Oct 05 09:36:51 107 PA - Friends Meet to Discuss Matters of War and Life

From Chronicles

Oct 05 09:36:51 107 PA.

GAME TRAIL

There's a very soft rustling from a very thick area of brush to the south of the trail. The moving object is in shadows for a while, dappled by the thick overhang of the forest. Yet at this time of the late morning, Gabriel's face and body become obvious soon enough. He seems unsurprised to find the elf woman outside, though not knowing what she's doing. Probably hunting again. But in the spirit of friendliness, he offers only a gentle wave and a smile. His twang is a little thick, probably because of the hour. "Morning, Miss Daeni, I hope the day finds you well. But if you don't have any pressing matters, I believe that we might have some common matters, some rather important matters to discuss. In fact, people who didn't know any better might go so far as to say that it was nearly a literal Black Op."

This morning, Daeni is not hunting, or does not appear so, but is merely walking. The rustling and eventual emergence of Gabriel provokes an initial tense of muscle and posture, yet this fades nearly as rapidly as it arrived. "It is good morning, Gabriel. Op?" A brow arches. "What do you talk of?"

With another trademark pleasant smile, Gabriel offers with a raised brow, "It's come to my attention that you and I are both working for a certain Mr. Jeremy Black? Man who looks like the pictures of Satan that the nuns used to try to scare us with?" Then, just to apparently be very clear on the subject, he states flatly, "The mission to the Coalition work camp."

"Yes." Daeni nods affirmation. "Go, kill Coalition warriors, free slaves. Is simple Op. What need talk about?" It seems a simple enough arrangement, in her opinion.

"I don't think it's as simple as we've been led to believe. I don't know what exactly the problem is, specifically, but I've spoken with another member of our team - there are five of us, including you and me - and suspicions have been raised." He takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "Mr. Black has some kind of ulterior motive in this thing. There are many prisoners to be freed, but apparently the ones that he's singling out are women. Female, humans. The kinds that aliens like to take as slaves. What his specific interest is in them isn't known. It just seems odd that with all of the poor souls moving between camps, he only cares about them." An index finger is then raised in to the air as if making a final point. "Plus, he told me exactly where the best ambush location is. Now how would a man like him know military information like that?"

Daeni roll her shoulders in a nonchalant display in lieu of more solid answer. "Not know how know. Maybe he know scouts, know spies. Maybe pay for knowledge. Many ways to know. Not know why he want done. Maybe hate Coalition as many others. He not ask for prisoners, only ask free."

"True, true, all true," Gabriel allows. "If it were just me pulling this out of my little military, distrusting ass, I might be able to put it aside as leftover paranoia. But I was approached by another. Celaeno is her name, I'm sure that you've heard of her, she's kind of hard to miss." His face turns into the sunlight for a few seconds, eyes closed, as he apparently basks for a tad, before returning to more urgent matters. "I applaud your directness, I really do. When I was young, one of the men in the town told me, 'Gabriel, when you want to put a nail through a piece of wood, you don't do anything fancy with it, you just pound the fucker in with all the strength you have.' Well... that's you." He huffs some air, and adds, "But five of us can't take on a moving Coalition column complete with guards without being smart about things."

"Not only strength," Daeni notes, "also skill, smart. Coalition many, we stronger, smarter, more skill. Not fear Coaltion, any others. One enemy, million, is same. More enemy only more bodies after."

Gabriel's face is very concerned for a time. Both as friend, and as a colonel in the Marine Corps planning a deployment. But after a long period of thought, his lips turn into a pleasant smile, and his eyes warm up. With a slightly less-thick accent, he offers, "Not that I'm appointing myself executive officer, but I guess I can be sure how and where to deploy the heavy infantry." After a short pause, he clarifies, "Or maybe the heavy armor." His right hand reaches out in what in his time would be an obviously upcoming clap in the shoulder - but he doesn't, instead his hand just sort of freezes in mid-air. "You probably don't know or don't appreciate the congenial lucky slap on the arm, do you, Daeni?"

Whether to her credit or Gabriel's, the unexpected, incoming hand does not provoke a reflexive response. Daeni's expression distorts from its oft bland blank to beyond a smirk, yet not quite a smile. "Know you not strike for harm, not with empty hand. Not stupid, not born alone. Know touch, slap for friend, fellow warrior, hunter." Following a pause, her lips curl a touch further. "Maybe you break hand."

The last statement allows the man to break out into genuine laughter. As he withdraws his hand and places it back against his waist, he says, "Yeah, I guess it would be a lot like slapping a stone pillar, huh? Ever seen the Lincoln Memorial? Like walking up to the Great Emancipator and whacking him on the shin." His eyes close, his shoulders shrug slightly, and his head cants sideways. "Sorry to keep you, Daeni. I know that you probably have better, more interesting, and more physically destructive things to do." There's a wink, and an added, "Just kidding. Or am I?" The tone twitches upward in that sly pitch.

"Not always destroy, kill." Daeni reverts her expression to what is most decidedly a smirk as her eyes lift to their surroundings. "Walk forest, look, listen, smell, feel. Is most like Arol." A deep inhale follows, to be held and expelled slowly. Her eyes close for that moment, as brief as it may be before she looks to the man. "Not hold here. If needed leave, would leave."

Gabriel holds up a staying hand. "Oh, no no no. It's early, I've eaten, I've exercised... I don't have anything to do but look for work. If I don't find anything today, " he shrugs "then I'll look again tomorrow." He does his own sniffing. "Hmm. I'm afraid that it isn't much like Kentucky. Different trees. Tulip Poplars, Blue Ash, White Oak, Yellowwood, White Ash, and my personal favorite -" the man pauses for effect.. maybe a little too long.. and then states, "The Kentucky Coffeetree. Nuts that you can eat, beautiful yellow flowers, and as you might expect, it smells a lot like coffee, particularly in Autumn." He turns and waves around at the forest. "These trees? Too thick. Too many leaves. Too low. They just don't smell right." A friendly smirk, then he adds, "Might be like Adol, but it isn't Kentucky. But it has its moments."

"Not same," Daeni clarifies, "but more same than city. Is what here." Her shoulders roll anew and she shifts to his prior comment. "You say I train, hunt, not celebrate. Now you only seek work?"

A shrug is followed by, "Oh, sure, I celebrate, but not all the time. At least, not the same." He offers a somewhat sad smile. "I celebrate Natasha's life when I wake up, and when I go to sleep." He turns respectfully and points his head back toward the thick wall of trees from which he'd emerged. "She's back there. With me. But I can't stay with her all day." He turns back with a genuine smile of peace. "All of us have to work sometimes. If I just sat out here and hunted board, deer, whatever I can find, well... I'd probably kill my self from boredom."

Daeni exhales a snort, although the connotation is mild. "Is easy not be bored. Go, move, act. Not be bored if move." A hand lifts to gesture about. "Is much do. Walk, run, learn what is over mountain, past river."

"Oh? Have you followed the river? It runs through my little clearing, and I know that there's a little beaver dam upstream. But that's it. As long as the water's clean, the fish are big, and the turtles lazy, I'm happy." He does offer with the forest, "But you can say a lot for all of the apples around here." Gabriel takes in Daeni's countenance with a very thorough and mixed look. "You really don't need to have anything more to entertain yourself, do you? It must be a truly comforting blessed way to go through life."

"I have what have. If want more, do more." Daeni gestures to the west, now more specifically. "Know land past mountains, know all land within day run from here."