Jan 31 19:14:18 106 PA
From Chronicles
Kingsdale - Cali's Garage(#1816Rh)
The large garage has a small corner desk, with pieces of paper and catalogues of machine pieces on shelves against the wall. Along three od the walls, huge metal shelving units hold a variety of brown boxes, each marked with some arcane mechanics scrawl that indicates the contents. The other has a long workstation against it, and a series of hooks and shelves, upon which tools sit, in apparently random order. The workstation itself bears the weight of half a dozen dismantled machines of varying sizes. The floor is concrete, stained with oil, with patches of sand here and there. A large tub containing sand squats beside the garage doors, a shovel sticking out of the top as if someone shoved it there after use.
A row of pegs against the wall by the workstation has various coveralls, coats and other things hanging on it and a large noticeboard has a range of oil stained pieces of papers stuck to it with pins. Along the beam that runs the length of the garage, several jars have been attached with a nail through their lid. They seem to be storing small components of different sizes.
A door exits the garage, apparently allowing entrance to the upper floor by the use of a key pad.
After the fight, there is the coffee, tea and food. Caliopa settles on the workbench, leaning back against the wall, her face pale with exhaustion from the night before, and now this. "Ain't real, don't seem able to have a fun thin' in this town without folks landin' on us, fightin'." She shakes her head, glancing across at the kettle, her face thoughtful. "Reckon coffee ain't strong enough." She nods towards the cooler, giving Alistair a hopeful look. "Uh, beer in there. Or somethin' stronger on the shelf behind the oil, if you fancy that."
Alistair looks just a little tired. That was a lot of hacking and slashing after all! He smiles at Claiopa and nods, moving to check in that shelf. "What would you like?" he asks, choosing a Kognac. Might as well try something different - with that bottle in hand, he'll also get some ice from the cooler, and look for appropriate glasses also. If Vixen has arrived with them, she gets an offer of booze as well.
Vixen has her armored coat off, the heavy thing laid out on a chair or other object that's unoccupied, the whip actually dangling at her back from a loop worked into the back of her catsuit. "That one was asking for it, though." she notes. "Didn't figure whatever was doing this.. if it has eyes and ears out, would resist a chance to make an example of things." She's prodding lightly at her arms, where sword blows were struck, but didn't manage to cleave through the MDC padding of her coat. Still did a good job bruising her up. "Going to be aching in the morning," she mutters.
Caliopa's choice is the same, nodding at the bottle as she gives the man a small smile. "Don't skimp on it, ain't like I can't buy more, 'n' I reckon it is real needful." She curls her arms around her waist, her own armour lying on the floor beside her toolbox. "You hurtin', Vixen?" The name sounds oddly stilted, odd on Caliopa's tongue. "That came from nowhere. Vampire this mornin', him, 'n' the dreams."
"You got hit?" Alistair asks Vixen, and then he looks back to Caliopa with a smile; his is a bit faded too, it's been quite the day. And night. He pours into the glasses after adding the ice, and serves the girls first, then he picks up his own glass. He sighs and goes to sit beside Caliopa, close. "What a day" he agrees.
Vixen is a bit distracted with her self examination, not noting the offer of alcohol at first. "Just bruises.. coat protects, but it don't null out the force of hits like hard armor does," she comments idly, wincing faintly as she touches a tender spot. She frowns then and glances back towards Cali. "Vampire? What vampire?" Then she looks down again and casually zips down the front of her catsuit. Yes, she does. And she slips her left arm out of the clingy leather. Her back is towards the two and, fortunately, she actually has a thin sports bra on underneath, so it isn't so.. indecent as it might seem at first. She has a few softly discolored spots on her upper and lower arm, but nothing that looks too dire. It might not blunt all of the impact, but it blunts enough.
Caliopa takes her glass with a thankful smile, leaning into the man when he sits next to her, her glass cradled between her legs. "Well, it weren't the vampire causin' problems. Fact of the matter, he saved her. There was this fight, fog bound folks, 'n' she got stabbed." Caliopa glances down at her hands, a light shudder shaking her body. "Uh, spare top hangin' if you are needful." The blunt words go along with a quick blush. "Vampire turned up, healed her. Reckoned Jax weren't gonna let it at first but..."
Alistair wraps an arm about Caliopa when she leans in, and takes a sip from the glass. He was going to close his eyes, until he sees Vixen unzipping. He starts a little, turning red, and he looks at Caliopa, then at Vixen. Ah, a bra! That
Alistair wraps an arm about Caliopa when she leans in, and takes a sip from the glass. He was going to close his eyes, until he sees Vixen unzipping. He starts a little, turning red, and he looks at Caliopa, then at Vixen. Ah, a bra! That's all nice and good. He breathes out and looks to Caliopa again. "Oh? ... I got here for the end of that" he replies.
Vixen is at this time removing part of her top, her back turned to the couple. Cali and Ali are sat on the worktop, she leaned into him, one of his arms around her, each with a glass of booze as well.
Caliopa sips her drink, closing her eyes as the alcohol makes them burn. She leans her head against Alistair's shoulder, leaving her eyes closed as the drink relaxes her. "Was real weird. He said to get folks to stop tryin' to kill them as weren't wild, so that he 'n' his can get to the bottom of the fog 'n' all." Her voice is slow, slurred a little with the tiredness from the very exciting day.
"Things seems pretty screwed up. Guess I best get my first broadcast out.. maybe get some focus for people.. or something," Vixen muses idly. A few careful prods are given before she seems satisfied that nothing needs a more medical minded eye. She pauses then and glances back towards the two. "I ain't showing either of you nothing to get excited about." Amused at the reaction from the two. Indeed, the sports bra is near to a top in and of itself and she keeps the zip no lower than just above her navel. And with her back towards the other two, that part factors not at all. "A vampire healing someone, huh? Why?" Asked as she goes back to her self inspection, sliding her left arm back into her sleeve while her right gets drawn out. Only one angry bruise there that she fingers carefully.
"We are easily excited" Alistair tries to explain. "Uh - I mean ... " he sighs and leaves it be. Looking back at Cali he nods a little, the hand of the arm about her stroking slowly at her side and thigh. "That is a strange thing. So that vampire wants to defeat the fog thing as well" he murmurs, frowning a little. Another deep breath.
A knock at the door heralds the return of Jaxain, who spent some time circling ground zero while the rest made thier way to safety. Apparently he expected something like he finds, as he is holding a case of localy brewed beer under his arm as he slowly saunters in. He raises a hand in greeting, "Are you speaking about the Master Vampire who paid us a vist?"
Vixen smirks at Alistair, then considers what Cali says. "Well, there was that fight at Raleigh's Retreat. One vampire was fighting the others that attacked us.. I think. Though I guess maybe vampires fight each other as much as people do.. when they got a reason." All of the above a thoughtful sort of musing. She glances back over her shoulder towards Cali again. "Should get you ca camera in your pocket so you can record some of this.. I'd kill to have evidence of that on tape." A pause then and a slow growing grin. "Hey.. that's a good idea.. get people on the street snagging video of what's happening." She grins broadly as she considers the possibilities. When Jax comes in, she doesn't seem much bothered and continues her inspections, letting the two who know more about the situation answer him.
Caliopa glances across at Alistair, her mouth curving into a smile, as she snuggles into the man. The drink does it's work and her body at least relaxes. Jaxain's arrival doesn't get much of a reaction, but she points to the bottle, "Help yourself." She comments quietly, along with a nod to his question. "I ain't wantin' none of the cameras, I ain't real comfy with it." The words aren't harsh, and a yawn needs to be smothered for those to be spoken.
"Maybe we can use that" Alistair smiles, tilting his head a little and shifting just a touch to make thing more comfortable for Caliopa. The alcohol colors his cheeks as well, and he continues to soother her as best he can. "Hello Jaxain, you fight good" he comments. Back to Vixen, "Will you be an investigative reporter?"
Jaxain shakes his head and raises a drink in Alistair's direction, "Just following the lead you set, man. It was good to have someone who knows their way around a fight to watch my back again." He leans back against the door frame. "So what are the chances that the necromancer we saw there was the elf from the vision? Probably pretty low. Maybe one of his minions though..."
"I am an investigator.. though I wouldn't say I'm a reporter. I just tell the truth I see. Reporters say what other people tell them to on the vid box." Vixen seems satisfied that she's well, so she slips her arm back into her catsuit and zips it back up. She breathes out lowly and goes to her coat, reaching into an inner pocket to draw out a slender cigarette case. Though inside the smokes are all handrolled in brown rolling papers. She looks to Cali then and grins. "You never tried using one? I could teach you." When it comes to the speculation she shakes her head slightly and doesn't add to the wondering, fishing out a common lighter to use on it.
Alistair's comment about Jaxain's fighting brings a thought back to Caliopa's mind. She sits up, pulling away from the snuggling embrace, tilting her head back to look at him. "Never said you could fight like that." She comments softly, her eyes questioning. "Ain't so much someone that jus' fixes things, are you?" The question is quiet, steady, a hint of hurt. Jaxain's comment gets her attention for a moment, and then she considers Vixen's offer, unspeaking.
"Eh" says Alistair, blushing faintly, "I just waved the knife around. Uh, sword" he explains, waving a hand. Looking back at Caliopa, he opens his mouth, and smiles sheepishly. "The monks, they taught me a couple of things. Fighting monks" he adds, nodding his head and smiling at her a little wider. "I don't usually like to fight so I don't talk about it ... sorry" the latter makes his shoulders sag a little, as if he forgot something really important.
Jaxain continues to muse to himself, already finished his first drink and onto his next. He might not be the brightest bulb in the warehous, but he finds his own way to consider things. "You know what, I wonder if fear is the purpose." He puckers his lips and taps as finger against them, "Like, what is the point of all of this? Why attack the people at the rally?" his eyebrows raise, "Why even hold the rally? I wonder if it is all just a trick, like a ploy or something, to cause fear here in Kingsdale. Some things feed on fear..." he finishes slowly, before draining his second beer.
"Pretty obvious that fear was the point to that.. they should have seen it coming too," Vixen states, cigarette bouncing between her lips before she flicks the lighter on, takes a pair of soft draws before flicking it back off. "But I guess maybe that proves that someone is watching.. or something. Cause that wasn't just a random attack." She puts the lighter away and takes a draw on the custom smoke before breathing it out in one great cloud. Sighing afterward. It would be easy to tell by smell that the smoke is not common tobacco smoke.
Caliopa gives Alistair a thoughtful look and then slides from the worktop. "Reckon I'd best get home." Her voice is subdued, her forehead wrinkled. "Ain't able to think over it all, my head ain't right." She shakes her head, glancing between the three others, her gaze barely staying on Alistair. "Uh, I'll lock up. Sorry..." She moves to collect her stuff, closing down the garage, the hint strong enough for a blind, deaf man to get.
Alistair looks at Caliopa, and watches her slip away. He blinks his eyes, and if there was a hint of a smile before, there certainly isn't one now. He sets the glass down and comes off the worktop as well, starting towards the door. "See you tomorrow?" he asks.
"Yeah, I get the hint," Vixen tells Cali, taking up her coat. "A good, strong drink sounds just right about now. Maybe that Alibi place." With her cig dangling from her lips, she slips the coat on, covering the coiled bullwhip that hangs at her back once more. She slips it on easily enough, though takes a few moments to order it. With items in the pockets, one must be careful about them getting too out of sorts. And once she's comfy with that, she takes up her bag and slings it on. Having already drawn on the cig again with no hands, she plucks it free, glancing towards Cali as she gets things locked down. "Be careful out there. Too much shit hitting the fan to do anything else."
Caliopa nods in reply to Vixen, quiet as she puts her coat on over her armour. Alistair's question gets a hesitant nod, that hesitation telling him how bad this could be. "Reckon so." She replies softly to the man, taking up her bag. "Take care, Vixen, Jax." She locks up the garage, the lights dimmed for the first time in days.
Jaxain misses the intereplay between the other folks, his mind still wrapped up trying to solve this puzzle. As Caliopa herds people out, he rouses from his reveree, "Oh, we gotta go? Damn, was hoping to sleep here tonight." He shrugs, turning to the other two as he leaves, "Hey, you guys know any good places to get work by the way? My funds are gonna dry up pretty quick, and I'd take anything as long as it's high paying."
"We're goin' in the same direction anyway" Alistair says quietly; he manages a wave at Vixen and Jaxain. "Oh ... looking for one myself" he smiles faintly as a means of apology. He'll wait a little and he'll walk back with Caliopa, unless she leaves him in the dust or some such.
Outside, Vixen glances at Jax, just finishing with the last buttons of her coat. "Nothing I got, but then I'm working for myself. At least once I get my first broadcast together. Maybe in the morning if I don't drink too much." A smirk at that as she takes another draw on her cig, starting to walk towards the city again.
