forum I summon thee @Young-Dusty

Started May 08, 2019 by @amber_is_in_a_loop

tune

Charlotte nodded, chewing thoughtfully. "Is there anyone we're looking out for, other than Deorns?"

"Well, there ain't usually bandits in this area, but it won't hurt to keep 'em in mind. We might also have to worry about some paranoid homesteaders too–they tend to shoot anything that moves, but I don't blame them considerin' how risky it is to live in a place like this." He carried the fish over to the fire and started to fry them in the oil left over from last night's meal. "Other than that, we should be fine, I think. The Deorns will definitely be the biggest issue. This is the time of year you see a lot of younger adults wanderin' around looking for territory, and they're the most dangerous kind. If we run into one of them, we'll have to play our cards just right to get out unscathed."

"Okay." An apology was on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it. She'd only been defending herself against… a love-able ally who just happened to be a mercenary. Right, that was it.
She shook off the thought, instead starting to pack her bedding so they could leave as soon as they'd finished eating.

Rick thought about mentioning last night, then decided against it. Charlotte obviously didn't want to talk about it, and he didn't want to push the already strained tolerance she had for him. "Should be able to make good headway today. Looks like the weather'll be nice, and I don't see many opportunities for difficulty on the road ahead. If this keeps up, we might even reach our destination early."

(man these guys are so oblivious to each other)
Despite her pride Charlotte sank further into herself: it was soon, so soon, that she'd have to face Axel.
She was younger than she looked, not as tough as she pretended to be, and though she'd never admit it she was downright terrified by the situation. Could she really handle defending children in the face of a ruthless, much stronger man than she?
She kept a straight face though, and zipped up her bag. "That's really great, actually. We might have the time to go get help in town if we arrive early."

(lol so true XD)
"Good point. You know anything about the folks in that area? They're not on Axel's side, are they?"

"Not as far as I know. Axel would keep to himself, be as self-sufficient as he can."
That's how he taught me. "If we stick to the more populated areas, and stay away from the borders, we would we fine."

"Sounds like a plan." Rick let the fish cool for a minute, then popped one into his mouth while he quickly packaged up the others. "Shall we go, then?"

Charlotte nodded, swinging her bag onto her back. She kicked some dirt onto the embers of the fire and turned around to face the direction they were headed.

Rick tucked his fishing pole into his backpack and joined her, starting to whistle a tune as he headed up the road.
"So Axel works alone, eh," he said between verses of whatever song he was whistling. "I guess he must be pretty capable then."

Charlotte nodded with a sigh. "You have no idea."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Do give me more details, please, I'd like to have a good picture of this guy's style before I step on his toes much."

"He's incredibly smart, ruthless, and has, as of now, nothing to lose; he's lost everyone he ever cared for save for me. He's angry, guilty, and is fueled by every painful emotion you can conjure up. He was of the more wealthy side and therefore received top training in every style you can think of and wields about three quarters of every existing weapon. He's probably got a guard and a team of… your people. He can read people very well and can guess specific weaknesses to take you down. I don't even know what else to say except do not underestimate him or the lengths he'll go to."

(It's okay! I've been really busy this week too ^^; hugs)
Rick sighed. "Great….I'll try to remember all that. And does he have any exploitable weaknesses you can think of? Any at all?"

(hugs back)
Yes. "No, he doesn't." He does. She cast her eyes to the ground, hitching her bag higher onto her back. There was a good reason she didn't want to say: if they started bringing up Jess again, he'd lose his mind. And then God only knew what he would do.

Rick frowned thoughtfully at that. "Well, okay then. I've always held that everybody's got a weakness of some kind, but I s'pose it might be helpful to proceed as if he didn't. For the sake of not underestimatin' him, like you said." He rubbed his forehead. "Thanks for the info, anyway. Anything's better than walking into this with no idea what to expect."

(8 finals and 13 breakdowns later I'm back, sorry!!)
"Agreed. He's one for planning, so he'll have gone through every possibility and every outcome possible. He'll be ready for probably everything we could throw at him. I say we proceed discreetly at first, get the children first and make ourselves known after if possible. "

Oh shot hon, that sounds like a rough time! No need to apologize, I'm just glad to hear from you again ^^)
"Sounds good. You know the guy better n' I do, so I'll let you lead the way." Rick scratched his jaw. He seemed a little distracted now, watching the road ahead. "Hey, uh….this is a little off-topic, but have you ever heard of Travis of Red Creek, Miss Charlotte?"

(Yeah it's nice to be back, I've missed you all ^^' How've you been?)
Blowing a stray strand of hair from her impassive face, Charlotte shook her head. "I've heard the name, though not more than that."

(I've been good! I've actually been on vacation with my fam the whole week, and we're headed back tomorrow. It's really nice to see my older sisters, they live halfway across the country from us normally)
Rick rubbed the back of his neck. "What you were sayin' about Axel kinda reminded me. Travis….he's a nasty feller, no two ways about it. I've run into him a couple of times, and each time he made me a little more nervous. These days he's running the group that hunts Deorns, I think." He sighed. "I'm not really sure why I brought him up–I'm just glad we won't have to deal with him on this job. Do you get much news about the bandit tribes back east?"

(Ooh that must be so nice! Visiting family is always such a nice time isn't it? I'm getting homesick a little right now on my side of things, so I get where you're coming from :)

"What won him such a reputation?" she asked, seeming slightly concerned.

(It is nice ^^ What are you doing away from home atm? Is it because of school?)
"Well, that's what I was gonna say, is he used to be part of a tribe called the Devil-Birds and picked up some bad habits in that company. He's not your ordinary bruiser, though–he's got a healthy dose of cunning, and he's real good at getting people to do what he wants." Rick sighed gravely. "When I first met him, he had a group of followers, but they all seemed downright terrified of him. And when he was talkin' to me, he seemed so friendly and cheerful. Folks like that are nothing to mess around with, that for sure."

(Nah school's basically over now. I'm spending a week in Berlin for an exchange, then I've got one day at home on Friday, then we're off for another week in the south of France… All a bit hectic and I'm feeling vv tired, but I'm just trying to enjoy the trips)
Charlotte listened intently, furrowing her brow. "Sounds like a threat if I ever heard one. And for your previous question, I'm fairly isolated. I learn what I can when travelers pass through, but that's a limited amount, and a bit too subjective for my taste. It amounts to gossip."

(Ah, I see. That does sounds pretty hectic XD I hope it's fun though ^^)
"Fair enough. I s'pose my views are a bit narrow too, whether I like it or not. And it's true that most of my news is a bit out-of-date. It could be that Travis bit the dirt by now…with a lifestyle like that, it's a pretty common thing."

"I'd say that being conscious of your opinion is half the work," Charlotte assured him. "Have you got your own enemies that send you towards such horrible men, then?" Charlotte asked lightly, not realizing she was slipping into 'chatting'.