Finding Old Friends [Finished]

[Dark]

“I don’t know—we might want to hold off on securing the food, nonperishable or not. We need to focus on getting items in order of relevance, just in case we have to leave at a moment’s notice. Food, if nothing else, can be traded for along the way. And we don’t know how long we have.”

It didn’t really matter, especially, but they really didn’t know when those two arrogant hotshots would leave town and they needed to be ready to move at a moment’s notice. Of course, they could always leave before those two louts…

A plan started to take shape in Minh’s head, devious and cunning and sure to piss Shinrai off. A plan that involved beating the two males to their destination and procuring that so called “experience” they apparently lacked by scouting the area and buying off the locals. It would be rather fun, actually, to change the rules. Shinrai might very well kill them, but what was life without a little risk?

She set about relaying this embryonic idea to her cohort, “Hey, Mnem…”

[Bee]

She recognized the expression of Minh's face, plotting and malevolent, and Mnemosyne was almost certain she was going to like whatever came out next. Occasionally Minh's ideas were worrisome (and in clear violation of the laws of physics, but just as Mnem tended to feel that man-made law did not apply to her, Minh seemed to feel that she was exempt from the laws of Nature), but in this context there were very few avenues for thought to explore.

She had been forming her own ideas, as well, vicious little thoughts about beating the stallion and his companion at their own game, of taking the lead instead of following, and letting the pair stumble about on their trail they blazed. Mnem had a growing yen to show them up.

And judging by her look, that was probably what Minh was thinking as well. She did so love it when they were on the same page.

"Darling," she said, "are you pondering what I'm pondering?"

[Dark]

Minh met Mnem’s malevolent grin with one of her own, “If it has something to do with making those boys eat our dust, then the answer would be a most distinct hell yes.”

It was brilliant, really. Why follow when they could lead? It had ceased being a matter of tagging along just for the heck of it the minute those arrogant over-ranked pinheads had dared oppose them—it was a matter of pride now, and revenge. It would be delightfully wicked to arrive before them, not only to be able to rub it in their faces, but to gather intelligence and very possibly foil Shinrai’s plans. Or, more to Mnem’s taste—make it impossible for the arrogant stallion to succeed without them.

She thought about this new twist in design, and decided she was rather fond of it. And she was almost certain Mnem would approve.

Sitting back on her haunches to scratch at her ear, she began to relay her plans to the canine.

[Bee]

Mnemosyne liked the sound of this very much. She had not often ventured to the Marsh, especially in so small a band, but if Elias and Shinrai had planned on making the journey alone, Mnem was more than confident that she and Minh could do it as well, and do it better. Minh's excited babble about gathering intelligence and scouting the area sounded more than perfect; the only problem would be getting there well before the stallion and his companion in order to have time to do this. Mnem did not worry overmuch about this. She could find her way out of a wet paper bag even if Minh could not, and was sure she could lead them there.

They would need to make their preparations quick, though. "Let's go quickly and see what we can dredge up at our place," she told the feline, "before we decide to buy anything."

[Dark]

Mnem was right, of course—they should pool what resources they already had at their disposal so they avoided spending money on redundant items; which meant they were off to the lair. She peeked out from the alley-way, ever the ninja, to scan the streets and verify Shinrai and El were truly gone. Not seeing them, she burst forth into the unwelcome sunlight and started towards home.

Of course, even if they did already possess some of the necessary items, Minh wasn’t quite sure where to start looking. She knew where all her possession of relevance were, but beyond her chemistry set she really had no idea—things had gone where she’d dropped them, really. Mnem was steadfastly trying to correct this habit, of course, but so far she hadn’t made much luck. At least the kitchen wasn’t sporting that impromptu mold anymore, though Minh would have been happy enough to continue observing it indefinitely. The spores really had been something else.

Padding under an arched stack of books, she headed in the direction she last remember her pirate gear being.

[Bee]

Mnemosyne sighed as Minh took off, and the excitement in the feline's expression told her that she would probably need to weed through Minh's supplies before they left, and throw out useless items like bander-mauled power cables or industrial-size containers of shoe polish or something.

Going through her own things, Mnem packed items that she considered to be infinitely more useful. Her med kit, for starters, a knife for personal defense, a thick yet fashionable cloak for warmth, that sort of thing. Then she made her way to the kitchen, the only place in the house she managed to keep reasonably clean, and that was only because it was the only room in the apartment she could reliably keep Minh out of. She didn't know how Minh had managed not to kill herself with the fungi that had sprouted.

She threw in some tea, some coffee, a few durable containers for water. After a moment's consideration, she filled the green one with absinthe. Not a superfluous addition, really. She was probably going to need it.

[Dark]

Minh hadn’t always wanted to be a chemist. Beyond the production of explosives and fireworks, when she was little she had been enamored with thoughts of pirates. She’d even tried running away to the Selkie Lakes, once—and she would have made it, too, if she hadn’t gotten so hopelessly lost. Her brother had found her hiding out in a cave about a mile from home a week later, low on rations with cabin fever fast settling in.

She still had a lot of her toys from back in those days of high adventure, and currently she had sorted them out in front of her. The satchel was made of sturdy material and fit comfortably, buckled down close on her shoulders to make it easier to carry and less of a hindrance than her haversack if she had to make a break for it or got into a fight. A relatively sophisticated shiv fit into a sheaf she had attached to her bandoleer, a thick strap of leather with about a gazillion pouches that she wore across her chest. Upon inspection the bandoleer still contained some of her black powder, a couple small firecrackers, a compass, and a twill of twine. She added some more powder and other combustible substances she thought might be useful, and dug up an old fashioned morter and pedestal to throw in her bag. She found the thick, multi-purpose cloak that had belonged to her father and stuffed that in, too.

Then she went in search of Mnem.

[Bee]

Spending time in the kitchen was making Mnem a bit hungry, and if Minh was going to take some time to gather all of her scattered things, she thought she might as well prepare them both a nice meal to get them prepped for the long journey ahead. Additionally, she had no idea when they were going to taste decent food again, and she wanted to remember something with a non-vile flavor.

Then she saw it. Minh was coming her way, decked out in what appeared to be part of a pirate costume. She opened her mouth to tell her that perhaps if they'd like to be stealthy she should consider not donning garb that was painfully attention-grabbing. Then she just kept silent and took a moment to be thankful that Minh had not decided to place a gigantic pirate captain hat on her head.

"Well," said Mnem, after she cleared her throat. "Are we ready to go?"

[Dark]

Minh adjusted the fall of the bandoleer and tightened the straps of the satchel, bouncing a bit on the balls of her feet to get everything settled down comfortably. On her way back to Mnem she stumbled across a length of utility-grade rope coiled next to a copy of Practice and Practicality, by Liz Bennet. Awful book if she recalled, but she couldn’t come up with a decent explanation for the noose she’d apparently felt compelled to make out of the rope. Perhaps she’d also been reading a book on knot-making?

Whatever the case, worrying about it now didn’t really benefit in anyway—she fastened the length of rope to her satchel and, satisfied with the weight and feel of the current arrangement, slung the large water canteen she’d found over everything else and finished the trip to the kitchen.

She gave Mnem a sloppy salute, “Ready when you are, Captain.”

Of course, they still had to stop by the bazaar for food, but—minor details.

[The Jenn]

Sera, Bee, Trebias, and Dark all receive 3 tokens each, to be redeemed in Ashwin's Shoppe. This will automatically be added to your recorded totals in the shoppe. Congratulations, and keep up the good RP!