soot-gray robes and a featureless ebony mask that concealed its face from view. its robes hid its form completely. it was impossible to tell how bulky it was or see its external configuration. its arms were the only limbs peeking out from the layers of long cloth. permanent gloves had been pulled over its hands and up its forearms to help it keep a secure grip on the electric spear in its clutches. the men and women surrounding the prototype were obviously those of higher status in the android utilization branch and judging by the murky background, they were all standing in some sort of pristine laboratory. the venator was offline, hence its rigid stature. androids do not sleep so most of them are - ironically enough - put into sleep mode so they do not eat up unneeded energy and overwork smaller subsystems. that tends to be more prevalent in mechanical prototypes. organic androids grown in labs possess sleep mode but it's usually just used to turn them offline whenever their services are not directly needed. otherwise, they'd be constantly on alert. the venator's clothing made it impossible to distinguish what type of prototype it might be but if kai had to guess, it was mechanical. organic androids are usually registered at normal heights for whatever their dedicated ages might be to avoid suspicion amongst the masses. he looked at mina. "it's pretty badass, huh? i think they're trying to see how well they fare with using spears instead of your average gun because they want to use these guys to take down the direwolves that those bandits ride up north. my uncle said that the end goal for these venators is for them to be able to skewer direwolves with no issues before they have a chance to reach ground troops. they'll probably be tested in simulations to observe their aim, endurance, hurling abilities and what-not before that can actually happen, though. i think the reason they're wearing the robes is to keep their internal temperatures stable because it can get pretty cold up in the northern commonwealth. extreme temperatures have been known to cause a lot of issues with android mechanics." he glanced back at the picture. "i dunno when they'll be deployed. it can take months or even years for them to perfect new models. considering this one is gonna be hurtling spears, they'll probably want to take as much time as possible to perfect them so they don't accidentally harpoon a soldier in the ass or something. i'd love to command a squadron of these guys, though. i mean, imagine having a bunch of these suckers doing your bidding. one smack from them could send our brothers six feet under with no coffin required," he joked. "in all seriousness, though, i don't really care for the image of a huge ass wolf barreling down on me so maybe it's good i'm not stationed up north. jesus, we should have enrolled in the coast guard or something. between the air force dealing with griffins flying into windshields and my branch just dealing with people jumping them all the time, it's like we can't get a break. i guess we could always look forward to the chance of us maybe working together if you were ever assigned to transport an android unit. if we ever get a damn promotion, that is." he turned off his phone once mina got a good look at the picture before stuffing it into his back pocket again. "speaking of transport, you said you do cargo runs, right? is the cargo just like... stuffed in here or are there any more compartments on your ship?" he looked at the bots. "also, are they supposed to alert us if somethin' is wrong? they've been kind of quiet."

[vaell]

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xxxxxxxxxxxxentertainer / stage name 'floyd'. | the rebellion. aka 'vuledo'. | tagged: constance.
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indentwhile edwin should have been a bit more surprised that constance had already heard about the news of the general's presence in arcadia from babette, he wasn't.
indentafter everything that had happened today, he wasn't so sure what could shake him. not much could top the news maven had delivered to them just moments prior and to be honest in a way it was actually kind of nice to know something for once. while he technically had been out of the loop regarding the general up until now, at-least constance had some insight into the man's appearance within the city of arcadia. it was better than them not knowing at all. so naturally he wasn't upset that they had withheld this information from him for a short period of time. after all, he couldn't blame constance. their group had been in the middle of a lockdown and they had spent the majority of their time sitting in line at one of the checkpoint queues with two wastelanders hidden in their rear wagon, for crying out loud. he didn't expect her to carve out time for such a topic -- plus, the news of a general in the city totally would've frayed some nerves. they were all already on-edge to begin with, and hearing about a general visiting arcadia might've been a sort of tipping point for a lot of people. plus, mikey definitely would've taken advantage of the situation, as constance so remarked. the man is hilarious without a doubt but his inability to read a room sometimes really shows. "nah, i'm not annoyed. and don't be sorry, either. you did the right thing. i'm glad you're telling me just now, 'cause that would've been a bit disturbing to hear while we were still within the city. i mean, i just feel bad that only a select few people - including yourself - knew about this..it sucks to have to carry that information around while everyone else is oblivious." he truly did feel bad that they had learnt this news. judging from constance's description of what babette had told her about the general's motivations within the city, the man had been tracking down some runaway villagers to the city just based on an accusation of assistance to the rebel cause. he supposed it was funny to think that in truth rebels had been within the city, but the general would never know that. the rebellion is always here, always present, under everyones noses. its why hearing about conclave members pursuing false leads is always amusing, although that was just about the extent to which the entertainment of it all went; the general had executed a group of wastelanders in front of arcadia's gates not long after they had actually arrived within the city. now, the fact that such a situation had occurred and they wouldn't have known had babette not heard people talking about it was frankly rather alarming. public executions were able to happen and yet it was possible that most of the people in the immediate area would never even find out. how could they? the city is so large and busy, so loud that the noise contained within its walls act like a constant background din. the yelling of vendors, the bickering of sellers and buyers, the shoutings for advertisements concerning jobs..to remove these things would be to strip the city of its inhabitants, of its visitors, of its sense of life. it also meant that within the thick of arcadia, you wouldn't hear the sound of people being killed just outside its gates. not at that time of the day. generals are cruel and they are powerful; they can murder masses and find no repercussions awaiting them back in the comfort of the capital. it was wrong. he must have taken so many innocent lives, and worst of all he had tracked them down like they were some vermin to be hunted just for potentially being associated with the rebellion -- if that was his real reasoning, that is. there were likely parts of the story that he and constance were missing. they only knew the story in fragments, really, of what word had been passed around. either way though constance was right. they were beyond fortunate that he had not been present during the lockdown. edwin didn't want to think about what may have followed the initiation of the security implementations had he been there. luckily, he must have left before any measures were enforced in the city -- otherwise, things likely would have gone a bit differently back in arcadia. edwin let out a small sigh, looking down at the soup sitting in his bowl as he pushed around a thin noodle. "so many needless deaths all around us..sometimes its hard not to feel absolutely powerless."
indentbeing apart of the rebellion meant many a great things, although even those within the ranks of the organization can feel the effects of just how hard it is to try and make an actual change in this world. edwin was no exception to this feeling. as much as everyone would like to say they never lose hope, its just not true nor possible. when you're faced with the deaths of so many innocent people, people who suffer at the hands of the conclave for reasons hardly concrete, it takes a considerable toll on you. speaking on todays events, the rebels who had sacrificed their lives at themus did sign up for the risks. the mission was voluntary and they weren't random wastelanders walking by who got shot up by the conclave - although he wouldn't put that below the government at this point either - but that didn't mean it was right. they died just as unjust a death as did the villagers who got executed by the general prior to the lockdown commencing. speaking of, said people who were rounded up to be murdered? they didn't have any way to defend themselves nor did they have any control of their environment. since this had allegedly happened just outside the gates of arcadia too who was to say that literal onlookers were not present? edwin didn't doubt that the conclave, especially people on such a caliber as a general, had any qualms about killing a few wastelanders in front of their own people. why? well, what can anyone do about it? there's not much protesting that wouldn't involve a person's own death if the attempt to step in and intervene was made. again, there was that lack of control. it was a haunting thing that seemed to follow him at every corner. he knew well enough that there was nothing that he could've done to put a stop to that mass murder outside of arcadia; he didn't even know it happened in the moment, didn't see it or hear it or anything. he just wished there was something he could have done, even if he didn't know exactly what. rebels were supposed to be a sort of hero in the eyes of the people, pushing back at the conclave in ways unknown to them. they were supposed to right the wrongs, be a beacon of hope for wastelanders alike. they were apart of the stories that people whispered to each-other over campfires all huddled up in the relative safety of their settlement communities. they were rightfully held to some degree of standard because the people believed in them - to have the precarious trust of wastelanders who have been facing injustice and cruelty their entire lives was a precious thing. it is something that edwin found himself quite honored to be included in, this community trust. regardless, though, he did have his moments of doubt. not for the cause -- never -- but for the graveyards of wastelanders that they were not able to help protect. perhaps it is a wrong thing to endow upon yourself such a responsibility but in a way it was ingrained in him at this point. the rebellion is making a difference in ways unbeknownst to most people, and changing the dynamic between the conclave and wastelanders was something edwin did not take lightly. the powerlessness the average person held against someone like a general or a few soldiers donning power armor was exactly why these deaths followed him so greatly right now.
indentas expected, his mention of declan waters was enough to elicit a sigh from constance. he had to chuckle at her response. currently, the rebellion was torn by a difference in perspectives and things weren't getting better, they were getting worse. this feud wasn't new, though. for some years now people have been pushing for a more head-on approach to the conclave, meaning using the familiar brutality and cruelness of the government against them in order to try and get the rebellions point across. people believe that executions, ransoms and much more of the like would be highly beneficial in trying to carve out the organization as a much more serious player in the game. even constance's brief mention of some instances of the pressure put onto commanding officers to agree to kidnappings or ambushes from a determined crowd of rebels was a good enough example of how things were gradually changing. the attempt made today to successfully breach and retrieve information from themus would not help the tensions already arising within their organization either. "yeah, that's what i was thinking. plus, if fort break-ins are no longer satisfactory, or at-least in the minds of some people, then you can only imagine what they think will be a good method to strike back at the conclave? we already know a lot of the desired actions to be taken in terms of using more hostility towards them based on the strife we hear, but how far would be too far?" while edwin could agree that in some instances fort break-ins weren't always the most effective option - such as with today - he didn't want to think about what the next option would be. would they begin to push for an increase in actual aggression toward the conclave? he wouldn't be surprised, considering the mounting pressures to do so. the thing is, even though the mission hadn't gone as planned, how could they have predicted that those people would have lost their lives? it was tough to wrap your head around. maven had already expressed her own unsureness when it came to this particular mission; how many other people had agreed with her or shared her perspective? was the shakiness of this break-in a common doubt in the back of everyones mind? well obviously it hadn't been enough of one to stop headquarters from giving it the green light, but still. he hoped that all of those people who were seeking to change the rebellions methods knew that saying something is different than actually doing it. how many people would stick by their words if they did end up taking a more hostile approach to the conclave? he couldn't say whether or not the aftermath of ramping up their own attacks would be good or bad. nobody really had those answers, but edwin could suspect it would be bloody. right now they were getting by due to the fact that they were taking such low-key measures against the conclave. in a way, they were doing better than they should be. the lack of planned campaigns against the rebellion aside from the rather recent formation of some taskforces was something that they should strive to keep a hold of, not jeopardize through risky attempts to rile the conclave up. declan himself was a bit of a personally-driven man. he was someone who could never see eye-to-eye with constance's or edwin's own views for the most part, the type of guy who didn't care just who he cut down in the process so long as his ends were achieved. in his eyes, every single person merely associated with the conclave had to pay for what loss of family he endured at the hands of some drunken soldiers. he was blinded by his pain. the man served to be the perfect example of just how far a person can be driven to try and enact some sort of twisted revenge. what declan didn't understand was how detrimental his own mindset may end up being for the rebellion. he has quite the number of followers and they all admire him. his influence could be something that plunges their organization into a deep, dark hole that they are unable to climb out of or it could be something that he uses to bring the rebellion to the next level. unfortunately, knowing declan, the latter was a lot less likely. he would not change up his values on the flip of a coin nor would he do it even if someone informed him the potential benefits of staying a bit more undercover with their missions. how many times could you try and tell a man that there is not just one way to see things before he stops listening altogether?
indentedwin raised another spoonful of cold soup to his lips as he continued to listen to constance speak. they were completely right. if they were going to be sending out rebels onto missions in such a way that deemed them disposable, well, that was already something that the conclave did. like her, he didn't want to think that headquarters would willingly send people to their imminent deaths, although the fact that the mission at themus seemed to be one that had a high probability of failure right off the bat? it made him unsure. with the amount of disagreements and clashes between rebels on their respective viewpoints of how things should be handled, it was hard to tell where exactly where the organization as a whole was standing. collectively, they were divided, and edwin himself was hoping that those with opinions differing to those of people like declan would still be considered in the long-run. he didn't want to be overseen, didn't want their own perspectives to be cast aside in favor of more violent attempts toward the conclave. don't get him wrong, he obviously has absolutely nothing against tearing the government down, but the ways in which you do it are critical. it can make or break their progression as a revolution. the next few months would be certainly telling, even if he didn't want to consider this failed mission a sort of turning point for them. he was in total agreement with constance. they both shared a lot of the same views so its easy to get them both rather passionate on topics they care about. "seriously, though, you've got some solid points there. i mean i'd personally want us to do anything but end up as a group similar to the conclave. i mean we're trying to tear down their foundations, not adopt their ways. and just because we object to resorting to extreme measures, it's not like we don't want progress to be made. although to be honest, a lot of the time it feels like the sort of people like declan take our own suggestions and spin them into some sort of a web of how we don't want to actually take the steps to dismantle the conclave. it's just not true at all. plus i think a big part of it, like you said, is how lucky we are right now. we've been able to get away with a lot, even if we don't have a ton of advanced technology at our disposal like power armor or tanks. the thing is, when people want more bold strides to be taken, that is when we will get a target placed upon our back. if the wrong person gets pissed off, or we strike some huge nerve within the conclaves upper ranks..well then we can expect to see some sort of a specific military campaigned designed to eradicate our organization. and i mean, i'm sorry but we both know declan; once he gets a taste of some conclave blood he is merciless. it's why i'm nervous about how we're going to proceed after this. and trust me, i don't want us to start sacrificing people's lives either. there shouldn't even be a debate when it comes to a high stakes mission. i know we say benefits outweigh the risks but what if the risk is higher than 90%? i just don't think it's the sort of decisions we should be making, you know? using peoples lives just to get ahead, i mean." edwin let out another small sigh. it was hard not to go onto a tangent when it comes to this sort of stuff, especially when they'd both been dealing with each sides of the argument about the rebellions affairs for quite some time. they both knew things were going to start to shift sooner than ever, though, which is why these sort of discussions are so important to be had. they weren't going to sit back and watch as things go wrong either; they were both the type of people to raise their own judgement and question what orders are being doled out to them. it's an important sort of mindset to have for such a cause as the rebellion, after all; the ability to stand your ground and believe in what you think is right. he understands where declan is coming from but that doesn't make his methods of coping right, not when its letting it out on other people who might just be otherwise innocent besides following what orders they've been told. the conclaves sinister nature is not exactly public knowledge, after all, not to their followers.
indent"don't be sorry. you know i always love a good rant session and plus with all of the pent up emotion and strain from today i think it's good we talk things out rather than try and deal with it by ourselves. i think you read my mind with just about everything though; the break-ins and the rebellions inner conflict, it's all a mess. i wish things were a lot less complicated but i suppose it was bound to happen. right now i feel like the discourse between everyone has just been ready to boil over for so long now and i have a feeling that this mission might just be the tipping point. i guess in a way it's been long overdue, but i'm not so sure i'm ready to find out how everything is going to go down. in an ideal world everyone's contributions to what next steps the rebellion should take would be taken into account but realistically? it's going to be hard to try and talk past what declan or some other people might think, but i feel like we still have a fighting chance to make the approach a bit more balanced than just full on bloodshed, you know? but man, now that you mention it, about the bases and all..yeah, that totally adds up. we might have a lot of trouble garnering actual information from our gigs if they happen to cut back on employees like janitors or maids.." he frowned. "i can't imagine what dent that might do to us right now. we're in a vulnerable position, all because of what went wrong today. i mean, like maven said, no communication lines and we're going to have to be extra alert now that the conclave is agitated..? it feels an awful lot like we got just as bad an end of this bargain as the conclave did. i guess there's not much we can do if the conclave chooses to fasten down on their restrictions regarding who can access fort grounds, though. and to be honest with you, constance? i have a feeling that might just happen, especially if they don't get that file back in the next day or so. it seems important enough that they're going on a chase for it; i don't see why they wouldn't heighten security protocols all around." their situation was quite unfortunate right about now. they'd taken various losses today in a plethora of different ways and now they would be facing the consequences of what overconfidence headquarters had put into the themus break-in. this might mean the rebellion would lose even more insight into the conclave, such as with their own missions, performing at some bases. he had really wanted to get them booked into a larger facility soon but he wasn't so sure that they'd be able to retrieve any actual information from their visit at the base if staff was cut back. while keeping up their charade was a big part of it, they couldn't just keep performing at forts without actually gaining anything in return that might aid the rebellion. today was just one big misstep, he felt like. one that there would be no turning back from, neither in terms of those who lost their lives to the break-in nor to what might happen leadership-wise within the rebellion. things were changing and they were changing fast.
indentbehind him, he could hear the sound of chatter pick up as some of the people who'd been seated not too far from edwin and constance's own table had got up to put their dishes away. it seemed that the two of them had strolled in a bit later than those who'd already been eating in here. edwin wasn't too distracted by the noise, though. he was still too transfixed on their conversation. "who knows how long that file is going to be out there in the world. who knows if the conclave will ever even retrieve it. i'm nervous for what this is bringing, constance. in terms of actual dynamics within the rebellion, the discussions about what comes next is going to be a big one. its a huge decision to make. do we continue trying to stay under the radar as long as possible, or do we try and amp it up a notch? i mean, personally, i think there's possibility for both, but apparently nobody seems to like the idea of converging these ideas. easier said than done, i guess. and i know that right now how we're operating isn't perfect, but there are some things that should be retained. as much as i'd prefer that we don't publicly declare ourselves as a major threat to the conclave, i know somethings gonna give sooner or later with how many people have been pushing for reforms. i just think that our ability to survive thus far without being hunted down individually is a big, key point of it all, you know? of course we can adopt some more new strategies. i love change, i'm not opposed to it and i never will be, but we have to be careful of how we choose to change, if you know what i mean. we can't risk everything just because some people have an obsession with revenge." he paused to take in another spoonful of the broth in his spoon, a chuckle soon to follow. "god, now i'm ranting, aren't i?" it was so easy to keep talking about all of this that if he hadn't caught himself he was sure he would have kept going. he wanted to hear what constance had to say now though; he didn't want to continue going on and on, talking their ear off.
indent"heya, you two. how's the soup tasting?"
indentat the familiar sound of fairfax's voice, edwin paused, his spoon hovering just above the contents of his bowl. slowly, he turned to look over his shoulder. immediately he was greeted with the sight of two people standing directly behind him; both khalil and fairfax. they were looking between both him and constance from where they stood. he looked up at the pair, eyeing them carefully. "sheesh, you guys gotta be more careful. i mean you both are so quiet. i could've had a heart attack or something."
indent"well, good thing you didn't, then. be glad it was us and not mikey. he would've taken the opportunity." khalil retorted, earning a snort from edwin. that was definitely a good point. "hey, speaking of the devil, you two heading off to go check on our brave wagon warriors?"
indentfairfax and khalil exchanged a wary glance. he noted that neither of them seemed too excited to go head back out there. they both looked back to edwin and constance after a brief moment. "err, sadly, yes. i'm just hoping they don't mistake us for whatever creature that they think is lurking out there. you know, imagine they get scared and shoot us or something. i can only imagine how trigger happy either danny or mikey are," fairfax said with a sigh. khalil crossed his arms, seeming to share the same sentiments as fairfax did. "oh, it'd be our lucky day."
indent"honestly, who the hell even knows what they're doing up there. anyhow, if you two hear a disturbing amount of yelling coming from outside, please do us the favor and check in on us. it's either gonna be that, or they're gonna be running into the basement as fast as they possibly can 'cause they're scared witless out there." the two both laughed. edwin couldn't help but do the same. it was hard to tell whether or not danny and mikey were going to act as proud as they were when they had first arrived to the town, or if they'd be scampering in here because they didn't want to be stuck outside any longer. he was sure that if they had been through with camping outside, though, they would've been banging on the entrance trying to get in by now, so surely they weren't exactly freaking out yet. he was certain that would come soon enough though. "pfft. sure thing, you got it. we'll be ready to deal with a potentially unhinged mikey and danny by saving your asses from the barrel of their shotgun."
indent"we're gonna hold you two to that promise," khalil firmly stated as the two of them begun to take a few paces back from their table and toward the exit of the kitchen. "we'll catch you two around soon, alright?" edwin nodded in return as the pair turned away and then ambled their way on out of the kitchen. edwin turned back toward constance, looking down into what remained of his soup. something of an afterthought popped into his head, completely unrelated to any of the things that they had been talking about for the past while.
indent"oh. by the way, i think it depends. you know, the soup thing. i mean, if it's just broth, how can you eat it? it's just drinking the liquid right? but if theres like, stuff in the soup, like noodles or vegetables, then i'd say its more eating than drinking, if that makes sense." he paused, eyes flickering up to her in a playful uncertainty. "if you disagree, i don't know if we can continue this friendship..i mean.." he stirred the soup in his bowl, unable to keep the side of his mouth from quirking upward into a smile. "kidding. i wonder what those two bozos are actually up to, though. i mean what the hell have they been doing this whole time? they must be starved. i bet you the first place they'll hit up is the kitchen. that, or maybe they'll pass out right away. depends on how depleting their so-called fending off of wicked creatures outside was, i suppose. oh, wait. actually, i've got a good guess; they're going to make up some super exaggerated story about how they encountered an elusive creature and managed to hold down the fort. i wouldn't be surprised if danny implemented it as one of his new stories to warn people about the dangers of the wasteland and how important it is to be able to fend for yourself. eh, either way, i guess we'll find out in a few minutes." edwin was sure that he could predict the older man pretty well. he was also quite certain that they'd hear some sort of overly warped version of their stay outside village cross sometime in the future. he reached forward for the cup of water they'd retrieved earlier, taking a few sips of the liquid before setting the cup back down again. "for now, though, i'm more interested about what might be on the line for the rebellion as a whole. just how much are we going to be setback by all of these security precautions, do you think? i mean like you said, the consequences of the conclave losing this file could interfere with our own work. we manage to get a lot of information from bases while we're visiting them and to think that might be taken away from us? it's something we can't afford to lose, especially not now. and when it comes to our differences as an organization as a whole, i just wish we could find some sort of a common-ground, like i said before. i guess that's probably the hardest thing to ask for in a situation like this, but you know what i mean. call it controlled aggression, maybe. we ramp things up a bit while making sure the conclave doesn't deem us a threat enough to go after us and try to exterminate the rebellion. we're obviously much more of a threat than they know and it'd be best to keep hidden like that, no? there's no reason why we need to even make it so publicly known that we could take them on. i guess it'd cement us as needing to be taken seriously by them but i don't want to risk everything we've worked for. we've been through a lot, we've seen a lot and while we need change right now, we have to be careful, especially while we have to hunker down for some amount of time. what do you think? i mean, if we did want to propose something a bit moderate yet still a progression from fort break-ins, what would your mind go to? i guess it's kind of hard to draw that line. what a person considers intense or moderate, i mean. like declan, for example. he wouldn't claim most of his opinions to be too extreme, so i guess its all about perspective and values. to him, ambushes and executions and ransom are all just a part of the fight. i get it, i guess, but theres gotta be a better way, an alternative. oh, and circling back to our operations; how do you think headquarters would respond if the conclave did decide to fasten their security on base grounds? we'd need to find another method to effectively dig into what the conclave is up to, but tell me why that guides me to the same thought of a more aggressive tactic, yet again? why does it all just just seem to lead down that route? i guess maybe i'm just starting to imagine every argument to be made in favor of us becoming more bold of a group at this point. mostly though, i want our voices to be heard amongst everyone else's, and i know we'll make our points pretty clear no matter what. after all we can't just sit by while we watch the values and goals of the rebellion crumble into that of a mini conclave." edwin knew constance didn't hold the key to all of his answers, nor might she even have a particular idea about how exactly they should move forward just yet, but it was worth beginning to talk about. they were often on the same page of things and when the time would come for them to express their own opinions it'd be best if they had some concrete options to the more brutal ways of declan and his like-minded followers. the thing about constance and edwin was that they did not let up so easily. they would take a stand for what they believed in, even if they were outnumbered. their passion and determination are both so strong; they are not the type of people to idly stand by as decisions are made for them.

[vaell]

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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxa wastelander / future rebel. | unaffiliated. | tagged: valentina.
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indentwhen valentina gestured toward the rifle slung across her back, julian's gaze immediately landed upon her newly found weapon. as far as he could tell it was in good condition considering the fact that she had apparently discovered it stowed away beneath some of the floorboards unable to be pulled up. he could spot that at its grip the rifle was detailed with the inscriptions of a wolf set before some distant mountains. while the rifle was varnished in a pale ebony color, a majority of its components boasted the same coloring as the victorian carvings that had been sculpted into the frame and barrel, a striking blue. he noted that a suppressor had been installed on the rifle as well as a scope for long-range shooting. a light smile touched his lips as he eyed the rifle positioned across his cousins back. "man that is sick. i'm glad you could find it after all. it would've been a shame to leave it behind. its more beautiful than i remember, too." judging by the firmness of her words, he could tell that she was not going to part with it -- at-least, not by choice. it had been her pa's weapon, one that both he and valentina had been unable to uncover for some time now. he supposed they just never really had the time to try and do a full on search of their house, not when they were too preoccupied with trying to make ends meet. he could remember that his uncle hadn't used the weapon very much, if it weren't already telling by its obvious lack of wear. the man was similar to valentina in that way, preferring to stick to using a bow for hunting. julian himself felt like he wasn't too shabby when it came to archery although he could not rival his cousin, not with what amounts of experience she had over him. personally, if he had the option his shotgun was what he considered to be his best bet when it came to hunting down most creatures, although he could still handle working with a bow fairly well if need be. despite the fact that he could spend more time admiring the intricate carvings of the rifle from afar, valentina shortly redirected his attention toward the bag that she had begun setting their valuables inside while he had been running in and out of the kitchen like a madman. her next words elicited a small nod from him. she had listed off most of the goods he himself would have recovered from beneath the floorboards. the scriptures he'd mentioned earlier, the jewelry, some small deposits of caps, ammunition, a few knick-knacks she felt were worth keeping around, and a few old books too. julian knew that within the chest that housed their parents' belongings, there wouldn't be much more else in there besides some old clothes and trinkets, so he supposed he would trust valentina's judgement. she had mentioned that she plucked out what she believed to be as sentimental, or what may just fetch a good price at a market -- and if there wasn't much else left, then he didn't want to bother rummaging around in that old chest again. to be honest, he just didn't want to face its contents, or more specifically, the memories associated with those material goods.
indentit might've done him some good to go take a peak within the chest, but he could not bring himself to bother. that chest had gone long untouched by the two cousins for some time now and he wasn't planning on trying to make parting with their things any harder than it already was. julian personally didn't place very much significance onto material goods in general but obviously things were a bit different when it came to their parents. he feared he might be tempted to lug around objects that were practically useless to them and their trip out west, and that would do nothing but weigh them and mars down. "eh, i think it's alright. i'm sure you picked out all the same stuff i would have, and plus, we gotta get moving. digging around in that chest for the next while wouldn't do us much good." usually, they didn't have to confront the deaths of their parents, so it's not wonder why he didn't exactly jump at the idea of looking through their old belongings. he was glad that valentina had managed to make some peace between letting go of a lot of their things, though; it was always going to be a bittersweet thought to have abandoned some of their parents' possessions but who knows whether or not that chest would be uncovered by someone else while their house became vacant. at-least they had retained a good portion of their most valued goods. that way they didn't have to feel too upset about leaving some of their other items behind. valentina was quick to direct him in the direction of his dagger. he looked over at the mattress as she nodded toward it. he could see the holstered weapon lying atop the battered surface of the bed. "ah sweet, thank you!" julian sprung up from where he had been crouching, making his way over to the mattress. as he did so, valentina went on to state that she was going to go ahead and inspect the bathroom next. "hm. then yeah, i'll check out the living room. that works for me. besides the sooner we're outta here, the better." he scooped up the knife from where it had been awaiting him. inside of a leather sheath engraved with some stitched detailing was where he kept his steel bladed dagger. the work on the cover had actually been done by an arcadian vendor who'd been selling the weapon. he observed the blade as he half slid it out from its sheath to observe its current state. it had a brass guard and pommel with blue and brass spacers, several grooves also running along its hilt. it was a blade about six inches in measure, ten including the hilt. although it had not been passed onto him from either of his parents, his father had gifted it to him at a young age. it was arguably one of his most valuable belongings. when he wasn't carrying it, he always made sure to tuck it away in some hiding place or other, just like where valentina had found it strapped beneath their wobbly nightstand. he couldn't afford to lose it -- he knew that at the time, his father had paid a considerable fee to buy the damned thing from a stubborn seller who clearly had some sort of attachment to the weapon. mostly he kept it on his person for protection, just in the case that he may need to draw it out in close quarters, although clearly today he had been in too much of a rush to have remembered. his shotgun was reliable enough, obviously, but it was still nice to bring the dagger along. he didn't blame himself though; he wasn't sure that he had been able to form a coherent thought since they'd stumbled across those dead bodies of rebels earlier this morning. despite its years, he's been able to keep the dagger in a fairly decent condition, all things considered. julian slid the blade back into its original position within the decorated hilt.
indenthe turned back toward his cousin, slowly ambling around the mattress to pass by her. "if i find anything super interesting, i'll shout. you do the same," julian headed over toward the entrance of the room. "i'll see you in a bit, either way. right now, it's time to disturb some more of those little rodent families living in our walls."
indenttheir living room was considerably one of the most desolate spaces of their entire house. it was devoid of just about any furniture, aside from some small stools set at the side of the room and an old, busted wooden table. their sets of furniture had been sold ages ago in order to get them some more caps while the pieces were still in good condition. if they had not sold them right away, time and wear would have inevitably gnawed at the seams of cushioned chairs and eroded their value. the table they had kept was barely stable; one of its legs were positioned haphazardly against the wall it was set by. the leg hung at a precarious angle although they had managed to keep the table upright by their careful placement of the piece of furniture. obviously, they didn't exactly have anything lying about on its surface. it wasn't even that large of a table to begin with but they didn't frequently use it regardless. the faded wallpaper that lined the walls of the living room were mostly peeling off in thick chunks by now; several holes in the walls were easily identifiable, too, and that's where julian planned on starting. he knew that he and valentina didn't particularly tend to store too many of their possessions in the living room just based on the fact that the holes within both the floorboards and the walls were a bit more exposed than their other more clever hiding places, but still, they did have some things lying about. they had left a lot of the stuff their parents kept in these spaces untouched for some time now too. julian ran a hand along the side of the wall. his fingers were left coated with a thin layer of dust from the buildup that had grown over the years. he rubbed his hands together to brush the dust from his fingers. the windows in the living room were coated in hard grime and dirty stains of aging spotted the lining of the windowsills. he supposed the windows did well to try and light up the space so he didn't have to go fetch and relight the lantern he had extinguished in the kitchen not long ago, but they were still not the prettiest sight to bear. the progressing hours of dusk filtered on through the windows and into the space, giving him just barely the right amount of illumination he'd need to poke around. he couldn't exactly say the interior portion of their house was any better than the exterior; both were rather decrepit but its not like they needed their living space to look fancy or anything, just inhabitable. they only needed to maintain the house to the point where their ceilings would not be falling on their heads in the dead of night while they were trying to get some sleep.
indentjulian was quick to notice that a portion of the right wall nearest to the windows exposed some of the inner structure of their house. he had to bend down in order to be able to peer inside of the hole since it was located closest to the ground. he narrowed his eyes as he looked into the gap of darkness in the wall. he could spot the wooden frame of their house behind the drywall; several pipes and chewed up wires were also revealed to him too. although the rodents that tampered with the inner workings of their home - including wires, insulation and wood - were pesky, they didn't exactly do too much damage to any of the integrity of their house. they didn't have electricity in the first place, nor did any of the other houses in their settlement. it's why they so heavily relied on natural daylight to flood through their windows as well as lanterns to help light the place up when it gets dark just like right now. if he could recall correctly, he and valentina had set aside some of their more basic necessities in these walls. carefully, he begun to stick his hand into the hole, reaching around the length of a pipe running across the wall. he felt his fingers brush against the cold surface of a metal container. as he reached in to grasp the small canister, he vaguely noticed that several mice had scurried further into the depths of the wall in surprise, letting out a few rather startled squeaks. julian removed his arm from the gap in the wall, looking down at what he had managed to retrieve.
indentjust as he'd anticipated, he had found where they kept their medical supplies. sure, they didn't have any chems in their possession like how zio did but he and valentina both knew how to get by with what they had without resorting to underground networking. a thin film of dust coated the entire metallic container. flakes of rust ran alongside its battered and scratched surface. its lid was sealed with a flimsy lock; he just needed to fiddle around with it before it gave loose and revealed to him the sparse amounts of supplies they had. while he and valentina did their best to be careful and refrain from having to use much of their medical supplies, sometimes things happen. this was definitely something that they would need to bring along with them on their journey, no ifs or buts. inside the canister, he poked around to find a thin roll of bandages still remaining, a pair of dull bandage scissors and a small tin of salve. it wasn't much but the supplies are what they've been working with their entire lives. they had acquired all of these materials from the market; the salve however was obviously a bit newer than the nearly used up roll of bandages and the dull scissors. the ointment had been procured by a wastelander known for selling organic medical supplies in arcadia. as far as he knew, she likely had melted oils and waxes atop a fire and added in various different snippets of dried leaves and roots. by a quick peek inside of the salve, he noted that this one in particular was made up of burdock root and comfrey leaf. julian tucked it back inside the metal container, setting it down beside their depleting amount of bandages. at-least none of the rodents lounging about the walls of their house had managed to find a way inside of the container -- the lock had worked to some extent he supposed. he placed the lid back onto the metal container with a click. it was a relatively small canister so he saw no reason why they wouldn't be able to stow it away within one of mars' saddlebags. the amount of space that they had available to take stuff with them was becoming a bit limited and they'd need to stay heedful of what they chose to bring along with them. they didn't want to overburden mars, after all. but surely though they could not abandon what remnants they had left of medical supplies; he was sure they'd most likely have to stock up somehow at some point along the way, but for now they needed to use what they still had.
indentthe rest of the things stored within that panel of wall were highly irrelevant, or at-least in his opinion. he didn't find a thing worth taking note of or bringing along with them; with what pawing around in the walls he'd done, he had only come across some loose screws and several old books, the pages barely hanging onto the spines if there were any pages left to begin with. he was sure most of the mice had seen to destroying those pretty easily. admittedly he and valentina had left some of the books to fall into such a state - what else could they have expected? - but it's not like they direly required them. so, he left that hole in the wall alone, apart from taking out their medical supplies. after a quick search of one of the holes just opposite of that one, he had come across a very similar result. there was nothing that they needed to salvage from within that wall panel either; loose screws, duct tape, wrenches, crap like that. they had plenty of screws already set aside just incase anyhow, so there was no point in trying to round up all of the random ones lying about. the next place he was going to search, though, was one of the holes in the floor. he pulled back one of the measly little rugs they had thrown over the hole, a faded cerulean fabric that was almost immediately cast aside. similarly to the walls, this particular hole in the floor gave them easy access to the calcified pipes underneath the houses framework. more importantly though they and their parents had started using this collapsed section of floorboards as a way to hide even more of their things. that was just the way they lived; the more hiding places for their possessions, the better. they never left anything of value out in the open for obvious reasons and if they could manage to space out where all of their goods were it was less likely an intruder could snatch up all of their stuff in one easy go. so, the two cousins worked with what failings their house offered them. thus, without the rug to cover the hole any longer, julian was now able to see the pipes running through the floor joists. here they had stowed away yet another chest. it was the easiest way for them to keep all of their stuff secured in one place, hence why they didn't have any problems with placing items unrelated to each other in these containers. this box was a bit different than the one that they had predominantly chosen to keep their parents' goods in in the sense that it was filled with some of their clutter. once he was able to pull out the sizeable chest from where it had sat tucked beneath a wooden plank, simply setting it onto the floor beside him was enough to raise the dust from where it had settled atop the chest. he couldn't help but attempt to wave some of the dust away from him, trying to hold back a cough as it drew up and into the air. as soon as he was done swatting away at the air, though, he was quick to unlatch the chest open.
indentinside were carefully arranged fragile items. they had kept some a few teal glass vases and-- julian paused as he lifted one of the velvet linings covering the delicate glassware. the skull of what appeared to be a mongrel took up the rest of the space comprising of the right side of the chest. he was quickly rejuvenated with the feeling of excitement as he palmed the skull after bringing it out from where it had been stored. "val! we totally forgot about this damn mongrel skull..or maybe we just never even knew it was in here from when our parents stowed it away but anyway it doesn't matter! it was under some fabric layering in this chest underneath the floor, but it'll definitely be able to catch us a good price at some market!" since the skull had been paired with some of their parents' antiques, he had a feeling that it had been meant to be sold for some time now, but given the circumstances, he and valentina had just not uncovered it. they never really did touch this chest in particular; they both knew what it housed, so why should they go rifling through some vases? he was glad he had, though. the skull in his hand was fairly large. if he had to guess it had belonged to a full-grown mongrel. its teeth jutted out from its mandible and maxilla; julian could nearly recreate the image of the nasty creature's face as he looked upon its skull. its nasal bones were quite prominent and almost directly above the maxilla. he ran a thumb through one of the orbit grooves, the cavity of the skull in which the eye and its appendages were normally situated. it seemed that just like everything else, this too had collected dust over the years. its not like that mattered, though. with a few brushes of his sleeve it looked like something he could picture any person being inclined to purchase. he had diverted a lot of his attention toward the skull, yes, but not much else in the chest was going to be worth looking through. he already knew that they weren't going to be lugging any mass amounts of glass antiques around with them, and although they did technically have some sentimental value, it wasn't worth it. even if they could theoretically make some caps off of them, they couldn't afford to try and transport them to a market, not while mars was already carrying their other supplies. plus, the glass vases could easily be broken. it just wasn't worth the attempt. so, he lowered one of the velvet linings back on top of the glass antiques to cover them, the chests lid soon to follow as well. julian swiftly secured the lid back on, subsequently lowering the chest to return underneath one of the wooden planks.
indenthe nudged the rug back into place over the hole using the toe of his boot, wiping away some of the dust that had collected on his pants with his hands as he did so. the only two items he had retrieved from the living room was their medical supplies as well as that skull; one being essential, the other being considerably good potential profit.
indent"hey val, you about ready to head out?" he called out to the woman, taking a step into the hallway that connected the living room to both bedrooms and the bathroom of their house. he peered down the length of the empty corridor, not looking in any direction in particular. in his hands he held the small metal container holding their bandages, scissors and salve, the other holding the mongrel skull. "i ended up finding our uhh..limited amount of medical supplies and that skull i told you about, so i guess i did manage to actually get a few essentials from the living room after all. obviously, we're keeping the medical stuff and selling the skull for some caps. oh and by the way, maybe i should give you another reminder; we don't got all night, so hurry it up! get your ass over here so we can begin to pack mars up and try to get out of this place in good time." ironically, as much as he wanted to get out of laurel oaks he wasn't looking forward to having to travel during the thick of night. they'd have to set up camp somewhere a lengths off from arcadia and their settlement, and although braving the wilderness was something that the cousins were not new to, that didn't necessarily mean they enjoyed doing it. they'd have to do their best to stay on their toes even though they were starting to feel a bit tired; after all, there is a plethora of different menaces that could potentially be a threat to them. creatures, bandits, unfriendly wastelanders..they weren't guaranteed safety from any of these things. right now, though, the threat of the conclave seemed a lot more pressing simply because they were still trying to get all of their belongings together. if they ran into a patrol now they'd be screwed beyond doubt. julian couldn't help but shift his weight between his feet anxiously as he awaited his cousin to join him.

[vaermina]

ＲＯＬＡＮＤ ＹＡＮＥＺxxx
I.xcis malex II.xthe conclave militaryx III. an inr tactical intelligence officer & sniper


indentthe mention of their overseer was enough to elicit a slight wince from roland. he was not looking forward to that conversation. it was their first day in the field and they have failed to gather any sort of promising information concerning the location of the missing file. it's been made abundantly clear that the file stolen from fort themus is one that a lot of important people are concerned about. they want it back and they want it back now. the problem is that roland and jazmín have nothing tangible to offer them in terms of its location. they had spent the entire afternoon fending off griffins when that time could have been devoted towards thorough investigations. admittedly, the couple had been forced into a tight spot with mayor finnall's gambit and agent asfour's subtle pressure but their overseer would not see it that way. he would be furious that they decided to tangle with a situation that they had no business involving themselves with in the first place. as with anyone in a moderately exalted ranking, he would not understand how they had been essentially coerced by the mayor and dominion agent to clear the wreckage sight in exchange for information about rebel activity in arcadia. information. if you could even call the suspicion of a rebel hideout suitable information. their overseer would see it as gross negligence. the fact that there might be two tainted-bloods out there who managed to bypass the checkpoint - tainted-bloods who could very well be the ones who stole the file off of those rebels' bodies back near the highway - did not help. honestly, roland could not say he was surprised at the possibility of people being successfully smuggled through the checkpoints, either. what does one expect from a bunch of officers and soldiers who are tired and irritable? they do the bare minimum and that's why suspicious behavior goes unnoticed during these type of situations. they look for dodgy deportment but fail to graze underneath the surface. hundreds of shifty characters have probably passed through the checkpoints unscathed today because the personnel manning the queues are too incompetent to recognize shady conduct. the tainted-bloods who don't give you trouble are usually the ones with something to hide. he supposed there's no telling how everything would have gone down if roland and jazmín had spent their afternoon stalking the checkpoints, too. if those two cousins had truly been in the city today, they could have been smuggled through unchecked regardless of their lingering presence. it would have been impossible for the two officers to oversee every single queue at once and make sure everyone was doing a methodical job. it was frustrating but roland knew there was nothing they could really do about it now. he supposed they'll just have to hope what little information they've garnered would be enough to satisfy their overseer until they can hop back on track tomorrow. and that's only if they aren't discharged from the taskforce or demoted for their incompetence. there are so many people eager to see this file returned into conclave hands that he was sure their overseer would be more harsh than usual. a lot was expected of them. roland knew that they had been put in a difficult position with the mayor earlier today but honestly, they should have just ignored his whims. they should have known that mayor finnall would have nothing credible for them. he did not know the old man very well but he knew his type. he was loved by his people for the front he put on but he was nothing more than a greedy, self-serving snake. he got away with setting them up because he knew he was protected by the dominion agents stationed in the city. it was not fair but roland has long since learned that nothing is very fair in this life. there was nothing they could do about it now. "mhm. let's head over there, then."
indentnightfall had begun to swallow arcadia whole. roland followed jazmín out of the tent while the choking grips of humidity began to settle across the land. the queues had begun to thin out as the sun continued to nestle its way behind the distant hills. the sound of nickering horses and crying infants had begun to die out. their destination - the medical tent itself - was relatively easy to locate. it stood out like a sore thumb amongst the array of purple interrogation tents. it was wide and towering with the traditional conclave sigil and medical cross printed onto its canvas. wisps of golden light peeked through the cracks of its opening flap. two soldiers were diligently stationed outside the tent and they saluted the two officers as they entered. the medical tent's innards looked about how one would expect it to look. the main area was a rather spacious lot dedicated to the tending of those who were injured during the initial chaos of the lockdown - soldiers and tainted-bloods alike. eight cots paired with small rolling tables had been pushed up against one of the walls. flickering lanterns had been set on each table, followed by arrays of medical supplies and bottles of purified water. each cot was occupied by a distressed character. there were various cabinets and tables set up about the area to help hold all the medical stock in their possession. the opposite side of the tent boasted small but reasonably sized private chambers where people could rest in peace after being tended to. there were a multitude of support beams dug into the ground to keep the tent upright; most of said poles boasted portable lighting to help both medics and patients get a good view of their wounds. overall, the atmosphere of the medical tent was rather cheerless but he supposed that's a given. nobody spoke very loudly. in fact, the sounds of outside banter and movement could be faintly detected over the lull of pained groans and snips of medical scissors. the lingering smell of antiseptic and artificial cleaners made his skin crawl. over near the wall, one of the medics was quick to notice their entrance. he was tending to one of the people sprawled out on the cots. as expected, he was quick to greet them before assuring them he would see to their wounds right away but jazmín was quick to shut him down, albeit politely. truthfully, the two could handle their own wounds... hopefully. he supposed they'll have to assess the level of damage wrought on them by the griffins first. the medics appeared quite occupied with tending to their other patients, though and he was sure they've been busy doing so all afternoon. there was no reason for roland and jazmín to take up their time, especially when they have a decent amount of wound-tending knowledge to begin with. the tainted-bloods lounging on the cots did not. the medic's features remained pleasant but the couple knew that he must be relieved. he motioned towards the sectioned off rooms on the other side of the tent, claiming that they were free to utilize an unoccupied chamber if they wished. well, that works. the medics were definitely needed elsewhere. he could tell that by the cries of pain from a young girl on one of the cots. it was evident she had sustained some sort of leg wound from the crowds earlier today. most of the tainted-bloods in the tent looked like they had been injured during the bedlam. he was not surprised. hordes of panicked people can easily mow down an unsuspecting person. frightened horses can trample people and cattle can ram into the sides of wagons and injure those lounging within. he was sure that a few of them had faced the wrath of discontented soldiers for lollygagging or visibly protesting the lockdown, too. it's not uncommon for soldiers to pistol whip people or push tainted-bloods so hard they stumble and fall when their orders are not being heeded. it was necessary when citizens blatantly refuse to follow orders and put others in danger by holding up the crowds. the upset girl looked like she had just been standing in the wrong place at the wrong time, though. he watched her with an unreadable expression before following after jazmín.
indentthe only sectioned off chamber available for use had already been opened. the other ones were closed and zipped up, an obvious sign that there were people inside resting. the flap of the available room had been tied back to reveal the small space inside. it was reasonably stocked but obviously created for the intent of a single person lounging inside. a little metal cabinet had been placed in the far corner of the room, most likely harboring all the supplies the medic had told them about. there was a single cot pushed up against the opposite wall; two stools and a basin of still water sat across from it. a single pillow and folded up quilt sat on the end of the cot. there was another small chamber connected to this one that boasted the portable shower although its flap had been zipped up before they came in. portable lighting had been attached to the metal beams in the corners of the room to light up the small area. similar to the rest of the medical tent, the harsh, rocky ground of the dixon wasteland had been covered with a thick tarp to keep rocks and thorns from burying into uncovered feet. an electric fan had been installed on one of the support beams to help moderate the muggy temperature. roland eyed the private chamber critically before jazmín turned to him with a smile. she leaned up to plant a brief peck against his jaw. roland softened. "i thought so. a lot of rebels have clean records to help them avoid suspicion during lockdowns. well, alleged rebels." he ambled his way over to the cot. that vendor zio seemed pretty sure that those two cousins are involved with the rebellion but roland was not putting his bets down on anything yet. as far as he was concerned, zio was another version of a snake just waiting to strike out at those he despised. he was unsure if they could trust his testimony. roland supposed he'll be more open-minded if they could confirm that kalajian and moreno were truly in arcadia today but he supposed there was nothing they can do about it this very second. they had to patch each other up first. roland sat on the edge of the cot with a grunt before pushing himself onto his back. he couldn't help but glance in jazmín's direction. she was beginning to doff the pieces of her panoply but he was unable to see what wounds she had sustained from her fight with the griffins. her back was turned to him. roland was tempted to grab her and turn her around to see for himself. from what he had witnessed at the crash-site, one of the griffins had pinned her against several crates. and from what he could see of her shoulder wound beneath the fragments of torn metal and ruptured leather earlier, it had managed to find a weakness in her armor and rip its talons through her flesh. it was an unpleasant image considering such a wound was so close to her chest. while his first instincts were to immediately rush in and fix the problem, he knew better than to run around her like a panicked sand-cat. rashness and panic will do nothing to curb their pain. still, his first instinct was to help but he refrained himself from fluttering around her like a nervous hen. roland watched his girlfriend for a few moments before he looked up at the ceiling of the tent. lying still on the cot did him no favors. he could feel a dull ache beginning to build from his lower back. the intensity was growing by the minute. it felt like someone had placed their fingernails against his skin and begun to claw upwards. having fallen onto his back multiple times as well as physically thrown against the ground by the weight of a griffin, he had no doubt he'll wake up tomorrow with agonized bones. the growing pain in his injured leg was only going to get worse if he did not begin to divest himself of his armor, too. he was dreading it.
indentroland stood up from the cot so he could get started. his breathing had slowly grown to be almost audible to the ears at this point. he had a rattle to his chest that could be contributed to pure exhaustion. slowly, roland reached up to unlatch the silver pauldrons that protected his shoulders before dropping them onto the cot. he pulled off his gloves, as well. small slices had been made in the material from when he ended up shattering the bottle of wine against the griffin's head. luckily, no shards had cut him in the process. he worked to undo the leather bandolier that was stretched across his breastplate. the man used the pocketed belt to store extra ammunition for his rifle and pistols. he undid its straps to make it looser before he pulled it over his head and tossed it aside. there was a belt wrapped around his waist with small pouches that he usually used to store cigarettes cartons and lighters. it was connected in the front by a scratched buckle so it was easy to unclasp it and set it down on the cot. next, he worked to undo the straps of his tactical thigh holsters. supported laterally by its straps, the holsters hugged his upper thighs to provide not only competent storage for his pistols but easy access in case of emergencies. he had to unfasten the belt loop by pulling it back before undoing the thigh straps and removing the holster itself from the side of his limb. the straps were tight enough to keep the holster securely anchored but it would be impossible to continue dismantling his armor if the thigh holsters were still latched onto him. with his breastplate now bare, roland began to undo the latches that connected it to his suit. similar to the rest of the protective pieces, it shone like liquid silver but his scuffle with the griffin had coated it in a good layer of grime and blood. it hasn't always been so glossy. back when his brother wore the armor, the breastplate and other pieces had been the color of burnt sienna. the armor once had a murky color scheme that was no longer present. he had changed it to not only fit his own style but, well, he supposed you can't really wear a breastplate with multiple shotgun holes in the middle of it. that wouldn't protect you much from anything. he finished twisting the breastplate off before tossing it aside and disposing of his vambraces, as well. he was careful not to be too harsh with them. they were computer-controlled tools bristling with weaponry such as flamethrowers, stinging cords, grappling lines and wrist blades. when damaged, a technician who specializes in weaponry additions must repair them and it can be difficult finding such an officer out here in the wasteland. with the upper half of his armor dealt with, roland sat on the edge of the cot to unhook his knee pads as well as pull off his boots. he was dreading having to remove his thigh and shin guards. his wound would grow even more agitated from being meddled with. already he could feel tremors of fire run up his limb as he slowly began to unlatch what remained of his thigh and shin guards. the griffin had managed to find a weakness in his armor between the two pieces. technically, it had dug its beak only a few centimeters below his knee pad but there was no metal there to protect the shallow depression in the back of his knee joint. a quiet hiss escaped his lips as he removed the protective components to assess the damage. as expected, he was met with the sight of an angry wound. a tear that started from where the griffin's beak initially punctured him, it ran down the length of his calf and stopped only an inch or two in his achilles tendon. he supposed he was lucky it hadn't sliced his tendon entirely or else he wouldn't be able to walk right now. nevertheless, it was a considerably nasty tear. the puncture wound had grown longer the further the griffin had dragged roland, and deedee yanking it off of him had not helped such progress, either. a soft whine sounded from the man as he forced himself to slowly roll up the bottom of his trousers to better access the wound. a crenulated laceration of both dried and fresh blood, he had to peel off pieces of torn leather that stuck to the wound. it was enough to elicit flares of protest from his limb. typically, bodysuits are common undergarments for these type of armor suits but roland had switched it up. he wore a pair of rugged leather trousers combined with a long-sleeved shirt of similar material. it was too tedious trying to get out of a bodysuit. unsurprisingly, the griffin had ruptured both the plating of his armor and the material of his trousers.
indentsweat had begun to form on his temples. it rolled down his face and the back of his neck. he felt sticky and clammy and cold. gingerly, roland reached up to remove the singlet that stuck to his upper physique. it was drenched in sweat. it stuck to him like glue before he managed to yank it off. a thin layer of perspiration had long since settled atop his skin. it made the various tattoos on his person take on a waxed appearance. roland was so often wearing his armor that it was near impossible for fleeting company to notice he even had any tattoos. none of them were particularly meaningful. they were just a bunch of designs and concepts that he liked. most of them were on his right arm but they did not make up a tattoo sleeve since there were still some small gaps of uninked skin here and there. he had some on his chest, stomach and upper back, as well. he had none on his legs. some were more faded than others and needed obvious recoloring. many of the tattoos covered scarring and blemishes he has inherited over the years. small nicks from when he'd cut himself on sharp rocks while crawling. indents of where a dull knife had sliced him when he experienced the wrath of an angry rancher who did not want squads of advanced marksmen on his land. the teeth marks of hostile animals, the scrape of where he had been hit with a bullet. the most noticeable of said scars were a series of deep indents below his shoulder and upper back from when he had been bit by a direwolf so many years ago. roland ran his hand along his chest to wipe away the sweat before reaching up to feel the silver chain around his neck. he was not really one for jewelry but he could almost always be seen wearing his brother's former military identification tags. their flint-covered surfaces were stained crimson. he also wore a locket that held two pictures inside. the locket itself was pretty old. the first photograph inside was a picture of roland and jazmín when they were younger. he was standing behind her with his hands placed on her shoulders. the second was a picture of roland and deedee. it had been taken by one of his former marksmen companions back when she was a puppy. roland was lying on his stomach in a sleeping bag in the print; the canine herself was curled up in the dent of his back, a blurry mound of fur that was hardly noticeable. she had been around the size of a small cat then. the picture was taken only a month or two after roland had found her in a poacher's camp. her mother had been killed only days after giving birth by a group of tainted-blood poachers. she had killed one of the tainted-bloods for nearing her den before being shot to death by the other hunters; roland only concluded that because they had found a recently dug grave near the camp that marked a hunting expedition gone wrong. deedee's siblings had been either sold, killed for their fur or perished to the elements. miraculously enough, deedee had been the only pup still alive by the time roland and his sniper squadron discovered the camp. they had been in the process of arresting the poachers when roland had discovered deedee while exploring the cages set about the campsite. she had been curled up in a small cage next to a barrel of animal oil, surrounded by some of the bodies of her dead siblings who perished of malnourishment and harsh temperatures. the rest is history. years ago, the first picture had once been a family portrait but he had removed it following the death of his older brother and the subsequent and permanent abandonment of his father. he glanced at his girlfriend when he heard her light remark. "if i wake up tomorrow morning and feel even a single ache i'm going to get in the car and run over that mayor." was he joking? sure... maybe. honestly, he'd be willing to risk demotion and possible imprisonment just to take out that lame excuse of a city official.
indentroland scowled when she instructed him to sit down on one of the stools. "but-" she cut him off before he could protest. you just need to trust me when i say it's alright. well, great, he couldn't much rebel against her instructions when she said something like that, now could he? roland appreciated her desire to look after him but that did not mean he was just going to sit there and allow her to tend to him while she's in pain herself. that wasn't fair. who knows how long it would take to clean and suture his wound? maybe he could tend to her while she's tending to him. either way, he was going to figure it out. he knew better than to argue with her, though. they could both be pretty stubborn when it comes to the care of one another and he was not in the mood to engage in a scuffle with her. he sighed. "fine." he stood up from the cot again before ambling his way over to one of the stools. he sat down with a groan. to be completely honest, roland could not help but feel a level of apprehension beginning to build inside him now that his wound was going to be looked at. he could not tell you why but he just hated being in pain. everyone hates the feeling of it but it often felt like wounds were just a gateway to create eternal pain that could not be touched by alcohol solutions and bandages. roland felt hypersensitive to it and it increased his perception to the point where it felt like he was still in a dangerous situation. roland likes to hide behind a barrier and neatly tend to his deeper emotions by storing them away and out of sight. you can't really do that with pain. it demands your attention and you can't get away from it unless you tend to it directly but even doing that leads to more pain. why he felt this way is unexplainable. maybe it was because roland's first taste of extreme affliction had been during his brother's demise, and he has never viewed it the same way since. maybe it was because he always tried to have a level of control with his own feelings and anatomy and when he did not have that iron-tight grip, it sent him spiraling. maybe it was a low pain tolerance. maybe it was a combination of everything from today; the pain, the griffins, their tense encounter with the mayor and dominion agent, the potential of facing their overseer's wrath. he was just anxious. and in customary roland yáñez fashion, he had no idea how to express his discomfort without feeling incapacitated. it was present in his body language: a stiffness that refused to go away, the constant company of a cold sweat, an uncomfortable pattering of the heart.
indenthe looked to jazmín once she had successfully gathered all the necessary supplies. at first, his eyes landed on the resources in her arms before her shoulder wound demanded his attention. he grimaced. with the blockage of ruptured metal and leather gone, her wound was clear to see. a long, deep gash ran from the top left of her shoulder down. it was moderately long and given the sharpness of a griffin's talons, must be fairly deep. it was not actively bleeding but the skin around the wound was coated in red and dirt. the griffin had managed to slice her pretty damn good, and he was sure it was not pleasant having to move her arm right about now. it looked just as painful as his own injury. as she finished up soaking one of the towels in the basin, roland spoke. "baby, you shouldn't even be mo- uh." he cut himself off when she suddenly sunk to her knees to kneel between his legs and access the medical supplies. the medical kits had just about all they needed. there were ointments, an antiseptic bottle, cotton balls, gauze, antibiotic serums, needles and alcohol solutions. the suture kit held what one would expect a suture kit to have. admittedly, the sight of the scalpels and scissors was a bit daunting. he shifted uncomfortably on the stool before looking back to jazmín. his eyes remained glued to her wound as she begun to clean her hands with an alcohol solution. it bothered him greatly to not be able to tend to her wound right now. it would be difficult to try and fix her up if she's busy tending his leg, especially since she'll have to twist around a bit to reach his injury. he could just wait until she's finished cleaning his wound before tending to her's. they could go back and forth without having to constantly reach over one another or accidentally prod each other in the process. he just hated seeing her in pain. well, so much for power armor being damage resistant. he was not really surprised that the griffins had managed to find weaknesses in their armor, though. their suits are not ordinary models. they were crafted for easier mobility but lack the sturdiness that traditional power armor suits have. ordinary power armor suits have internalized servomotor systems that provide increased strength, resistance to trauma and radiation protection. the operator inside controls the armor indirectly by using manipulators to steel the hands and feet. it was effective in keeping the wearer safe but it's burdensome. roland and jazmín's suits sacrifice that safety for the luxury of fluid mobility. his eyes were unable to remain on her wound for very long, though. the woman did not hesitate to shift some of her weight forward so she could observe his injury for herself. the hiss that soon followed did nothing to help soothe his nerves but he supposed he couldn't blame her reaction. to be honest, that about summed up how he felt towards jazmín's wound, especially seeing how that griffin's talons could have struck a severe artery. she leaned back up again before one of her hands suddenly moved up his leg and settled atop his knee. roland let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "don't be sorry. it's alright. what matters is that we're finally tending to our wounds now." her hand moved away from his knee to take one of his hands in her own. he squeezed her hand back, albeit somewhat harshly out of unease. the mention of her cleaning his wound with the wet towel only elicited a wary nod from the man. he trusted her and he knew that she would never do anything to purposely cause him pain. hell, she did not have nearly as much medical experience and knowledge as those medics outside but he trusted her far more with his injuries than he did they.
indentroland tried not to focus on his soreness as jazmín began to clean the reddened skin around his injury. his left leg began to bounce. he knew it was better to just suck it up and allow himself to be treated than slink off and cower in the corner. it's always painful to have your wounds tended but being apprehensive of the process is what led to infections and further complications. and despite jazmín's soft warning, little could prepare him for the jolt of shock that ran up his limb when she finally began to dab his wound with the towel. his right leg jostled on instinct. "jesus christ!" he snapped. "god, that stings." his sudden agitation was not directed at jazmín but rather the pain as a whole. she was only using a wet towel for god's sake. he could not imagine what the alcohol solutions are going to feel like. roland's laceration throbbed in protest before it began to pulsate with a dull ache once it adapted to the towel's surface. still, it hurt. the man's breathing had grown uneven as his attention slowly shifted to the medical kits on the ground. he leaned over slightly to observe their contents, albeit rather hurriedly to try and distract himself. a lot of the supplies were strewn across one another, crammed into the small case with little to no organization at all. he reached down to paw through the kit. he was pleasantly surprised to discover a hairbrush hidden underneath a roll of gauze, followed by a bottle of hair detangler. actually, he wasn't that surprised. a lot of conclave medical kits have hairbrushes in them for nurses to brush out the coiled hair of their patients. he picked up the brush and detangler bottle before leaning back up again. he looked at jazmín. he reached over to gently run a calloused hand down the length of her frizzy hair. "try not to make any sudden movements," roland instructed her gently before he sprayed some of the detangler onto the brush's thistles. because of the length of her hair, he carefully gathered a section with a calloused hand before using his other hand to brush. it helped act as a strain relief of some kind so he did not accidentally pull any of her hair. he kept a light grip, as well for she was constantly shifting to tend his wound and he did not want to cause her any discomfort by yanking her locks. he figured he could make himself somewhat useful until it was time for him to tend her wound. it'd help lessen her own plate if he brushed her hair for her. he's brushed it before. hell, he's even helped wipe off her makeup before when she would apply some. roland did not really have a definite love language but acts of service are definitely up there. sometimes he'll go out of his way to nurture jazmín if she was feeling ill; it's not really something that's expected from a man who acts the way he does. he couldn't help but wheeze at her comment about fort sancus. "yeah, i can't say i like wearing the clown suit right now. probably should have known it wasn't going to go smoothly." he was strangely engrossed with brushing her hair. at-least it helped divert his attention away from his throbbing wound. "as for the vendor, well, i think he's full of crap. i don't know anything about arcadia's marketplace but i can tell he must be one of the more well-known merchants in the city. those two cousins are probably just a pair of suckers he wants to see eradicated. honestly, if it weren't for the fact their names have not been registered in the exit queues despite his claims they've visited his stall today, i would probably just ignore his declarations completely. what do you think?" zio is not a trustworthy man but he supposed they have no choice but to trust his testimony. their overseer is going to want to see progress and he supposed the possibility of having two suspects on their hands is better than nothing. valentina kalajian and julian moreno. why the hell two alleged rebels would travel to arcadia after plucking a file from a corpse's body, roland had no idea. he supposed it was one of those situations where you essentially hide in plain sight. after all, nobody would immediately jump to the conclusion that the culprits have fled to a large city. it was both brazen and idiotic. surely the rebels would know a lockdown would be initiated for the surrounding area? well, he supposed you can never really predict their behavior. they take risks that make the average person quirk an eyebrow.
indentit did not take long for roland to finish brushing her hair. he was careful to not hurt her when he found the beginnings of a few knots or two. instead of using the brush and ripping out a chunk of her hair in the process, he would use his fingers to try and pull apart the strands before finally brushing it out. her hair was not matted or severely tangled but the scuffle with the griffins had done some damage on its own. focusing on her hair actually helped divert his attention away from the pain in his leg, as well which helped quell not only his anxiety but lessened the hassle of jazmín having to try and wrangle him still. he set the hairbrush and spray onto the ground before shifting on the stool again. it appeared like his girlfriend had finished cleaning his laceration with the wet towel. the wound throbbed in pain but had quickly adapted to the constant material of the wet towel touching its surface. roland let out a shaky exhale before he glanced at jazmín. he figured he could take advantage of the lull to leap into action. "since you're done cleaning my laceration with the towel, i'm going to use that extra towel right there and clean your own wound before you do anything else." he reached over to grab the extra towel she had brought before he stood up from the stool. "i'm already standing up so i don't want to hear any protests. i appreciate what you're doing for me but i don't want you to sit there and suffer in growing pain. trust me, it'll be fine. please." his tone was similar to the one she had used against him earlier. roland would always appreciate jazmín going out of her way to take care of him but he did not want her ignoring her own needs by doing so. he could tell that the wound on her shoulder was causing her increasing pain and that bothered him. like most men, he saw a problem and his first instinct was to fix it. they could take turns patching each other up so one of them was not sitting there suffering in silence. the longer jazmín put off looking at her own wound increased the chances of her developing an infection, as well. he gave her a small smile of reassurance before cautiously scooting past her so he could access the basin next to the wall. the stools were located near it but not directly beside it, hence him having to get up to soak the extra towel. his leg did not appreciate the sudden weight, either. a small hiss escaped the man when he felt another jolt run up his limb. he was hoping jazmín did not try and jump him for standing up but she has done so much for him already he didn't even want her going back over to the basin to wet a towel. roland had to help her. it wasn't just a simple desire out of the goodness of his heart. of course, his adoration for her and feelings were a huge part of it but a gnawing sense of distress and wariness played a part in it. he almost thought if he didn't try and get her properly patched up soon, something was going to happen to her. it was irrational and ridiculous, yes, but it almost felt like a potential reality to him. call it an unhealthy amount of trepidation or control issues but it was there and he couldn't help it, hence his small plea. roland glanced at her before he turned to face the basin with the dry towel in hand. he retrieved another towel that was lying next to it before he raised an arm to briefly wipe away the sweat that still clung to his temples. his reflection in the bloodied water of the basin stared back at him. he was sweating so much he might as well just turn into a roasted turkey at this point. perspiration coated his chest and shoulders and added a sheen to his tattoos that made them appear like they were just freshly done. a shower was very much needed after this. he was not really looking forward to having to stand up the entire time but he supposed bathtubs are not exactly convenient for medical tents. maybe that was a good thing. it was probably not the best idea to sit in a tub of water that's become tainted by your own filth. speaking of tainted water, the basin did not seem very salutary but they had to get their towels wet somehow. carefully, roland dipped the two towels beneath the surface of the liquid. it was lukewarm as a result of sitting here in the tent all afternoon. he let out another breath before he retracted them from the basin.
indentcontent, roland stepped away from the metal pan. he limped back over to jazmín. he wheezed in discomfort as he leaned down to grab the stool and pull it directly behind his girlfriend. the man was careful to not put all his weight on his injured leg as he sat back down on the stool, this time positioned behind the woman. "c'mere." he did not give her a chance to react because he already leaned down to wrap one of his arms around her torso and gently pull her back between his legs. this time, though, her back was to him. the position was mainly for her comfort. instead of perching on her knees on the hard ground, she could lean back against his midriff and use him as a sort of resting point. plus, their close proximity gave him a better view of her wound. he wanted to see if there were any pieces of the griffin's talons in her laceration. the big brutes are notorious for sharpening their talons against pieces of metal and rock. for the most part, it helped define the points of their claws but it can also lead to breakage, especially when they happen to dig said talons into the flesh of another creature. it can lead to infections and complications if said pieces are not extracted. as he glanced down to inspect her wound, he did not see anything particularly concerning. he had to grab a small flashlight from the medical kit and briefly shine it over her wound to get a better look. well, the wound itself was extremely concerning but he did not see anything that indicated the griffin's talon had broke off and through her skin. that was a good thing, for this situation would quickly turn hellish if he had to dig his fingers into her shoulder. even without the whole talon business, her injury was not a pretty sight. the griffin had managed to drag its claws a considerable length down her shoulder and arm, tearing flesh and muscle as it went. the wound appeared to be about the length of two pointer fingers. the depth of it must be pretty considerable. he could only imagine the pain she endured whenever she had to utilize her shoulder. the sight of her injury and the pain she must be going through somehow made his own leg ache even further. roland winced but he knew better than to verbally express his concern. that tends to make people's own wariness of their injuries worsen. "that big bastard managed to nick you good. i'm sorry; i know it's probably been killing you since you started working on my leg. i'm going to clean it and then you can get back to my own laceration, alright?" he felt the need to reiterate that in-case she was getting squirrely about leaving his leg unattended. for now, he would be fine. he just wanted to get started on her shoulder before it got to the point where she was visibly in distress because of the pain. he hated seeing her upset, no matter the degree or reason.
indentsimilar to the steps jazmín took earlier, roland made a point to disinfect his hands before engaging with her wound. he took a bottle of alcohol solution from one of the kits so he could pour a bit of the liquid onto his hands. he rubbed it in thoroughly. he had to turn away to avoid having the solution drip down into her shoulder wound, although the action of turning his sore upper body was enough to elicit a groan from him. once that was done, he used one of the towels to gently clean her face. there was some dried blood above her lip and down her chin from when she had thrown up earlier, as well as when she had been suffering from a nose-bleed. he was careful to not be too rough with her as he cleaned her face to the best of his abilities. most of the grime and blood would need to be washed away with a shower but it wouldn't hurt to take a few extra steps in this moment. setting the towel aside, roland then moved his hand past her head and placed it on her collarbone. his thumb was positioned against the side of her neck, his pointer finger resting at the base of her throat. he was careful not to apply any pressure so he did not accidentally harm her. likewise, his grip was light to avoid causing her discomfort. he just had to keep her relatively still so he could work on her wound. if she jolted or tried to pull away out of instinct, she might agitate her wound even further. roland's own leg had done the same earlier and ended up further angering his laceration. "i'm going to clean the skin around your wound before actually cleaning it itself. if i'm being too rough or anything, just tell me to stop." he was planning to be as gentle as possible but still, accidents happen. he was sure that if he was doing anything to cause her pain, though, she would not hesitate to speak up. cautiously, roland grabbed the unused wet towel to begin cleaning the bloodied skin around her laceration. he tried to be as delicate as possible but he was sure that the feeling of the towel being even close to the wound was enough to elicit some tenderness. his thumb caressed the side of her neck in silent comfort as he worked to wipe away the dried blood along the portions of her unscathed skin. after a few minutes, he managed to clean the area surrounding her wound to the best of his ability. "good girl," he praised her. "now, i'm going to try and clean the laceration itself , okay? like i said, if i'm being too rough or causing you any pain, tell me and i'll stop. i love you and i don't want to hurt you." his hand briefly moved from her collarbone to smooth out her hair before returning to its position. "you can lean back on me if you want. the towel is probably going to make it hurt a bit but you're going to be alright." there was that benevolence again. it came so naturally when he was around jazmín that anyone witnessing it would be shocked by it because such compassion seems alien for a man who has built a career assassinating people. he was rough around the edges and apathetic in the open but seemed to be a totally different person with his girlfriend. it was banal but it was the truth. for so many years, he lacked someone to show him that type of solicitude until he got with jazmín. she saw him and she understood him and he saw her and understood her. of course, there were still parts of them that confused one another but that's to be expected. it was a constant learning experience. it was something akin to a never ending adventure.
indentand with that, roland went to work. tending to jazmín helped distract him from his own laceration, hence the decline of his tremors and restlessness. eyeing her wound, roland reached down and began to carefully pat the length of torn flesh. he tried to be as ginger as possible but he knew that the wound would grow agitated either way. he did not want to cause her any pain but he also knew he had to be as thorough as possible. animal bites and lacerations are dangerous because their maws and their claws can carry bacteria from the prey they've devoured and torn apart. some animals such as griffins also scavenge their meals, which certainly did not help the situation. if left to fester or not cleaned properly, such injuries can be life-threatening. he had noticed earlier that she also had a cut on the palm of her hand that would need to be tended to soon, as well. as he dabbed her wound, he spoke again, this time taking the route she had done earlier in hopes of somewhat distracting her from her pain. "so, say that these two cousins truly took that file and are working for the rebellion. what do you think will happen then? i'm thinking we'll be assigned to go after them but our orders so far were just to scope out arcadia and see what the deal is. everyone thought that the lockdown would catch the culprit responsible. i'm guessing we'd have to meet with our overseer in person for further instructions if those cousins are what that vendor claimed they are. that captain mentioned a lot of people want this file back in conclave hands so i'm assuming there's a lot of outside forces involved in the investigation right now. not to mention, we need to get our armor repaired before we go running out into the wasteland and we'd have to see an armorsmith at a fort to get that done. what do you think about that?" he was just trying to initiate a conversation and get her mind off her laceration but he was genuinely curious to hear her thoughts on the matter. they had thought this was going to be a simple retrieval mission, after all. to think there was the possibility they would have to endure some sort of trek out into the wasteland to retrieve that file is... well, he didn't know. he supposed the matter at hand would be seeing if they are even going to be allowed to stay on the taskforce given their failure on the first day. he was not looking forward to that conversation but he supposed any scolding they receive is righteous. he would be agitated too if he were their superiors. they were supposed to be some of the very best, after all.

[vaell]

ＭＩＮＡ ＰＡＲＥＫＨ.

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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxaviation warrant officer two. | conclave military. | tagged: kai.
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indentmina was amused to see kai's wariness over assisting the bots with accessing the panel of wires. she didn't really blame him for his nervousness, considering the fact that aircraft work in general is something much more foreign to him than it is to her. it's not like he regularly observed the inspection of ships, let alone involved himself in the process. luckily though, the assistance bots knew exactly what they were searching for, and that was the wall socket on the inner side of the panel. at-least their programmings would lessen the amount of work that both she and kai had to attend to. after both of the bots connected their interface arms to the terminals inside the panels, it wouldn't take very long for them to pick up any complications associated with the ship. meanwhile, the other pair of assistance bots they'd left alone outside of the ship were still examining the now-exposed thrusters to see if any components of the mechanical structure had been meddled with by that pesky pygmy gopher. honestly, she was hoping that if anything she'd be faced with an internal issue rather than an external one. the engines of ships are notoriously touchy and although she and the bots were both well seasoned in taking care of such an issue, she would much rather tend to something that affected the mainframe of the ship. technically, it wouldn't necessarily be easier to fix something to do with the technological aspects of her gunship but it would make her feel a lot more at ease, and to be honest, mina was expecting that to be the case. she hadn't explained to kai what exactly had happened prior to the spotting of that pygmy gopher, but now she was beginning to put some pieces together in her mind. the day that she had flown a particular shipment of weaponry out from the capital and to a small base located in the northern commonwealth, she'd been accompanied by another pilot, sydni beare. the other woman had been co-piloting for mina for quite some time now, even prior to her gunship upgrade, and it was no secret that she had a knack for fiddling with technology. honestly, she had to give her some credit; her inclinations toward tinkering with the ship were a huge part of the reason why their current and past ships functioned so smoothly. however, she also knew that their recent installation of the under cockpit-mount turret was something that sydni had been toggling around with. just beyond where she and kai currently stood at the far wall of the fuselage, two different types of panels were positioned beside the short corridor connecting the main body of the ship to the cockpit. one of these panels hosted an entry point for more cables, this particular assortment allotted to the functions of firearms hosted on the ship, while the other held a keypad of red and blue buttons covered by a protective glass case to ensure that the buttons could not be easily tampered with unless intended. when they had landed in their designated city that afternoon, mina had admittedly left the ship to sydni's watch. she'd been famished and at the time offered to go and retrieve them both some lunch from the dining hall within the fort right after she assessed the number of crates they'd brought along with them - the other woman had objected, insisting to come along with mina. so, she ended up going along with her. why is this important? well, to be honest, as much as mina had no other choice but to trust sydni as her co-pilot, she had a feeling that the woman had taken some of their downtime on the runway to inspect said wire-filled panelling. she didn't exactly have proof that sydni had left the panel open when they'd departed the ship, but if the assistance bots found something wrong with the functionality of the ships weaponry, then she'd have her suspicions confirmed. until then, it was probably best not to bring up any random assumptions to kai. it would make her sound a bit condescending, as if she were somehow more careful than her co-pilot was. anyhow, mina wouldn't have known whether or not the woman had made to sure close the panel once they returned to the ship, for she herself had gone to attend to the transport of the crates just outside the aircraft. it was only when she had returned to re-enter the cockpit had she caught the glimpse of sudden movement, the gopher. she remembered that once it had spotted her, it had immediately scurried away, ducking beneath the ship and zooming out of her sight. she couldn't remember if it had been holding anything like a screw, but if she were considering the idea of cables being tampered with, then obviously the gopher would not be possessing any proof of such. it was a plausible theory. after all, nothing had happened to the actual flight rhythms of her gunship that day. she had successfully made it back to the capital and had a clean landing. if only the armaments of her aircraft were affected, then obviously she would not have known. her squadron was instructed to keep their weapons systems offline for supply runs, simply due to the fact that they were operating within the realms of the commonwealth immediately in range of the capital, and because they did not need to engage in any sort of combat. the likelihood of needing to fend off some creature while in flight wasn't too big of a problem, either, considering their trip had been a relatively short one, spanning at about four hours. in the event that some winged creature did show up, though, she would only need to tap a singular button to activate the systems. keeping the weapons systems offline helped reserve some of the ship's energy, too; it would do no good to have turrets active only to be burning away at their energy reserves. either way though she supposed they would find out what was wrong with her gunship soon. it would make her life a lot whole lot easier if the gopher had not rummaged through the one accessible point of entry in their ship at the time, but what can you do? if that's what happened, then that's what happened.
indentkai's response to her teasing snapped her out from her pondering. an inward laugh was quick to escape from her lips at his mention of what she would likely have engraved on his headstone. "don't give me any ideas," she warned jokingly. "but yeah, i guess so. i mean, what else can we do? somebody's gotta come around and offer us a promotion sometime or other. and, thank you. that means a lot. honestly i'm glad you can see how hayrmor acts, too; i was starting to think that his condescending behavior might just be something i'm looking too much into, or like something that i just kinda unconsciously attributed to him without it even being true. you know, just on the basis of my dislike for him." his reassurances helped her feel a bit more firm in her stance towards her captain. like kai had mentioned, he didn't have much reason to hold her back apart from the fact that he enjoyed delaying the growth of others' careers by clinging onto petty explanations for such. unfortunately a lot of people in such positions of power - even if he wasn't entirely that high up on the military ladder - enjoy setting others back. as much as she was apart of his squadron, someone he could openly order around, she felt like there was a sort of void of mutual respect between him and his pilots. she didn't want to assume she was the only one dealing with his antics, so it felt smarter to generalize the situation to her group as a whole. of course some people had short stays within the warrant officer position and were promoted in due time but still, she was sure that if he was preventing her from climbing, he was preventing others too. it wasn't fair nor was it right but what could she do about it? he had the ability to flex his power as he wished and if she had any extra complaints about it, she doubted her critiques concerning his authority would be taken very seriously. submitting a form of complaint when your resume for promotion is marred with an array of reasons as to why you shouldn't hold such a rank? no, she wouldn't have much a chance to even face captain hayrmor's superiors and succeed in her argument. her words would fall on deaf ears. with both her career and kai's own being at a standstill, sometimes it just felt right to blame the people she perceived to be holding her back, and in her eyes he was doing it purposefully. kai's words had only cemented this belief. "and hey, you too though. you're more than capable of succeeding past warrant officer. in no time you'll get an offer and we'll both be out of this rut soon." it felt like she was always saying that. with time, soon, eventually, in the future, just wait, our time will come...its all she has been saying to try and keep herself somewhat hopeful, though in a way the idea of ranking out of warrant officer had begun to writhe up and die. its the sort of feeling you get when you've accepted what you have, yet theres this background feeling, this sinking sensation desiring change. if she had to describe it, it'd be an overwhelmingly aware type of apathy. being in the warrant officer rank wasn't even the worst, and granted for their ages they were not particularly too late to be holding such a rank. it just felt wrong to not possess a higher position, though, considering her father being a general and ishaan recently being promoted himself. her father led the seventeeth airforce, for gods sake. to be a warrant officer in a family made up of prestigious military figures was something not only embarrassing to herself but shameful for the sake of her family, or at-least that's how her parents made it out to be. theres a reason why they would much rather discuss ishaan's career and his goals in life rather than her own with their friends. theres a reason why they gave half-hearted interest to her own affairs, if any at all. most of her life was private from her family, in that sense. not out of her own purposeful hiding of information but because of their lack of interest. they thought they knew what happened at her rank and that there was nothing worth taking note of. to be honest, even when her parents did bother to ask her about her work, something about the mere questioning made her agitated. why should they feel like they have a right to know anything after constantly outselling ishaan over her? although a lot of her irritation was directed to her parents and rightfully so, she harbored just as much toward her younger brother. she did her best to mask her envy of his lifestyle and his achievement through a carefully constructed front. it explained why he never identified such feelings within her. to him, she'd never changed. he didn't see what envy she had for him, at-least not to the point where it deterred him from acting in a usual ishaan manner; he's an outspoken person and upbeat at that, and to be fair he thinks he is much closer to her than he truly is. its no wonder why everyone likes him though. maybe if she were simply as charismatic as he, she'd have gotten further by now.
indentshe noticed that her next inquiry about kai's own affairs seemed to have briefly caught him off guard. mina leaned some of her weight against the forearm she had pressed against the wall of the ship. she dimly heard the sound of the assistance bot shifting through its assortment of tools near her ear, a series of clicks sounding before it must have landed on the right one. mina watched as kai tentatively begun, his own eyes shifting toward the bots. when he only offered her a vague summary of what he was up to, she couldn't help but feel her curiosity swell. mina didn't have much knowledge about androids and obviously the sound of prototypes with different modifications was well beyond her realm of understanding, but something about it all was just so fascinating. while she could not say either of their branches of military were exceptional when it came to opportunities, she had to admit that kai's own work was just so interesting, perhaps because it was something involved in a much different area of focus than the other available routes to be taken in the military. she did quirk a brow at his rather short response, though. "hm. well, you should show me your drafts sometime. i'd love to see them, you know." although she didn't prompt him further, knowing kai, he definitely had more to say than what he had offered her. she eyed him for a moment before averting her gaze back toward the bot perched atop her arm. she heard the whirring of its interface arm and she observed as the device inched forward to engage with the terminal situated inside of the panel, the noise of the arms rotation cutting off as soon as it made contact with the access point. she watched as the interface arm spun around like a dial in the terminal, the assistance bot itself seemingly entirely focused on accessing the mainframe of the ship. the other bot that kai held up was following the same pattern of movement as her own; with a small glance she noted that its terminal arm too had successfully entered the opposing terminal. although the assistance bots had to file through a lot of intricacies concerning the data stored in the ship via the mainframe terminal, she didn't expect their searching to take too long, especially if they didn't flag anything as being damaged somehow.
indenther focus didn't linger on the bots though; just as she'd anticipated, it didn't take long before she heard kai speak up again.
indentshe shifted her eyes back toward him at his sudden mention of a new prototype currently being developed. venators. the name of the prototype already sounded rather sinister. she wondered if the naming processes had anything to do with the actual functions of the androids, or if they just sounded cool. things in the airforce were pretty straightforward although then again, some of the possible weapon modifications did have some obscure names. regardless, it made sense that they were attempting to utilize androids in order to make some progress against wulfgang. if the androids' duty was to eliminate the direwolves that those people rode on, then she understood how it would be probable that the conclave would see a decrease in the amount of soldier deaths at the jaws of the creatures, especially since kai had pointed out that they were one of the leading causes of their losses up north. "whew, the most powerful bite?" she echoed his words, somewhat in awe considering she hadn't been fully aware of such before. mina actually found it quite innovative that the main weapon of the venators would be an electrical spear meant to impale the direwolves before they could sink their jaws into some power armor, though. if the creatures could easily break through the security of power armor, then it only made sense that the conclave was beginning to think outside of the box, and she supposed that meant utilizing androids. "the venators sound like they'd make for great progress up north, especially if the direwolves being used in battle are one of the main largest concerns out there. i wonder if there's any sort of projected statistics regarding how the losses of conclave versus bandit lives may shift after the deployment of the androids." she couldn't help but muse the thought. it was hard to predict these things although she supposed if the venators had been approved then it was likely they might have a chance at changing some tide of battle. as soon as kai offered to show her a picture of one of the models, she felt herself straighten up a bit from where she had been slightly resting against the wall of the ship. "ooh, top secret stuff at the time, huh? now you really gotta show me," she grinned, finding herself leaning forward as he begun to fish his phone out from his back pocket. she was quick to dismiss the fact that his uncle wasn't supposed to have sent him the image, at-least not before the council had officially confirmed of the venators. honestly she was just glad kai had some form of support in his work, even if she didn't entirely grasp the dynamic between the two. as far as she was aware, his uncle was the only other loukanis involved in the android utilization branch; she knew how his parents felt about his career, though. it wasn't right that while kai had such an obvious passion when it came to the understanding of and developing of androids, his parents were far from supportive. hell, that was one of the most obvious factors that differed mina's own situation from kai's. she was following the same career path that her father had taken and that her brother had taken, so naturally neither of her parents had any protests in what she chose to pursue. sure they expected her to get somewhere and carry on the legacy of the family name in the airforce but that was far different from possessing the knowledge that your parents straight up don't care for what you do, nor do they endorse it. she had no idea if she would've been in a similar situation had she not taken up piloting but she was sure her parents wouldn't have had very many complaints. besides, her mother was involved in the government herself. it's not like her family solely specialized in one field but granted it did look that way with the majority of the parekhs being involved in the airforce. not that she would have wanted to follow her mothers own footsteps. the woman had only recently been appointed to director of national intelligence upon director garcia's untimely passing. she'd spent the majority of her years as a part of the conclave intelligence committee so it made sense that through both records and intensive testing, her reliability for such a position was proven. mina herself didn't know how to feel about her so eagerly stepping up to the plate to fill former director garcia's position but it's not like it was an inherently bad thing. it just made the woman dreadfully irritable as of late due to that fact that the committee has been facing heavy scrutiny following director garcia's death, even after her mother being installed as director. her mother was a person who ranted often and loudly so it was no surprise mina knew most of what was going on in her turbulent work life. due to former director garcia's failure to properly report information about the rebel attack which led to the massacre of a fort, the committee's work is now double-checked by the vice president, and a lot of their own powers have been revoked. one of these included their access to a large variety of agency databases, which was exactly where her mother's goal played into the picture. assuming that trust could be reestablished, she was keen to secure the committee's access to databases once again, reinstating intelligence as having some of their prior control back. mina wasn't surprised by this, considering the woman had been on the committee for so long. now she must think it was finally her time to do something worthwhile. whatever the case, sometimes it was like walking on eggshells around her. she brought her work problems to home very frequently although mina had learnt to evade her rants.
indentkai was quick to sift through his photo gallery in order to find the image. she waited in curiosity, feeling the metal feet of the assistance bot shift on her arm as it deciphered various assortments of data that the gunship harbored. after a brief moment, he finally turned the screen of the phone in her direction so that she could take a peek at the venator. mina craned her neck forward in order to get a closer inspection of the image. it wasn't the best quality but given the fact that his uncle had taken it in a rather secretive manner she wasn't surprised. the very first thing that her eyes had landed on was the venator. she immediately noticed its height in comparison to the small group of people that stood around it. its face was shielded by an ebony mask and it was covered in gray robes which didn't help her in trying to make sense of its build since the entirety of its form was hidden. the only limbs which were exposed was its arms, gloves covering its fingertips to its forearms. if she had to guess, the android wasn't online in the photo. it's rigid stature seemed to suggest that it had been powered off into some sort of a sleep mode, perhaps. and although the photo wasn't exactly crystal clear, she was still able to note that the background the venators and the officials stood before must be some sort of a lab. her eyes continued to scan the image as kai spoke, although she was mostly transfixed by the most prominent figure in the image. the venator. "my god, hell yeah it's badass!" she finally looked from the phone screen and to her boyfriend. his explanations gave her some more context, at-least. it made sense why it was wearing the robes now, considering that it would need to keep its internal temperatures stable while up north. if the venators are truly as successful as they're expected to be, then this could mean a lot of progress on the conclave's end, ridding them of the many challenges the average soldier faced with a direwolf. his passing remark regarding their brothers elicited a snort from mina. "you've got a point with that," she chuckled. "but tell me why the idea of being enlisted in the coast guard actually sounds appealing, though. we could just stand around and mind our own business and life would be boring but at-least we could say we aren't being constantly terrorized, right?" she was joking. mostly. the idea of actually doing nothing was tempting considering she was already basically half-way there regardless. "hopefully that promotion comes around quick, though. that way i could bombard you with questions about the android unit i might be transporting..although on second thought, maybe its a good thing we haven't worked together just yet. we might just be too much for everyone to handle." she shook her head in amusement as kai turned his phone off and returned it to his back pocket.
indentat his next inquiry regarding her supply runs, she cast a brief glance around the relatively barren fuselage once again. "heh. well..i'm pretty sure it's already obvious but gunships aren't exactly designed for the transportation of cargo in the first place, and obviously my squadron isn't going to be hogging a bunch of freighters from those who actually spend their days doing legitimate supply runs. so, yes. usually this space is filled but there are some compartments hosted beneath the main body of the aircraft, too, like most ships. i guess you could say it gets a bit crammed in here but there's a latch at the side right over there, beside that empty crate," she nodded her head in the direction of the outline of a door in the wall of the ship. a sturdy latch had been retracted into the door so that it wasn't easily noticeable, which also kept it from jutting out. it was about the same width of the smaller crate she had nestled up against the far corner of the room. "once we land at a certain destination, we usually get a conveyor ramp attached to that door from the outside so that everything can pass through here and out of the ship. to be fair a lot of the stuff we transport isn't like, heavy amounts of resources, if you know what i mean. not in comparison to what a cargo ship or a freighter could hold at-least. we've done weaponry, basic necessities..most of the time we are replenishing requests at different forts, especially those located more up north, i'd suspect due to the crisis with wulfgang and all that." as she spoke, the bot she held on her arm made a few low beeping noises before it had turned to look in the direction of the bot that sat upon kai's arm. once it had caught the other bots attention with a beep, they seemed to exchange some sort of communication before falling back into their previous silence, replugging their interface arms into the panel terminals. mina didn't pay them much mind in the moment although it seemed they had broken the momentary quietude that kai had just referred to. she glanced to the bots. "oh yeah, the bots, well they're supposed t-"
indentmina nearly jumped at the deep beep that was suddenly emitted from the bot on kai's arm.
indentgranted, it wasn't looking at her, it was looking directly at him but it still caught her off guard. she looked to kai for a moment before she realized she had no other choice but to draw her own bot away from its workspace in order to tend to the one beeping at kai in alarm. "oh no. okay, kai don't freak out-- don't worry," she urged him, peeling her arm away from the wall. her own bot immediately scaled up her arm to the top of her shoulder as soon as it grasped the situation. she took a step over toward kai's arm, placing one of her hands atop his forearm as an invitation for the bot to clamber up onto her other shoulder rather than remain with kai. it didn't budge. mina eyed it carefully as it let out a low beep of warning to her, its head swivelling in the direction of the exposed panel. she looked to her boyfriend warily. "um. yeah so it looks like somethings wrong, although it wont get off your arm. but that's fine, it's fine, really," she assured him, her hand returning back to her side. it wouldn't do either of them any good if he felt like panicking about what to do with the bot, hence why she had stepped in so soon. at-least with her at his side he might feel a bit better with handling the situation. she was quick to turn her attention back toward the bot on his arm, though, giving it a rather pointed look. "well, go on then. clearly you want to show us something, no?" the bot tilted its head as it processed her reaction. taking her words as a sign to go ahead and reveal to them what it had stumbled across, the bot turned toward the mess of cables and carefully inserted its interface arm past the various different wires. once it clicked into the terminal, she heard the small shifts of machinery as the bot maneuvered the workings of the ship. for a moment, nothing happened. from the cockpit, however, she suddenly heard the sound of monitors buzzing to life. "wait, hold on," she urged the bot, throwing a glance over her shoulder and down the corridor where the many screens of her control panel were now lighting up. it had clearly taken control of the ships systems with ease, but that didn't mean she liked the idea of it tampering around with her technology beyond what she had hired it to do. to be honest she had no idea if it could even comprehend what she was saying beyond the cues of language it might know but either way she didn't really care. "hey, you can't just-"
indentwith its arm still plugged into the terminal, the bot turned to the pair, effectively shutting her up. it however did not look directly at them but instead down into the cockpit. with a degree of apprehension, she followed its gaze. the black monitors were now lit up in a striking red -- it didn't take a genius to see the huge warning flickering in the middle of each screen, either. on an entirely red background, a black hazard sign was displayed beside some capitalized print, although she couldn't exactly make it out from here. the gunship didn't need to be fully turned on to access its mainframe; its how the bot was able to start things up from the terminal, after all. the only strange part about it all was the fact that she had not seen this warning when she had last turned the ship off -- what triggered it? she tore her gaze away from the slightly obscured screens at the front of the ship. "..huh. the hell? stay here. i'm gonna go read what the screens say..oh, and just try to keep still with the bot, alright? as long as i'm actually checking out the problem, it shouldn't try and hassle you," she looked to the bot with something of a glare. "for now, though, you gotta take this one off my hands too." mina turned her shoulder and let it graze the side of kai's to bridge the gap between them in order to allow the bot to cross the way and perch on her boyfriends shoulder instead. she didn't want this to be stressful for him but with the sinister warning plastered across the technology of her ship, she wouldn't be surprised if he felt a bit intimidated now that he had two of the bots on his person once again. "alright. uhm, give me a few seconds. i promise i'll be back super fast." she hardly took any time to get moving. mina was quick to depart from the fuselage and straight into the cockpit. she immediately slipped into one of the pilot seats, her eyes scanning all of the screens displaying the same message.
indent⚠ ERROR: MALFUNCTION DETECTED IN WEAPON SYSTEMS. SERVICE REQUIRED IMMEDIATELY. DISENGAGE USAGE OF SHIP'S TURRETS AND SEEK A TECHNICIAN OR EQUIVALENT. SERIOUS DAMAGE MAY OCCUR IF ARMAMENTS ARE UTILIZED. POSSIBILITY OF OVERHEATING AND SUBSEQUENT SUDDEN COMBUSTION. ⚠
indentso she had been right.
indentmina wasn't sure how to feel about this. she was glad that she had predicted it but she was also a tad annoyed. obviously her co-pilot didn't have any bad intentions but it felt like things could not be going anymore wrong than this. she stared blankly at the warning signs as they blinked in and out of existence. she desperately wanted them to have been able to leave the ship without finding anything wrong with it, telling hayrmor that everything was fine, and then being on their way but no, of course not. at this point, she'd probably left kai hanging in silence for a little too long now. she threw a glance over her shoulder. "hey, kai! long story short, but i think i know just how the gopher messed with the ship. it's not entirely relevant right now so i'll give you a run-down in a second but anyway, it looks like there's a problem with the weapons systems. the reason why i had no idea until now is because our squadron has been instructed to keep our turrets offline, therefore i wouldn't get any warning about the armaments being affected. i guess the bot that was working from your arm seemed to notice something so it turned on the weapons systems in the mainframe of the ship," she rose up from where she had been sitting, giving a final glance to the flickering hazard symbols before stepping out of the cockpit and back into the fuselage. she made to approach kai and the bots at the rear of the main body, taking one of them off of his hands once more. "well, since that one bot seems rather vehement on addressing the problem from your arm, i need you to do me a favor. i'm going to get this bot to close up all of the panels properly but right now we gotta fix the actual problem. those panels over beside the corridor to the cockpit; you need to go ahead and let the bot access the panel with the wires, not the one with the buttons. once its there, i'm going to assume that it'll be working in the thick of the panel. i have no idea what the gopher might've struck in there but it must be far back if it had slipped the eye of.." she paused briefly. god, she really needed to get her story together, didn't she? "erm. well, my co-pilot, her name is sydni. i'm pretty sure she left the panel open while we were grabbing some lunch but whatever, that's besides the point. after i get this bot to screw on all these panels again, and you get that bot in front of some wires, i'll call hayrmor over to let him know what's up. to be honest, i don't even know what i'm going to tell him. how can i even explain why we - no, she - had been messing around with the ships interior!?" it hadn't exactly dawned on her just how much of the short stick of the situation she had been left with after all. sydni wasn't going to take the brunt of hayrmor's irritation considering that she wasn't even at the hangar right now, and in reality none of this was actually mina's fault. hell, she was going to look like more of an idiot thanks to the actions of others. it seemed not much wanted to go her way when it came to trying to look responsible. between running late for shifts and looking like she was letting gophers easily access parts of their ship, mina could see why people didn't take her seriously enough. it wasn't fair but hayrmor wasn't going to take a crappy excuse either. he'd tell her that she was pinning the blame on sydni. mina let out a frustrated sigh. she hadn't let her tone rise because she was upset at kai but rather because of how unfair the situation turned out to be. "i just..i don't know. he's not going to buy any excuses and he's going to be concerned as to why i'd been so reckless. allegedly reckless, i mean. whatever, it's fine. it's not the first time i've taken the blame for this kind of crap. anyhow..if you give it a few minutes, the bot should find what's wrong. it'll probably beep at you in that same manner as it did earlier, kinda like its trying to get your attention. that just means that it identified the problem. after that, it'll resume its work and hopefully fix this stupid problem." mina plucked one of the covers to the panels from the ground and raised it against the exposed cables where the bots had just been working prior to finding something wrong. she set her forearm against the wall so that her bot could begin screwing the cover back on.
indentwhile the bot begun to set back to work, she threw a glance over her shoulder to where kai was, just outside the short interconnecting corridor to the cockpit. she'd forgotten to ask him something earlier courtesy of them being alerted by the bots. "oh, by the way, i know this is kinda off topic right now..but, i forgot to ask you, that venator you showed me earlier, is it like a certain type of prototype? i know it was covered in those robes, and i don't really know much about androids in general but i'm guessing theres some sort of different variations? like, i've seen ones that resemble humans more than others, while some look like the machinery they're made up of, like you can tell they're just an android."