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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Nov 29, 2010 16:18:32 GMT -5
It seemed as if most of the group, if not the Ace, had made up their mind on which way they wanted to go. Kelsier's ears twitched, one angling towards the group and the other in the direction of the path it seemed they were going to investigate. Something about the sound of the buzzing sent a shiver down his spine and he closed his eyes briefly, trying to gather his wits about him once more.
This was going to get crazy soon, he was certain. He went over the spells available to him and, for a moment, cursed the fact that he was not born with the rank of his brother. But he could take care of himself, even if just through raw physical strength.
Besides, the rest of the group seemed confident. He took another deep breath, then stood. He glanced over at the Ace. "Orin'ssss right. Even if you don't have magic, we do, and if you're here, we can protect you." Those strange, feral eyes of his flashed brightly. It was time to prove himself. "Anyway, there'ssss no point in waiting around for ssssomething to find usss," he pointed out, quickly rising to his feet. "Better to get the jump on it, right?"
The hairs along his back stood on end and he looked at each member of the strange little group in turn.
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Post by Nathalia on Nov 29, 2010 16:50:56 GMT -5
(( Now that the choice has been made, the little group can begin to make their way down the section of street that heads up a more well-known section of the Outer Bazaar. It probably even looks familiar to anyone in the group who's been to the Outer Bazaar before; well-cobbled streets, shoppes that aren't quite as dingy as others, less broken windows, and soon you should be coming up on that barber's shoppe and the pie shoppe where that nice lady...
Oh... Hills!
The streets are stained crimson and the air is laden with the smell of decay and the droning, never-ceasing buzz of flies. Bodies are strewn everywhere; hacked to pieces, full of holes, decapitated, or split open...all dead and mangled. The smell is horrible, the underlying scent of rot makes sense now, even though the bodies seem relatively fresh... All of them. Lowlanders or part Lowland. Every last one.
Oh, God! Is that the nice pie-shoppe lady's head?! It is, her body lies a few feet behind her, insides half ripped out, her head jammed on the end of a broken curtain rod ripped out of her own store.
The shoppes are all dark, except for a very faint light in the one attached to the pie-lady's shoppe.
What in all hell can you do?)) ~Nathalia
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Post by Callypso on Nov 29, 2010 18:16:32 GMT -5
Emery couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Go search for the buzzing sound? Were they out of their minds?! His disbelief was sharply etched across his face. Clearly being of higher rank than an Ace made for overconfidence. Good grief. He raked his claw through his mane again in frustration and discomfort.
Look, it’s not that I don’t think I could take care of myself – I can, up to a point. But the same applies if something happens to the rest of you. I can only do so much. You know?
The little mix looked plainly exasperated, but he could tell that they had already made up their minds. As far as he was concerned, they were all crazy, but then again, they hadn’t had to live their lives in constant fear or worry of being taken advantage of. They probably hadn’t seen the things he had nor experienced the level of prejudice that bombarded him every day. It was a miracle that they were even talking to him as a relative equal.
A sigh escaped his beak as he shook his head. Well, if they were going to force the issue, then he'd at least insist on them letting him do what he did best: Prowling the streets quietly and unnoticed.
All right. Something is definitely up and I’ll agree that we should at least stick together. But I’m telling you – I think this is a really bad idea. I do know these streets pretty well, though. I’ll scout ahead if you’ll agree to stay back a bit. I want us to have enough time and space to maneuver if it looks dangerous, okay? Stay single file and stick to the sides of the buildings until I say otherwise…
He waited for their agreement before leading the way, taking his time scooting from garbage bin to abandoned vendor booths before they reached the open street, toward the more well-known area of the Outer Bazaar. The closer they came to the main causeway, the worse the smell, Emery began to breath through his mouth to avoid gagging on the horrid stench. He gestured for the group to stay back as he rounded the last corner.
Nothing could be heard but the buzzing of flies, his head darted behind the wall for a quick peek – and he stopped, stock still as his heart plummeted into his stomach.
Dead. Dead people everywhere. Mrs. Lovett's head was staked on a curtain rod. The cobbled streets stained and slick with blood; entrails, body parts and corpses littered the road. Oh god, oh god. All Lowlanders...
Emery slowly retreated back behind the corner of the building, eyes bulging as he looked back to the others, rapidly shaking his head back and forth, but unable to move any farther. He had flattened himself against the side of the building and clung to it as if for dear life. Finally, a terrified squeak forced itself from his maw.
Oh... oh god...!! I think I'm going to be sick...
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Nov 29, 2010 19:31:18 GMT -5
Partly because he felt at least a little responsible for getting the little Ace all wrapped up in the goings-on, and partly because of his rampant burning curiosity, Kel fell into line directly behind the mix, trotting along at a brisk pace. While he generally walked with his head low to the ground, to avoid notice, this time he held it high. It gave him a better visual vantage point, to be sure, and he felt as though any advantage their little group could possibly get was a very good thing. Especially since his sense of smell was - well - sorely limited, thanks to the tanks of Bog air he took each breath from.
Perhaps he'd take the mask off. Just for a minute - just for long enough to figure out what the others were talking about --
He almost crashed into Emery, stopping himself just in time before the Ace returned from scouting the scene at the end of the path. His eyes went wide and he made a muffled noise behind his mask, then his eyebrows furrowed. "Wha...?"
Then his expression hardened. He so often fell beneath the command of others - not today. Today, Kelsier would do what he wanted to do. He would make his parents proud. As Emery spoke, he pushed his way ahead, out into the scene of the carnage. Then, he went very still. Without the added bonus of the smell of death, he was able to remove himself somewhat from the reality of the situation. He stared at the blood, the gore, the mangled and mutilated bodies. He swallowed, hard, feeling something in his stomach rebel at the sight.
Something else, though, was interested. He looked around, seeking out any little details possible in the wreckage. Then, he made his way back to the group.
"I don't think... anyone'sss alive out there." He said, voice oddly quiet and subdued. Who on earth could have done this? Lowlanders were disgusting, it was true, but this... This certainly didn't improve them, not in the slightest! "A light isss on, though. We ssshould... look for people. Alive people. Maybe they sss - ssssss - ..." Emotion was creeping into the boy's already sibilant voice, and he was clearly struggling to get the word out. "...Maybe they know what happened."
Even if his words wouldn't come, Kelsier felt... oddly calm. Those people were all dead, and he was still very much alive.
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Post by Kitty on Nov 30, 2010 1:30:22 GMT -5
With the decision made, Alohilani fell into the middle and perked up her ears, scanning the rooftops as best she could. Whatever was causing all of this could be anywhere, and she suddenly felt rather vulnerable from above, in addition to already getting the creeps from every turn and shadow. And, like Emery, she resorted to mouth breathing when the stench got a little too strong for her.
She very nearly bumped into Kelsier when he went still, but instead stumbled to the side a bit to avoid him. And that's when she caught a damn good view of the carnage. Oh... oh god... this was... this was way worse then she'd imagine. Her stomach wasn't as kind as Emery's and after a few seconds of staring she heaved up her breakfast onto the cobblestones. He limbs felt a little shaky so, for the moment, she plopped her rear on the ground to steady herself.
Oh sweet mother of suits this was horrible and no words of warning for the other two would escape her throat, she just sat and stared at the horrid sight before her.
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Post by Nako on Nov 30, 2010 12:54:46 GMT -5
Karrock had let out a scream when he saw the bodies, but it was such a shrill and high sound that it did little more than come out as a strangled squeak. Bodies.. they were everywhere. Death was upon them, he was so sure of it! He tried to backpedal, but there was a body in his way… a warm living one. Someone from the group. His way blocked, he stood stark still, shivering. "S-s-s-suuits…"
Orin had been startled as well, all four legs standing firm and head held high as his nostrils flared. Blood, danger… but another smell that turned his stomach even more was the smell of rancid, soggy bandages. As his eyes drank in the sight before him, his taught muscles slowly began to relax as the sight of brown and green and purple made its presence on each and every hide strewn on the ground.
Messy. Unprofessional. But then again that was the point. If the person was trying to send a message across, these bodies surely should have been dumped in the middle of the streets where everyone could see them. Orin couldn't really bring himself to feel sorry for the Lowlanders. He didn't think he could kill one himself... but really, they were -cross breeding-! His distaste went out even moreso toward the bodies mottled with other colors. No doubt the scum were trying to breed out their illness with good blood. Well, all they were doing was stinking up the other realms.
Eerily calm, Orin looked over his shoulder to evaluate his group. "You folk don't have much to worry about. These are Lowlanders." He flicked his tail, looking toward he light. Who had enough hatred for Lowlanders to… hunt them down?
His heart skipped a beat.
"I think we should go check out that light." Orin said in a rushed voice, deep voice suddenly rising an octave. Could it be….? His Aunt always insisted his father was dead. But they hadn't found the body. A rational mind wasn't thinking these things through; it was a desperate son with a desperate hope that there might be a Jossigy bull in that building.
((haha.. silly Orin and your false hopes XD))
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Post by Callypso on Nov 30, 2010 15:03:03 GMT -5
The Ace felt slightly detached from the other Cards’ reactions to the mess, though his stomach quivered and clenched when the contents of Alohilani’s gut splashed onto the ground. He swallowed thickly, trying to process what it was he had just seen. His sides heaved with slow, labored breaths. This was by far worse than what he had imagined. Sure, he had half expected something dead – what else could have brought on that particularly aggressive buzzing? It wouldn’t have been the first time he’d come across the sad victim of a murder… back alleys were a practical choice for unpleasant interactions. But this? This was shameless and complete carnage.
The Boggie’s voice brought him back to his senses – it sounded strangely calm and rational. Emery looked over to find that Kelsier had removed his mask. Oh. That made sense, of sorts. Something about the change in chemicals had mentally and emotionally separated the feline from his surroundings. That was… good. For the moment. They needed to think clearly. Emery swallowed and took a deep, shaky breath before risking another peek from behind the corner of the building. He tried to stay detached as he sought the light that Kel had mentioned. Yes, there it was. The building next to Mrs. Lovett’s pie shoppe.
Despite himself, he scanned the rest of the area again. Every single corpse obviously had some Lowlander blood in it. Without realizing it, a tear slipped its way down his cheek. The Villa/Highlander was about to mutter some sort of awkward prayer (though he wasn't much of a believer in anything) when Orin’s relaxed tone caused his entire body to tense.
For the very first time Emery found himself angry, really angry at the world.
The Ace had long since accepted his role in society. He had accepted that Cards were often ignorant or cruel – but despite everything he survived. It was all he could do, and sometimes, sometimes his persistence was rewarded by kindness and open-mindedness. Those Cards, Cards like Xopek and Mirriam – they made everything worth it. And these Lowlanders? They may as well have been his own family. How could he not empathize with their plight? Like him, they too were misunderstood, mistreated, despised or abused simply because they were born. It was nothing he nor the Lowlanders could change, and the last thing he was going to tolerate was nonchalance at their brutal demise. He rounded on the bull, voice deadly quiet with malice and disbelief.
Don’t worry? Don’t worry? These people did NOTHING to deserve this. This is murder. Some sick son of a bitch rounded these Cards up and slaughtered them like cattle, and you say don’t worry? What the hell is wrong with you?
Clearly Orin was one of these biased Jossigies, but now was hardly an appropriate time to exercise his distaste. Emery didn't have the luxury to waste his time with rivalry bullshit. Especially not now.
He turned away in disgust to look back at the solitary light in the distance. Chances were that no one had survived the chaos, and chances were even greater that something sinister was waiting in the single lit building. But the Ace had a silent rage brewing, one that he’d never felt before, and wanted justice for these people. At any cost. It was against everything he lived by, but this time he couldn’t accept society’s prejudice, couldn’t turn away from these people.
I agree that we should investigate. It’s not likely anyone survived, but if there’s a chance… He cleared his throat to remove the anger and emotion that was welling up. Now more than ever we need to stick together. We can – we can use the bodies as cover. Let’s do this slow and quiet, okay? We don’t want to draw any attention to ourselves. We’ll go… we’ll go when everyone’s ready…
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Post by Kitty on Nov 30, 2010 21:54:41 GMT -5
She sat still, besides the slight trembling in her limbs, simply staring blankly at the bodies that littered the street. She sorely regretted being in favor of this particular path now, but was unable to tear her gaze away from the mutilated corpses. This was her first experience with death and, suits, lowlanders or not it was quite the introduction to the topic.
Finally the raised, angry tones of Emery's voice brought her attentions back to the living. She flipped he tufted ears back and turned her gaze to the boys before shaking her head. She lifted a paw up and wiped any remnants of her breakfast off her chin fur before getting back up and daintily stepping around what has previously resided within her stomach.
Let's not start any hostility... let's just go check out the light.
She turned and took a couple steps toward the building before emery made the announcement of using the bodies as cover and she very nearly threw up again at the very thought. Her muzzle wrinkled up into a display of complete and total disgust.
You're not getting me near those.... those.... ugh... I can't do that. No..
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Post by Nako on Dec 7, 2010 19:49:55 GMT -5
Orin's gaze narrowed, but only slightly. His tail gave an aggravated flick. "I'd calm down if I were you; these folk might kill Lowland sympathizers as well."
Typical of an ace to want to scurry on their belly amongst filth. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. Even an ace shouldn't even be that bad, in retrospect, especially for the suits that the unfortunate animal sported.
"Crawl around in death if you wish; I'm going in."
Karrock made a soft whimper behind his acquaintance, following more out of a need to stay near someone than thinking this situation was a good idea.
"Do you really think we'll be safe?" Karrock whispered, shooting back his glance toward the folk behind them imploringly to see if they would follow.
"Don't sweat it. I'll do the talking." Orin didn't look back at the strange mix, but instead came to the door to open it.
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Post by Nathalia on Dec 7, 2010 20:38:15 GMT -5
((The door takes some pushing but eventually yields onto what appears to be a barber shoppe. The floor holds a large, overstuffed leather chair in the center, meant to hold patrons while they waited for their treatments and the tables against the walls hold large assortments of boxes all of which are delicately locked, but look spindly. There are two doors in the place, one that seems to connect it to the shoppe next door, and one that looks as though it must go to a room in the back. This door is bolted shut and doesn't seem like it can be opened without some extreme force.
The light was coming from one small lighted candle, sitting on the table at the back of the room, it smells fairly fresh and the entire shoppe looks relatively untouched for such a scene to have gone on outside...))
~Nathalia
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