Jun 17 00:51:56 108 PA - It's All About Penis for Some Reason

From Chronicles

Jun 17 00:51:56 108 PA.

MERCHANT'S PLAZA

A perfect night. Clear. Big moon. Not too hot 'n not too cold. Bella's out and about. Or is now. She comes out of a little alley between little shops. Back into whatever people're out. That's still a few.

Gabriel is out picking through the various wares of second-hand weapons that a local has brought in after a run to Merctown. However, he looks both disappointed and bored at the same time. Apparently the Merchant's Plaza really is more of a potluck of crap than a proper place to buy things.

Bella's dressed up for fun. Even her jacket's off. Maybe since it's so nice. Or justa show off more. She grins a little and looks round lots. Spots the good guy even. Bella don't really walk at 'im. More aimed around 'im some.

After this many years, Gabriel is pretty used to noticing people just aiming around him. He stands to his massive five foot four inches and his hands just arbitrarily rest on his weapons as his stands with a smile and waits for Bella to stop screwing around.

Screwing around? Bella? She wouldn't do that. Even grins back when she looks over. Sees him lookin her way. A brow perks up. "Ya lookin ta shoot somebody 'r somethin?" Friendly thing to ask when she gets closer.

"Nah, Bella. I'm fine. Some trouble earlier, but it has to slide. Y'know, don't forget about it, but you can't dwell either. Not in this world. It'll pass, things will repair themselves. Just give it time, right?" Gabriel looks sad, despite his words to the contrary. Conscience is what hurts when everything else feels so good. "I'd love to see you out in the sunlight one day, Bella. Pretty little woman, you know. Hot pants everything. Or skirt. You should dye your hair black to match the rest of your outfit," he finishes with a smiles.

Bella smirks and shrugs. "Tried 't once. Don' really work." Then she's curious. "What kinda trouble? Gotcha twitchy so don' look like y'ain' dwellin ta me." Her red jacket's rearranged some under her arm.

"Nice jacket, I liked that one when I picked it out." Gabriel chuckles slightly as he looks down at his sidearms. "These? Nah, they're nothing. Just a place to put my hands. Social, personal relationship trouble. I let down a friend, in her eyes. I think it was a little bit of an over-the-top response, but it's not fair of anyone to judge anyone else's reaction to something. It's emotional, after all." He pauses and regroups. "Okay, some people you can judge their reaction. How about you? Fishing for goodies?"

"Nope." Bella shakes her head. "Not right now no more." She looks down at the jacket and shrugs again. It ain't much to look at bunched and rolled up inside out. "S'ok. 'N I ain' fergot ya picked't out."

Gabriel slaps Bella's shoulder. "Eh, I wasn't trying to remind you. *You* picked that one out. I like it. So, regale me with the tales of a thirty-foot tall horned devil being in the 'Dregs and how you killed it single-handedly and then chased off its angry mate using nothing but harsh language."

Bella gets slapped. Smirks again. "I only jabbed it coupla times. Was the boys't beat on it mostly. Weren' no other one." Her smirk gets bigger. Almost shows teeth. "Sides. After what Sebastien chopped off there weren' no mating gonna be goin on."

Gabriel shakes his head in mock distaste. "So what you're saying... is that first the boys 'beat on it' and then Sebastien lopped of its manhood? Death in this town has some very dark underlying sexual overtones, apparently. What'd you do to poke at it? You have a blade or something? Or just inflicted more of a 'special' puncture wound?"

"Yep. I gotta knife." Bella nods. Then eyes him. Way more serious. "What're ya thinkin I'd be pokin at it with? A finger?" That would probably look really funny. But not help alot.

"I don't know, Bella. I have no idea if those other guys present know you like I do," Gabriel says with a certain tone in his voice. "Just wondered. So where'd the thing come from? Just burst into life in the middle of the 'Dregs? How'd you hear about it?"

The Plaza is fairly empty, but being that it's nighttime that can't come as too much of a surprise. It's a nice night, but it's still night. Perhaps there's a big fashion ball for merchants being held somewhere else. Gabriel and Bella are standing over near a fruit cart that has not yet been run over in a high-speed chase. "You know, I've heard that some of the gangs down in the 'Dregs are actually doing their own, uh.. summoning I guess would be the best word. Trying to have the biggest cannon, so to speak. You see any of that?"

Erica comes walking out of the night. She strolls with easy confidence through the streets. She spots people she recognizes and comes over to the fruit cart. Raising up a hand she haves to both Bella and Gabriel in greeting. "Hello there. What are you both up to?"

Bella shrugs more. "Dunno nothin bout that. Ain really looked real hard neither. Don' sound like nothin their good 'nuff ta do though." Erica gets a little grin. "Hey." Her jacket gets tucked more under her arm.

Gabriel smiles and waves as Erica approaches. With a gentle finger pointing at Bella's arm, he ask a congenial, "Nice jacket, huh? Excellent taste, I'm sure. But what are we up to?" He glances the Bella, then shrugs and smiles. "Bella's telling be about how she followed the tale of 'St. Georgia and the Dragon' a few days ago. Right?"

"Yes it is a nice jacket. Looks good on her." Erica says with a quick smile towards Bella. "You fought a dragon Bella?" She asks while looking fairly confused. "Dragons are damn dangerous. I fought one once. It wasn't fun at all."

"Nope." Bella smirks at Erica. "Justa big demon monster thingy. Didn' really do much fightin anyways. The boys beat on it mostly." She ain' wearin the jacket now. Got it all rolled up inside out under her arm.

The older fellow grins and waves off the technicalities. "Dragon, demon, pretty much the same, right? Just matters on who the artist is who draws them. Did it respond to everything, or was it one of those beasts that's immune to everything by harsh language and French kissing?" Gabriel chuckles at his own stupid joke. "You out looking for stories and fruit tonight, Erica?" Gestures to the pile of oranges behind him.

"Well I am glad you didn't get hurt Bella. Demons can be very dangerous that is for sure." Erica says with a return grin towards Bella. "I am just having a nice walk in the summer night. It is a nice night, and I enjoy the summer nights."

Bella shrugs. "Dunno. Just poked it some. Seb's the one't beat on it lots." New smirk. "'N chopped a big trophy offa it." She nods to Erica. "Yep. Nice night. S'why I's out. Jus grabbed a bite ta eat." Erica pages: demolitions?

Gabriel bops Bella's forehead with a gentle palm at her last comment. He then breaks into a smile. "What kind of trophy do you get out of a demon? They come with a little guy in a Heisman pose, but with horns and hooves?" At the end bit, even his expression turns to one of questioning. "Okay, but seriously. Did he hang it on a wall somewhere or put it on a shelf?"

"Oh what did you grab as a trophy?" Erica asks Bella with a grin of her own. "I have a few trophy's of my own. They make good conversation starters." She giggles a little bit to herself as she finishes speaking.

Bella blinks when she's bopped. "Ow? What was that fer?" Then she's gotta grin. Even nods. "Yep. He's gettin 't stuffed 'n everythin." Grins even more at Erica. "Didn' get nothin. The sorta knight got hisself a ginormous dick." She has to spread her arms and hands to show how big. Course it makes her drop her jacket, too.

"Huh? Sebastien went into battle with a demon and decided that the best way to approach it would be to physically emasculate it and go home with an enormous, dead, flaccid penis as a trophy to mount on his wall? Here's to hoping that the words, 'Sebastien,' 'mount' and 'dick' are never heard together in close sequence and in that order. Strange choice of targets." Gabriel looks between the two women, then settles on Erica. "I've never seen a demon, but in all of the classic art, they are generally shown to be as bare as Ken-dolls. Not so, huh?"

Erica laughs loudly as she shakes her head. "Wow that is pretty bizarre. I am not sure why he would want a demon dong." She says with obvious humor as she giggles. "Uh there are lots of different types of demons. I think lots of them wear clothes." She says in between giggles.

"Don' ask me. Dunno why he wants it." Bella's shrugging again. "'Less he wantsta have somethin more ta show off." Then she figgers out she dropped the jacket. Snatches it up 'fore it unrolls too much. Tucks it back under her arm but some of the red rubs off on her hand. "Dunno nothin' bout demons neither. Cept they's big 'n ugly."

Gabriel eyes Bella's apparent interest in her jacket for a moment, but says nothing of it. "One strange man - or woman - going to go into phallus taxidermy. I'll have to ask him. Speaking as a man, I have no desire to look at someone else's dick, attached or not." With a glance toward Erica, he asks, "Have you heard any of what I have? Some of the gangs in the 'Dregs look like they're trying to power their way out, or at least roll over the human refugees. 'The Family' - first time I've heard of 'em - is trying to rift in their own supernatural creatures, high-level magic, even recruiting vampires," he says with a look at Bella to include her in the conversation. "Somehow they're working on making their own dragon juicers and everything, bringing in weapons and supernatural shit from Arzno and the Federation of Magic. Got that from some pretty good sources. Maybe that's the heart of the matter."

Erica glances at Bella's jacket briefly before turning her eyes back up to the group. "Well Sebastien is an odd guy. Oh well." She shrugs briefly before continuing. "The gangs in the dregs are always fighting with each other. I am not surprised if they are using magics that they can't control. Although this is the first I have heard about vampires." She says while resting her hand on the metal water pistol holstered at her side. "Sounds like that could become dangerous rather quickly."

Bella eyes Gabe back a bit 'fore she says, "Still don' see how a buncha punks're gonna do shit like that. Dunno diddly bout demons 'n stuff. Ain' go no creds ta buy that kinda stuff neither." Looks at both now. "If ya can jus pulla demon outta nowhere ya gonna hang round the Dregs? Don' make no sense ta me. Heard people talkin bout vampires 'n shit too. But weren' nobody inna Dregs. Ain seen none'a those neither."

Gabriel glances to Bella curiously. "You *have* heard about people talking about vampire activity? But nothing in the 'Dregs?" He looks up to Erica. "I thought that was... well, maybe not actually 'common' but at least known. I wonder what exactly it would be that you could offer to a vampire to recruit a vampire to make a vampire work for you. As for the demons, I suppose they're still experimenting. Maybe they'll only make a move when they're sure that they have the summoning down right. So that they can summon when they want, and control what they get." He shrugs and looks to both women. "Just a thought."

"Seems like the gangs wouldn't want to draw such attention on them, but I guess they must not care if Kingsdale cracks down on them. The city could wipe them all out if they wanted to." Erica says as she looks a bit confused. "Pretty stupid of the gangs to attract so much attention."

"Nope." Bella shakes her head. "Heard people't ain' from the Dregs talkin bout 'em. Thinkin they think anybody gets dead in there gotta be some kinda monster't did't. Mosta monsters I see're gangers 'r loonies 'r peoples jonesin' fer a fixa somethin'. People kill people just's easy's anythin else."

Gabriel offers a shrug. "Well, other than the odd demon appearing out of nowhere, they aren't exactly broadcasting it. It took a lot of digging, poking, paying off and sticking my neck into dangerous places to get this information. Bothan spies died." He hesitates... probably gets no laugh, and continues. "I don't want to sound like a person trying get people up in a ruckus about fixing a dangerous problem - but that's exactly what I'm doing. Even if we don't worry about the city, there are the refugees to worry about. Pro-humanity shit going on down there."

"Well it sounds like the gangs are just going to cause more problems. A lot of innocent people will get hurt if Kingsdale has to go in and wipe them out. It is too bad that no one seems to think of the consequences. The gangs are full of idiots I guess." Erica says with a shake of her head. "Too bad it seems that nothing but bad stuff happens in the dregs it seems like."

Bella shrugs. "Always like that. Prolly be that way ferever. Course bad shit's all over. Ain' jus' there." She tucks her jacket tighter. "Gonna go take this home. 'Fore I start droppin't more."

Gabriel waves to Bella as she announces her imminent departure. "Take care, Bella. Happy Burger's still open." He winks across at the girl, then returns to Erica, though still speaking to both. "I'd think that if the city *doesn't* take any action about it soon, some good souls may have to load up and get dirty to try and set things right. After all, that's what those kinds of people are here for."

Erica waves towards Bella as she announces that she is leaving. "Bye, Bella. It was nice to see you." She says to the other woman with a warm smile. "Well then I guess some people that know a lot about the situation need to work to get the gangs to calm down. I don't know a lot about the three gangs."

"They won't. Ain' yet anyways." Bella says that when she's walking away. Then she stops. Smirks at Gabe. "Still want me ta knock when ya ain' there?" She was aiming for the gates.

"I'm not quite aware of them, either. Just what I've been poking around with," Gabriel confirms to Erica. Bella's smirk gets a dismissive wave of a hand and a good-natured, "Oh, leave me alone with this fruit, and the oranges, too." He chuckles at his turn of phrase. "I guess I could look around more, but I don't like going deep into the 'Dregs by myself, even with a 'pack on. You know anyone who might know more about the shithole?"

"I usually only go into the dregs to go to the Alibi and to Moe's. I don't know a lot about what goes on in there. I am not really the best at gaining intelligence in cities. I've always been better in the wilderness, or in small towns." Erica says with a slight shrug of her shoulders.

Gabriel grins. "I did both, but what I remember after traveling through time is the urban stuff. The really black-op stuff that you know that governments don't admit to, and the military doesn't acknowledge. So I got a bit. But we should try to find someone who knows more than just what can be gathered. Someone who's been around longer, lived there, something." He then hefts an orange, hands the dwarven merchant an appropriate amount of credits, and begins to move back toward the inner city. "C'mon, let's go see what we can kick around."