Aug 05 08:18:16 109 PA - A Little Recruiting for a Dinosaur Hunt
From Chronicles
Aug 05 08:18:16 109 PA.
YAKOV'S DELI
It is a busy as hell Monday morning. People are slammed into the little Deli, people ordering food left and right. Ordering the week's shopping of meat, poultry, and fish. There are several people eating with standing room only. Rasputin is frantically flipping pancakes, eggs and hash on the stove.
A busy deli probably means the parking in front is similarly packed. This leaves Alex to hover over top another vehicle as it tunes its radio to give the Deli a call.. "Hello? I arranged to meet with a mr Rasputin? I'm waiting outside here.."
Pavel sees standing room only, which can be a bit of a problem, or a bigger problem, when the large smith enters. He has to squeak himself in the door. Fortunately, he's alone. Unfortunately, his girlfriend is the tiny one of the pair. It's not hard for him to see Rasputin, with his extended-height vision platform, something that he almost laughs at. Eventually, after politely not steam rolling anyone but rather acting as more of a locomotive's cow catcher, he extends a big palm and waves in the dwarf's direction. << Rasputin! You never told me that it ever got so crazy in here. I hope you're paying the staff double for today! >>
Rasputin yells over shoulder, not really picking up on the radio noise right away, "Pavel," He says, as he serves up three new orders, "Da, da. It does, just be givink your orders to Anya, da." He tosses down half a dozen more eggs, each perfectly cracked in quick fashion. Then, flips out two more stacks of pancakes. In Russian, he says as the radio announcement finally filters into his head, "Please, be going," he looks at one of the bus boys, "outside and tell dhat person to get off dhere vehicle and comeside please." He apparently doesn't fully understand the situation.
Alex waits patiently, taking the time outside to consider the vehicles parked there and see if any look to soon be in need of its services. A successful business is a proactive business after all.. The smith can only chuckle, waiting for things to calm down. Or whatever it is that they're going to do. As for Anya - the wrong Anya - he doesn't have much interest in her for now. No food is ordered. Either a good fasting schedule, or he's already eaten. A call goes out in Russian, << Is this a bad time to talk about the dinosaurs? >>
The bus boy walks outside, and looks at the large vehicle.. The bus boy yells at the head, also failing to understand that this is not a vehicle. He says, "Mister, Rasputin would like you to get out of your vehicle and come inside, if you could." He says with a large smile.
Rasputin chuckles, "Net, net." He looks at the pseu chef and says, "You ready, da?" He pseu chef's eyes go crazy with fear but then just nods. Rasputin hands him the spatula and then walks away from the counter, "Lets sit over here," He walks over to the small table he usually sits at. Alex inverts to give the bus boy a better view of how its torso connects to its disc. "Yeah, would if I could. Would allow me to go all kinds of places. But see, I am my vehicle. I cant remove myself from it. And it wouldn’t fit in an empty deli, let alone a full one." The robot explains, hovering calmly upside down above the bus boy.
After a little tap dancing around people and looking like a newborn mountain goat climbing the side of a cliff, Pavel makes his way to Rasputin's table. A good thing that his big hammer was left at home today as well. Once more, finding a proper-sized seat poses a challenge, particularly considering how little room there is to scootch it out. But, after one gentle shove that sends a fellow back about eight inches, he manages to find a spot. << Good morning, my friend! You wanted to talk about the dinosaurs, yes? >> Just because he passed a giant floating robot doesn't mean that he knows that it has anything to do with anything else.
The bus boy's eyes goes wide, and then shakes his head, "Oh! OK." He walks back inside and squeezes his way through the crowd and stops at Rasputin's table. "Boss, apparently he can't. He is like a big old borg of some kind." He shudders, "Kind of like da old Russian ones you were takink abouts from da old land."
Rasputin looks up to the bus boy, then looks outside again, even though there is no way he can see out there. He shakes his head, "Da, da." He looks to Pavel and says, "Mink sorries, could we step out sides perhaps?" He looks to Pavel's 'date' "Minkink if we are leavink you here while we talk, or you can be comink if you are likink."
Alex goes back to waiting patiently. The robot seems to be good at that. One would imagine that would be vital for preserving one's sanity.
Pavel gets to his feet happily, glad for the room. In fact, he even provides fullback duties, clearing the way for his host to get to the door, opening it for the dwarf to exit. << I guess this is why you need more meat? >>
Rasputin leads the way out of the deli, and walks out the front. Upon arriving out the front he tugs his beard and chuckles, "Da, da. Now mink understandink." He smiles, "Greetinks, how are you doink?" He extends his hand to the large figure, reaching up from his short stature. He looks to Pavel and nods, "Dis is Pavel, mink name is Rasputin."
"Pavel and I have met." Alex replies extending its arm from its inverted torso to shake the dwarfs hand. It takes a moment, having to be careful not to scratch the paint of the car in the parkinglot as it maneuvers. "I am Alex, robot, mechanic, robot mechanic."
Pavel bobs his head at both host and giant floating robot. "Hav myeht Ahlehx oszehr taheem. Good see, Ahlehx. Tehk seh has gohn to plehce Ahrcehdeeyah? Peepohl hoort, mehke byettehr?" He looks again to both, and asks once more - but more tentatively this time - "Fohr daheenosohrs todeh?" Rasputin nods slowly, "Da, da." He smiles, "I'm lookink to be leaving sooner dhan later. If possible in a few days." He tugs his beard, "Mink will pay 5000 credits up front for 7 days journey. Two into da woods, three huntink, and two back," he looks back and forth, "I'll be givink each a cut of the profits after mink pay expenses." He looks at the large robot, and ponders then back to Pavel. He just pauses from there.
"Sounds good. What sort of craft will you bre taking for the trip? I'll look up its specs so i have them on hand should any sort of breakdown occur. No sense bringing a mechanic if it cant mechanic after all." Alex offers with a nod in return as it pulls its hand back. It remains inverted for ease of discussion. If no one minds talking to a robot hanging upside down.
The big smith gives a shrug. "Vould do fohr fhree, eef Rasputin need," Pavel offers up. "Lehrahmy peepohl cahn veht fohr a veek, jess. Sehm leezahrd hoont laheek beefohr? Four feet, hohrns? Beegehr szahn trook?" His eyes look at the giant floating robot. "Beeg laheek Ahlehx, da. Boot slov, noht floht. Seh plees vhat need? Lahst taheem, Bahrt breeng mahny szeengs. Bahrt gyeht keeyled, szhough. Cahn breeng lahrge rhehl goon fohr prohtehct to ahnd frohm, ahlso fohr cahptoor ohn foot? Vyehry beeg goon," he offers up as confirmation, stretching his long arms from left and right, rounding out what might be an enormous firing mechanism with another movement of his hands.
Rasputin nods, "Da, da. It is a large hovercraft. Mink rent one, so if we get a large dino we can carry it all back after I cut it all out." He looks to Pavel and nods, "One never knows what types of dino's we can run into. Some are fast raptor types, others are tri-tops. We even ran into a t-rex typish. Allosaurous or somethinks." He shrugs, "We are tryink to make good kill shots, da. Buttink, sometimes net."
Alex nods and and looks distracted internally for a moment before pulling back a bit. "Sorry guys but I have to go. A heavy truck has blown its axel down town. I'm needed to fix it. Sign me up for this trip though would love to come." The robot explains before zipping off to rescue rush hour.
Pavel nods somewhat absently, momentarily distracted by a pushy person trying to get out of the deli. The nerve of some people. "Oh, da. Veel cohm. Noht need peh, veel cohm to hyehlp."
Rasputin changes to Russian, "Da, da. So are da terms soundink good to you? 5000 credits up front? There is always a chancink dhat we won't find anything." He shrugs, "Of course, dhat would be very expensive to me." He chuckles, "But safe, I guess."
Pavel smiles as the big robot floats off, seamlessly going back to his native tongue as well. << That's fine, yes. I will call it... in case I need ammunition, I will use it to pay that. But anything that remains, I can give back. Maybe you could save up to put on a second floor and another kitchen? >> he asks with a smirk. << But really, what is it that I will need? Bart had me spraying his rail gun around off of a truck, when I didn't even know how to use it. Not I have a rail gun that would make his look insignificant, and I do know how to use it. Or I can try clubbing a slower-moving dinosaur in the head, if they're not too big. I don't want an angry one to stomp on me when we get to the hunting grounds. >>
Rasputin nods slowly, "Da, da. Mink thinkink, dhat you could actually be goodink for taking down some of da big ones legs. Help us takink dhem down with less damage." He grins, "Or you could be wrestling one to da ground, da?" He tugs his beard, "Though, I htink you could actually drive them fron one side, but we will be havink to realy figure it out when we findink dhem. Dhere are too many types to know for sure," he paues a moment, "And you won't be givink any back. There is danger involved, you should keep it."
The smith shrugs again, << An enemy will agree, but a friend will argue, >> he quotes. Some cultural things bare truth even when the man is out of his homeland. Pavel offers a modest worry, << Is the trip dangerous? I mean, the trip to and from the hunting grounds. Last time everything was very simple, but I was also much newer to this city and its ways, so I wasn't paying attention so much as simply hanging on. >>
Rasputin shakes his head, "Bart dwas huntink in a different style. I'll be going east into bad land. From dhere, we will be in dense forest and some swamps. The beasts are denser and can be sneakink up on you, even ambush." He says and shakes his head, "One time, we didn't clean up the aweful well enough, and we were jumped by Raptors. Dhen, killink dhem attracted an Allosaurous." He chuckles and tugs his beard, "It was a nasty long night."
<< I guess, >> Pavel says, agreeing with the warning and clearly taking it to heart. << Bring more people to clean this time, >> is his blunt blacksmith's suggestion. << We're taking trucks? Flying trucks? >> He waves a finger at a passing hover truck. << How many other people will be coming, if this land is so dangerous? Mercenaries? People who have more guns than I do, and know better how to use them? >> With a hopeful tone, he floats out a few.. hopes.
Rasputin shakes his head, "I can only afford about 5 peoples, and we will be taking a hover truck. Once we fill it, we will speed back to town." He tugs his beard again, "As for cleanink, dit was some inexperience on mink fault. We killed a beast near a creek, which lead blood back to us." He chuckles, "I won't make dhat mistake again."
Pavel's head slides sideways. << Seven days to fill one truck? That doesn't sound very profitable. Trucks aren't very big, are they? >> Clearly, he's doing blacksmith's numbers in his head. They're good numbers and he's good with them, it's just that blacksmithing doesn't require complex financial equations. << So there are five others that I don't know, or you, Alex and myself plus two others? >>
Rasputin grins a bit, "Last time we went out we all came back with 10 times the initial payment." He tugs his beard an dsmiles, "Why do you think I don't do this all dhat often. I have one other, a person named Sithik has expressed interest." He chuckles, "We can always run away, da?" He smiles.
<< I'm big. But not a runner, >> Pavel laughs. << We all have our ways to make money when we need it, right? You sell dinosaur meat... my method is safer, as long as no one gets behind the hammer. As for Sithik, I made him a small vest the other day. He seems nice enough. Understanding that I don't hand out powerful weapons. At least, not anymore. >>
Rasputin nods slowly and smiles, "Da, da. Of course, if we run into a foul of a large group of T-Rex, we may wanttink to runs." he chuckles, "Da?" He smiles and tugs his beard.
Pavel smiles. << Hopefully not on foot! But I will bring ammunition. In fact... you tell me, what exactly is it that I need to bring? I'd like to be more useful than spraying a rail gun around. I have a rifle and bow. >> Then he needs to admit, << And the hammer. Swords that will hurt specific things... I'm proud of those, I made them here at my forge. Didn't want to take the chance of making them while I was living in the Federation. They left me alone, but it was too dangerous to take the chance of letting one of their knights put a hand on one. >>
Rasputin nods slowly, "Da, da. I would be leary of rail guns, tendink to chew up meats." He smiles, "But if we are havink to do it, dhen we are havink to do it." He smiles, "Perhaps we can imbolize dhem, and you can put them down."
<< The rail gun would probably be better for protection on the way too and from, >> Pavel suggests. << But yes, once they're stopped I can give 'em a whack in the head without a worry. Or even just confused enough that they won't attack me. >> There's a pause, and he adds, << Or fall over on me. >>
Rasputin chuckles and nods, "Da, da. Rail guns would be goodink incase we run into some nastie two legged things on the way there and back." He frowns ,"We do go through CS territory, da." He tugs his beard, "You have da ability to be usink some magiks, da? Do you have da ability to use protection magiks at all?"
Pavel shakes his head. << I'm not really... magic. Sort of. >> Even he doesn't seem to have a very good grasp of it. << Everything that I can do, relates to my work. I suppose there are a couple of things that I can do that protect me, but not like the shields and things that real mages use. Although! Ha! I nearly forgot, you'll like this. >> From his back pocket he retrieves a simple pair of glasses, but obviously with metal reinforced over something around the lenses. If there were lenses. He pops them on then grins widely. << No more need to learn how to read the local letters, now I just power this thing up, and I can read *every* language! These techno-wizard devices, we didn't have them where I grew up. I can power them right off my brain though, which is good. In fact, since my energy goes into smithing, I don't have to worry about hoarding it against these devices like mages do. >> The glasses are quickly removed and held out for use or inspection.
Rasputin chuckles and nods, "Da, da." He takes them and looks at them, then hands them back, "Da, da. Mink should get a pair of dhose, would be makink research much easier." He shrugs and tugs his beard, "OK. Just tryink to under stands da risks you might be encounterink." he thinks a bit, "Do you can keep yourself out of harms way too, da?"
<< Oh, sure. I can hide. But not magically, >> Pavel clarifies. << I'm really very little different than anyone else. Just... lots of metal in my blood, so to speak. Don't even think of me as a magic person, just think of me as a big strong guy and my use will be more clear. Big and strong. >> He takes the glasses back and pockets them. << Strong enough to wrestle a dinosaur, perhaps. Take hard hits that would kill people. Lots of blood in the veins, really. >> The reiteration perhaps drives home whatever point he's getting at.
Rasputin chuckles, "Well, I'll want to makink sure we all get back safe and sound, with minimal damage. We will all figure out how to communicate with each other clearly, net wantink any confusion while in the thick of things." He ponders a bit, "Which means you and mink may have to figure out clear workds to use when talking."
<< Yes, I have a translator, but in the thick of things, it might not be useful. Remember though, >> Pavel stops. << I understand everyone's American language just fine. So I can take orders from anyone. It's just speaking American that's a problem. Russian and Euro, I can speak to you perfectly clearly. So there's that, maybe? >>
Rasputin nods slowly, "Da. I'll have to think up a few key words dwich are very clear." He thinks a bit, "Dhat way we can all be clear on what is needed when it is needed dah." He nods, "Otherwise we will have too much confusions and dit might be dery dangerious." He tugs his beard, "Mink, I wonder if..." He trails off, "What do you know about Sithik?"
Pavel pauses to consider. << He uses magic, I know that. He can speak Russian, or understand it - magically. Presses a picture of an eyeball in the middle of his forehead. >> The smith pokes the correct spot on his own skull. << I know that he can apparently fight very large things, and doesn't worry too much about getting shot. Though enough that he wanted the light vest, I suppose. Seems nice enough, brings a lot of food to Little Russia; or at least, a lot of the food he catches. >> He hesitates again, then offers up his last bit of information with a mild shrug. << I guess he's a good hunter, maybe very good for tracking down your dinosaurs. But what kinds of words are you thinking? If I'm going to need to communicate with everyone, telling people things, that might be a problem. >>
Rasputin nods slowly, "Da, da. OK. Dhaen so far da three who are interested are at least strong enough to handle theirselves." He tugs his beard, "Dhat would be 4 of us including me. I would like one more at least, but perhaps 2." He thinks ,"Though, a smaller group would mean we have more split. Of course, more danger."
The smith shrugs again, probably because as he's said, he's not too concerned about the split. << If I think of anyone, I can send them your direction for an interview. But right now? >> Pavel stands for a long while, hesitating and thinking on the matter. << So many people have left the city, or died. Fizzelsnoot is a businessman. Oh, Tek is a good mechanic. He works out of one of the places on the landing strip. >>
Rasputin nods slowly, "Da, da. Dwell, I don't want to take anyone not aware or ready for dangers. Just waste of time and too much risk for dhem, da?" He smiles, "We will see how it goes."
Pavel smiles and nods, hiking at the waist of his pants getting ready to move back west into the city again. << I'll get out of your hair. Thanks for the invitation, Rasputin. Any details you can give me before we head out would make me a better servant. >> He winks, and reaches down to slap the dwarf on the shoulder. << I do own a little communicator. Or you can send someone out to the forge as an old-fashioned messenger. Just not Anya! >> he laughs.
Rasputin chuckles, "Da, da. As I get more information, I'll makink sure to send it along." He extends his hand, "Good to be havink you along." He smiles.
Pavel shakes his friend's hand, offers some good, strong parting words in Russian, then moves off, mumbling something about Indians digging up dirt and talking in riddles.
Rasputin goes back into the Deli to face the ever grown crowd.
