((No problem. Well Miles has opened up to Doc about his past, and seems to be gaining his trust, though Shadow made it clear she's going to hurt Miles if she gets the chance, and Finn has told her to back off, so she's just kind of back with Dusty now after completing their mock race. Those have been pretty much been the only significant posters so far, so you should be all caught up.

))
Oskar and Skipper - Tags: Rush, ShinnSkipper seemed to sense that about Rush, and shot a glance over at the bar. "Hmph... I'll pick up the drinks. No need to bother a server. OK so I got yours Shinn... I know you don't imbibe, Rush so that leaves... the German... and his Heinecar..." Skipper fixed his gaze on the Me 163 now, who cringed a little. "Be back in a bit..." Skipper departed for the bar now, and Oskar watched him go.
"Whew... I can tell he intimidates not just me!" Oskar chuckled here, looking over at Rush. "But Herr Rush... you are... good friends, with the Skipper, ja?" he asked. "Why... I mean I understand why you're sort of... hesitant and maybe even afraid around him... but you cannot... suffer from that survivor's guilt. You survived... you cannot crash yourself over that. You're here now for a purpose... whatever it is... perhaps in this moment, when we have shared our stories and helped each other heal that... perhaps you'll know. I feel there is more yet for you to do, Herr Rush. It is not something I can really explain, but an old vet like you, well... we tend to have more on our plates when it comes down to it." His mouth upturned into a reassuring smile here. "Perhaps it has to do with your dragon friend, ja?" he suggested.
"So... why did you run? You are a pacifist now, ja? You simply... don't wish to kill?" he concluded, looking at the table, as his eyesight was just about over it. "Could you if you had to? I mean... why not protect the town that is your home and that you love? All your friends?"
Finn - Tags: Aeris, StreakFinn gave Shadow one final look, knowing she was feeling resentment, but he had to curb that unprofessional attitude, or she could compromise the whole mission. He'd talk to her... later... maybe even invite her to dinner with his son. She'd like that after all... it'd be a good way to make up for today's altercation. Listening to Streak thoughtfully, Finn nodded. "Well... I'm up for anything really. I have a large palate. What do you feel like, Aeris?" Finn asked his son. "It's really YOUR call after all... since you're kind of my guest of honor now. I want to hear all about your life over a plate of food and some fine wine. How does that sound?" he asked.
Blade - Tags: OtterBlade closed his eyes and braced himself as he heard Otter trail off at first. Here it was... the moment where he'd be bashed for who he was... or questioned on his orientation... but... then... it didn't come. It wasn't even close. It was a sympathetic, tender answer, and Blade reopened his eyes as he heard that he'd been beaten into submission. Submission? Blade never considered himself a submissive... sort but then... maybe... maybe he was a beaten, drowned individual. Sure... he was a bit scathing in saying it was someone's stuck up superstition... their opinion that wasn't fact. He remained silent, listening as Otter continued with saying Nick's death was an accident... and that it did not confirm his father's opinion... or everyone else's for that matter.
"You don't think... it's because... it's because we loved each other?" he asked softly, as if afraid of others hearing what he was saying. He hadn't told anyone this in close to 40 years... letting it come out into the open now... it was alien to him. He hid himself under a tough exterior and shoved those out of his personal life... almost extremely so. But now... now he was being open... he was showing Otter just a glimpse of himself... a glimpse he'd kept behind a door that hadn't opened in so long it might've forgotten how to do so... but open now it was.
"I'm... I've been beaten into submission..." It was a half question... half statement, as if the chopper couldn't make up his mind. "You know... when I fled my home... I was... I dunno... not really WANTING to come out... but not wanting to live with my family anymore either. I always wanted to be an actor. So I landed some early gigs, but got discovered by a talent scout who was hiring for a new TV show about chopper coppers, heheh. Thought I'd be perfect for the role. That's where I met Nick... he was to be my costar on that set. He was... so different from anyone I'd ever met. Funny... confident, he always knew what to say, and could handle himself well in tough situations. Had a biting wit and well... helped me... open up more too." Blade explained. "Being around him... I felt like... I was becoming... who I really wanted to be... maybe who I really... was?" Blade asked here, unsure of that. "I was happy... confident... different. More courageous in a lot of ways. Nick... he was just suave and smooth no matter what. He uh... he swung both ways, you know? But he was fun to be around... and got me... out of my shell... got me accepting... who I was... he wasn't doing it for himself... he was doing it for me... it was always for me... to help me... he was... selfless... so when he died I just..."
Blade sniffed here, looking down. "I couldn't accept it. It was like I had died that day... who I was had died that day... and I couldn't... I couldn't let it come back. Everything I'd been told about myself by my dad... and others... it was all true. I'm not even sure how I didn't give up back then..." he confessed to Otter here. "I guess I just... wanted to stop playing games... stop having fun... I wanted to actually make a difference in people's lives... so I changed my career but... I gave up a lot of who I was for it... a lot of... who I wanted to be." He paused here, realizing he was rambling again, but this was honestly the most he'd ever talked to anyone in years. He'd never been this chatty except when... well when he'd met Nick.
"Sorry... I'm not usually so... conversational. This is honestly the most I've talked about this in well... years. I've never discussed it with anyone, and I've never opened up about my orientation with anyone after Nick's death. We had to keep it secret at the time due to how frowned upon it was but... I just... I've never been this open with anyone before, Otter. I almost feel like I'm out of a box... I just can't stop. I've been let free but for how long? How long before I shut myself down again and stop it all?" He asked, afraid of the answer.
Dusty - Tags: Shadow"Whoa! Whoa! Hey there! What do you mean you can't do this mission? Shadow you're trained for these kinds of things, right?" Dusty asked, growing worried here and moving in front of her. "Hold on here... look I hate Axlerod too but is that any reason to quit your mission? I mean... he's here because he has information? So... he's like... a... a witness, right? Maybe you could see him as such. Or..." his voice fell out from under him here as it dropped.
"Is it more... personal than that?" he asked softly. "Those agents you mentioned... did you... know them personally? Were you close?" he continued, his voice low, and kind of hoarse.
Miles - Tags: Doc"Ugh... yes... yes I'm trying... I'm trying..." Miles responded. "Don't have any more of whatever they gave me... do you?" he asked hopefully. "It seemed to be holding the pain in check but now... I feel... woozy... hurt... like I've just been... tossed into a compactor! And Doc Hudson eh? Pleasure... to meet you..." he said weakly, giving him a wan grin. "Sorry..." He forced himself upright now, wobbling on his tires. "Ugh... my engine! It doesn't feel so hot... blasted thing's probably on the verge of another breakdown..." he murmured. "It can happen whenever I'm stressed... though leaking oil tends to happen at the most inopportune times like... like... right... now!" he said, feeling it suddenly flooding out of his body, his efforts to hold it back useless.
He winced, surely having gotten some on Duc as a black puddle began to pool around Doc's wheels. "Ugh blast it!" he uttered. "Can't ever hold that in when I want to! Just a lemon is what I am... old British aluminum V8... sorry." he told him bashfully, looking away with embarrassment.