...into the fire - Chapter 2 - IC

Felyx takes the cog and settles it into a holding space on the backside of his left hand. The hand itself was an intricate cybernetic that allowed him deeper access into various archives of information, but the extra storage had its uses as well.

He quickly transfered the data on Maud's data slate to his and briefly memorized it all.

He will be fun to kill.

"How well knowings is Black Veil in this Hive. Will name itself drawing to us attentions?

+++++++

Felyx followed Maud and the others without hesitation. Always nearby, Servitor II loyally rolled forward. Felyx ordered his companion back with a quiet burp of binary. He then pulled his Chameleoline cloak around his shoulders and stood as still as a statue.

He figured Maud's plan had some merit. He didn't want to assume if Slim was one of the robed pilgrims or one of the up-armored fighters. He kept careful watch of the whole scene for any details that could help them later.

He made ready to move.

+++ The Transport +++

Philomena takes the dataslate from Felyx once he's done with it and pores over it, committing the man's face and the paltry amount of information in the bounty posting to memory. She then hands it off to the next acolyte. "This operation will require the careful balancing of many concerns. There are 116 days left before the planetary alignment where our quarry will reveal themselves. During that time, we must make it look like we are competently pursuing this Max Tallow, without actually completing the assignment. We must try and close our net around him just before our time is up to avoid tarnishing the Black Veil's reputation."

"Simultaneously, we must distract Interrogator Slim so she does not succeed in her task and drive our quarry back underground. If we can find out what her objective is and it does not conflict with our own, we could perhaps expedite her investigation and get her to leave. It's an option worth exploring, but I doubt it will be that simple. My hypothesis is that she's after the Callers of Sorrow, in which case, she cannot be allowed to succeed."


+++ Overlooking the Foreigners Quarter +++

Philomena squints as she looks at Interrogator Slim's party from afar, counting the number of individuals and trying to asses their role. They outnumbered her own group 5-to-1. A large group would make more waves and would be easier to track, but their numbers meant to could split up into smaller bands and pursue multiple threads at once. They would be difficult to manage. "We may need to thin their numbers," she says with a touch of regret.

She sighs. "I agree with the Inquisitor. We should endeavor to arrive in the Gallowsway before our rivals. We'll need to secure a base of operations and track them to theirs. After all, it makes sense for the Black Veil to keep an eye on a potential claim jumper to their bounty."

+++ The Transport +++

Maud replies to each of you in turn...

Iron and Metal wrote:

"How well knowings is Black Veil in this Hive. Will name itself drawing to us attentions?

"Not very well known and certainly not in Kul Prime. However if someone did dig they'd find footnotes about work the group has done in the past within the system, giving the Black Veil some legitimacy"

moarhair wrote:

Philomena takes the dataslate from Felyx once he's done with it and pores over it, committing the man's face and the paltry amount of information in the bounty posting to memory. She then hands it off to the next acolyte. "This operation will require the careful balancing of many concerns. There are 116 days left before the planetary alignment where our quarry will reveal themselves. During that time, we must make it look like we are competently pursuing this Max Tallow, without actually completing the assignment. We must try and close our net around him just before our time is up to avoid tarnishing the Black Veil's reputation."

"Simultaneously, we must distract Interrogator Slim so she does not succeed in her task and drive our quarry back underground. If we can find out what her objective is and it does not conflict with our own, we could perhaps expedite her investigation and get her to leave. It's an option worth exploring, but I doubt it will be that simple. My hypothesis is that she's after the Callers of Sorrow, in which case, she cannot be allowed to succeed."

Philomena is rewarded with a crooked smile "You could do that and I'd be very impressed, but the bounty hunt is primarily a cover for you to be in the area. The Gallowsway is an ideal place to have a base of operations while you look for information regarding The Buzzards. That hunt though is very much secondary to dealing with Slim." Maud pauses for a moment "That said I'm sure there will be information to be found within the Gallowsway about this secondary mark."

+++ The Transport +++

Severine took her cog with a firm nod and initially reached to strap it onto her armor - but, alas, she no longer *had* her armor. Instead she stuffed it into one of the pockets on her fatigue pants. How did people live like this?
She had little to ask. They had a job. Philomena would lead them to succeeding at it. Simple as that. What did catch her attention was the sudden excitement of their inquisitor as everyone moved outside to the overlook.

+++ Overlooking the Foreigners Quarter +++

"Open conflict with them would be quite dangerous. And if we begin picking them off... We risk them becoming far more cautious. I think we may need to hope that she delegates and her forces spread out, it would allow us to simply avoid them or overpower smaller groups if absolutely necessary."

She paused as she inspected the arriving party. "We do not need to kill them, correct? Merely prevent them from interfering with the cults? Misleading them may be an option, as boring as that would be."

Felyx's eyes lifted at the suggestion of misleading them.

Part of his expertise was electronic hacking, of which misdirection was a byproduct. He would need to understand their locale and the technological access they would have, but this approach could actually be fun.

"Not as fun as to cutting outs brain stems of all of them though."

He stopped and cocked his head. Fuckshit.. did I say that out loud?

He smiles and shrugs if anyone looks at him.

Lokar takes the need for concealment as an opportunity to try out his new equipment, putting on his camo cloak before approaching the balcony and observing the large party below.

So many will be easy to follow, as we have time, spying on them and gathering information is a good idea. It would be nice to have options before we decide on a plan of action.

The young feral skulked away from the balcony's edge and with his stummer on started to silently swish his camo cloak about the place, watching it change between shades of grey as it moved from shadow to shadow.

This thing is great, if the hunters back home had these they would all be fat. Thank you. he said to the team, not knowing who to thank.

"You are being welcome." Felyx said, staring into Lokar's eyes with a sparkle.

AbstractCloud1 wrote:

+++ Overlooking the Foreigners Quarter +++

She paused as she inspected the arriving party. "We do not need to kill them, correct? Merely prevent them from interfering with the cults? Misleading them may be an option, as boring as that would be."

"That is the preferance" Maud replies "They are not the enemy so to speak. But let me be clear though, they must not overly disrupt the cults plans and that is a hard stick to measure. Return to the foreigners quarter when you are done or if something has gone awry that you cannot deal with, someone will be watching."

Philomena squints harder, parsing out the details of what she sees. "I see four guards wearing the colors of the Ecclesiarchy. Subtle... unless they're meant to draw the eye... Yes, that must be it. Some of the acolytes are hiding armor under their robes."

"The two standing a few meters apart from the rest are armored. The large one is wearing carapace. I'm not sure about the other. Flak, maybe?"

"I think I've identified the Interrogator. The tall woman in the group of three to the left. One of the people she's talking is wearing armor beneath their robe."

"The one directing the other acolytes is a man. I presume he's Slim's second-in-command. He-"

She leans forward. "I... There may be one more member. I believe I saw some movement in the shadows to the right... I could be wrong, but if I'm not, they must be an exceptional scout... or assassin."

Lokar darts a look at Inquisitor Maud and remembers himself. He stops playing with his cloak and packs it away..

We could move ahead of them and scope out the area but also leave someone behind to track them. Just one face in the crowd would be hard to spot and it would be good to know where they were.

Lokar looks to Plilomena. However, this heroic individual would have to deal with the attention of a potential assassin..

The young feral felt the weight of this statement and decided he best man up.

I'll do it..

Maud starts to shuffle back towards the landing bay and spares you a backward glance "It's time I was away, there are things to prepare. Remember my acolytes if it comes to it, be ruthless."

She takes a few more steps and then pauses for a moment "Ah" she turns again and looks for Philomena "One of those who converses with Slim is a psyker." Maud turns and walks away... "Good luck.."

At mention of a psychic, Felyx looks to Damiel and gives a thumbs up.

At least they'd both have something fun to do on this trip.

Severine watched quietly. She had pulled away from the wall once the descriptions were given by Philomena, and was now mostly focused on what their next steps would be.

"Tracking them alone seems dangerous. I think it would be better if we all descend now, and beat them to their destination. We know where they are going, is tracking them even needed?"

"To gathering of intelligences: yes. Maybe meetings contacts on way. Maybes stopping at re-supplies/secondary safe houses/hidden back alley sexing dens/etcetera. Tracking is yielding to us the intelligences. Also, coming with risks."

He started to move toward the lift that would take them down. He wanted to get established in their FOB, and hear what Lokar had discovered after the fact.

Lokar only wanted to prove he wasn't scared of the assassin.

We should follow them to their lodgings at some point, if you would rather find them later and do it then, so be it.

Philomena nods at the Inquisitor as she mentions the psyker. It was good to know, but Mina couldn't help but be disappointed she'd missed it.

She listens to the debate. "I agree with Felyx. We may be able to glean some useful intel if we tail their band as they travel to Gallowsway. However, Severine also has a point. Whoever goes should have backup."

She looks around at her companions, recalling the files the inquisitor had on them that she had shared with her. "Donna and Damiel should do it. Donna has more experience navigating Hives and they have better chemistry, due to to their long experience collaborating. The rest of us can travel down now and secure a base of operations."

Unless there are any objections, she turns and follows Felyx to the lift.

Donna had been quietly resting on her haunches, picking at some stubborn booger while most of the talked. She tired quickly of long and complicated plans like these, but understood that the others would take care of the boring stuff and she would handle the fun stuff.

"'S likely that the scout may ave a bead on us awlready. One rule in tha hives is'at if yew can see them. They can awlso see yew."

She didn't know this was a common saying outside the hives as well.

She stretches, knowing if would be time to get to work soon.
"Lets be 'eadin to this Gallowsway then. Sounds like a luvly place for sum gossip"

+++ Donna and Damiel +++

Donna and Damiel loiter in the darkness. After a short while Interrogator Slims group move off, they travel in a line two abreast with a robed figure at the head swinging a censor burner which wafts a sweet smelling smoke. The crowds in the busy streets part before them as they make their way to the gateway that leads into the transport hub and the hive proper. The group are easy to follow at a safe distance, the small commotion they cause as they make their way and the pungent smoke making the task easy. You keep your distance mindful of being recognised in the future.

They pass through the security checkpoint and into the transport hub without issue, they’d already secured their cogs if they’d had need to. The red carapaced enforcers eye you suspiciously when it gets to your turn, but then they had done so to the majority who had stood before them. The line had moved slowly, the guards at the security gate were thorough and no one had been waved through. You’re both questioned; name, purpose and destination, then your cog devices are checked before you’re allowed through.

Slim's group take a huge lift downwards with you waiting about an hour for the lift to return for your turn. As you descend you watch on as one decaying level after another goes by each subtly worse that the one before it. As the rusting hive-lift platform shudders to a halt the huge corroded metal doors painfully grind open to reveal your stop; the Gallowsway.


+++ Felyx, Severine, Philomena, Lokar +++

The Gallowsway is a dark and forgotten placed perched on the under edges of Kul city. The lighting in the area is poor with most of the area you’re in only bathed in twilight. You wait in an alleyway that gives you a good view of the metal doors of the hive-lift which you had alighted from about an hour earlier. From above oily water drips down from the decrepit ceiling high above covering everything in an oily sheen. The huge metal doors of the lift eventually open again revealing the Ecclesiarchy disguised group, one of Slim’s group speak to one of the enforcers stationed at the lift before moving off in their procession.

Following gives you a chance to see more of the Gollowsway, it is not a pleasant place. Huge warehouses and processing plants dominate amongst the grime, amongst the oily water there is also an unpleasant smell permeating the place, some vile chemical odour that is stronger around the warehouses. You follow to a cluster of hab blocks that service the level, amongst the squalor is an abandoned chapel where Slims group look to make home at least for a period of time. There is some evidence from the tools and equipment they unpack that they might be looking to restore the chapel, most of the group appear at least to be labourers as the majority remove their robes as they get to work.

After work around the chapel gets going Slim and four others leave and make their way to one of the warehouses which has a huge number 17 painted on to the front. The crumbling building is tarnished with reliefs in a failed attempt to resemble an Ecclesiarchy temple. They’re met by a group of enforcers who escort them inside, when they leave sometime later Slims group return to the chapel and two enforcers remain as guards at the warehouse.

Philomena scowls under the hood of her cloak throughout the journey to and within the Gallowsway. She'd been quick to put in her filtration plugs. The whole ordeal had been an assault on the senses. It was a malodorous, unsightly, clamorous, mucilaginous place. The warp was thick with misery and she'd had to put up additional mental walls to keep most of it out.

Standing in the shadows of an alley with her colleagues, she waits until things have settled down with Slim's company. Finally, she opens her mouth to speak, regretting it instantly as her final sense, taste, is assaulted as well by the particulates in the fetid air. "Let's find our own HQ," she says, keeping her words short to spare herself some discomfort. "Thoughts?"

"You look uncomfortable, my Lady." Severine smiled, keeping her voice low but the teasing lilt to it was obvious. She didn't enjoy the smell by any means, but battlefields tended to smell bad. This was no different, not to her.
"Perhaps I should have brought my incense burner... Yes, a place to reside would be beneficial. One where we can see the entrances and exits, we need to track their comings and goings."

She paused a moment, leaning out of the alley to look at the surrounding area. She turned back with a shrug after her brief inspection. "Either that or we hire some locals to keep an eye in exchange for some payment. They look destitute enough to be willing, and then we can make our base somewhere safer."

Felyx took all of the Gallowsway in, walking steadily as Servitor treaded beside him - ever vigilant. It was a complete shithole, and that was expected. The poor lighting only aided their clandestine mission, as did the throngs of filthy people.

To Felyx, this place was ripe with opportunities.

His brain locks away everything he sees faster than the others. With the main things out of the way, he begins taking in their potential bases of operations. Eventually, he clicks his tongue.

"Three potentials. One. Two. Three," he says with his head moving to each in turn. He then lays out the advantages and disadvantages of each [read the OOC].

"I am voting for the second. Advantages outweighing disadvantages; if we are being in small teams/cells, even better. Having power already and more peopled is easier to blending in. Best views."

He nodded. They'd need to stagger their movements in - not go as one big group. As long as they weren't complete morons it should be fine.

Hmm.... maybe.

Looking every part the bounty hunter Lokar stands in full battle gear and looks through his helm at Felyx's three options. Three great towering options, his people back home could never dream of building anything so magnificent.

Yes Felyx, your second option looks the best for our base, and it's good to know that the first option is mostly abandoned. It could be useful should we need to drag someone off the streets and interrogate them someplace quiet.

The young feral grins like a wolf. Ill start a list.

For the first time, Felyx meets Lokar's eyes and gives him a genuine grin. While his eyes still seemed devoid of soul, it was a true smile.

Maybe Lokar wasn't so bad after all.

Philomena gives Severine a reproachful look at her teasing, but her eyes are alight with amusement. She sighs theatrically. "Yes, bring your censer next time. That party from the Ecclesiarchy had the right idea," she says with a grimace.

She looks at the three options pointed out by Felyx and listens attentively as he outlines the pros and cons of each of them. She nods at Felyx's and Lokar's assessment. "Agreed, let's head to the second block and find a good unit."

The second tower block looked to be in the best repair of the three that you’d considered but that wasn't saying much as you headed into and up the tower. The place clearly had a sewage problem, the smell if a few areas was almost more than you could bear, but people lived here and had no doubt gotten used to it to a degree. The lights within the corridors and stairwells flickered occasionally but aside from that generally seemed sound.

The people of the tower generally kept their gaze down and those you passed in corridors and stairwells squeezed themselves against a wall as you passed by, they clearly didn't want to get involved with a heavily armed bunch of 'bounty hunters'. Many of the door ways to dwellings are little more than dirty sheets or sacking, detritus clutters corners and the sides of corridors.

On the ninth floor you find a likely place to spy down on the chapel; two dwellings merged into one by the virtue of some accident in the past, part of the external wall and the separating wall between two flats had been destroyed granting easy access to both and the extra living space that you probably needed. The two doors into the two flats from the corridor needed some repair but it was child’s play for Felyx to restore power to one and fix the mechanical problem on the other.

Its early evening and all seems quiet at the chapel, the workers have moved inside, there is one guard on the door and two others patrol around the chapel.

Felyx and Servitor make their way inside with Damiel, separate from the other groups. Moving inside staggered gave them less of a chance of making a scene and more of a chance to blend in. The place smelled of shit, it was completely run down, and it was filthy.

Perfect

There were many places to interrogate potential suspects here. Plenty of spots to hide a body, and no way the smell would ever be a problem. It was perfect.

He immediately got to work setting up some semblance of security after finding their lodgings on the 9th floor. After a few hours of work, he had established camera feeds to each entry way into their current space. At the very least, they would not be caught unawares.

Given time, he hoped to do much more than this. He was already planning an air-pressure blow dart system in one or two of the walls connected to some loose wiring for any uninvited guests. There was so much to do. So much potential here.

While Felyx gets to work setting up the security systems to their HQ, Philomena turns to the others. "Let's make this place a bit more livable, shall we? Clear out the rubble and detritus. Maybe give this place a bit of a scrub? We may be here for some time and I'm sure we would all prefer not to live in filth. I'll see if I can find us a mop and bucket. It'll give me an excuse to meet the neighbors. Being on good terms could net us a few extra pairs of eyes on the stairwells." She pauses as she looks around at her companions. She considers asking Severine to tag along, but someone more familiar with this environment would probably be more useful. Besides, she doesn't want to look like she's playing favorites. People would talk.

Her eyes stop on the former ganger. "Donna, you're with me."

Mina heads off to meet the locals and hopefully get her hands on something that passes for cleaning supplies in this putrid hellhole. "I'm going to try to make a good first impression," she tells Donna as they walk down one of the block's corridors. "But if anybody gets too big for their britches, you remind them we're not to be messed with. Sounds good?"

Donna had something of the same idea, to inspect the neighbors and make friends.

"Fine idea. But we shouldn't get too clean 'an sterile. 'Sticks out 'n most hives. Grime issits own color 'ere."

Lokar nods to Philomena as she leaves with Donna, then starts kicking some of the large pieces of debris into the corner closest to the door. Tidying done he moves to the window and looks down at the chapple.

Felyx, this would be a good spot for one of those magic eyes of yours, camouflaged of course. Let me know if you need a hand riping one off a building or whatever.

The young and impatient feral looks about the room sighing with boredom.

After seeing Integrator Slim using pilgrim's robes to blend in I've realised that other than bounty hunter I have no other mask, I could wear my flack jacket but It doesn't look local. I want to go shopping for some pilgrim's robes. Am I trusted to go alone?

Lokar looks expectingly at Severine, For the Emperor?.

"Call if you are in danger, my Lady. We will be nearby enough to assist should it be required.

Severine settled into the space easily enough, hard work was always pleasant for her - a chance to focus her mind and dedicate service to the God Emperor. She got to work right away clearing rubble into other abandoned rooms instead of their own, and cleaning what she could with the supplies at hand. She'd do something a bit more thorough after they had actual cleaning equipment.

She chuckled at Lokars boredom. "I believe you are explicitly *not* trusted to go alone, based on what I've seen so far. Use those big muscles and start moving rocks, you wouldn't want to let some Imperial woman outshine you in the eyes of our Lady, would you?"

Severine gestured to the piles of rubble around the broken wall. "You can ask Philomena when she gets back to go shopping, if you insist on it."

Arriving to the scene of Severine and Lokar cleaning, while Felyx toys with the security, Damiel checks out a couple other abandoned rooms to scrounge for supplies. He returns with some warped metal and cloth scraps.

"Well... maybe we can use this stuff to tie up some of the rubble? Maybe plug up the draft? Felyx?" He sighs, setting the items down on the floor. "Maybe I'll just help Lokar move the rocks. You look like you could use some help bud." He loads up an armful of rocks and begins to carry them out to a nearby abandoned room.

On his way back in, Damiel calls out, "Alright, which side of the half wall is the guys' side, and which is the girls'?"

+++ Philomena & Donna +++

You do not have difficulty finding a couple of brooms, the bristles were half worn down but they would be serviceable. The old lady you acquired them from was more than happy to part with them for a few thrones, which was nothing really to you but perhaps a weeks worth of corpse-starch for her and her family. As you round a corner on the way back to your dwelling you witness two what are likely gangers assaulting a young man. One pins the man against a wall while the other rams their fist into their victims belly. “Please!” the young man cries between sobs and retching… “just give me another week.”

“Not this time Boris.” Another fist rams into the mans face this time causing him to spit blood and teeth. “You’ve had you’re chances” another punch to the mans nose splays it across his face. “Times up”, the ganger draws a knife.

As Lokar reluctantly cleaned he was careful that the amount of rubble he moved was just less than Severines, slyly letting her relax, so when the time came he could quickly move the last pieces and overtake her efforts. Seeing Damiels gathered offerings he smiled politely, picked them up, and placed them with the rest of the discarded rubbish.

Were supposed to be tidying..

Donna puts out her hand to stop Philomena for acting rashly.

In a low voice, she says "Don be actin' too rashly luv. If we dew nough'tin den we gets no troubles latah on. If we intervene, we draw possible attemtion from a riff raff gang for beatin sum of dey thugs, but maybe the victim will be willin to be hel'pin us latah on. Also, using fancy weapons n' such will draw sum unwanted attention from all pissers by. Whut you t'ink we should be doin?"

Herself? For the mission sake she would leave them be. Hives were massive and hundreds of people would be killed like this everyday. nothing new.
But....she also wanted someone to pummel.

Donna wasn't wrong. Letting the poor man die would be less trouble than saving him. She was, however, mistaken in her belief that killing the gangers was their only other option. Such thinking reflected the limits of her upbringing. Back in the Hives were she grew up, this would have been the only two options, Philomena mused. The Lady, however, had grown in a place where her means allowed for many more options and let her to recognize what the two women were actually seeing: An opportunity, and one that Philomena wasn't about to pass up.

"Wait!" she calls out, projecting her voice authoritatively. "How much does this man owe? I may be interested in purchasing his debt." A few thrones well spent, if the amount was reasonable. The man would be grateful to them for having saved his life, and would still owe them. Why use a single piece of leverage when you could have two?

And if the thugs were dumb enough to try and rob them instead? Well, that's why she'd brought Donna.

moarhair wrote:

"Wait!" she calls out, projecting her voice authoritatively. "How much does this man owe? I may be interested in purchasing his debt." A few thrones well spent, if the amount was reasonable. The man would be grateful to them for having saved his life, and would still owe them. Why use a single piece of leverage when you could have two?

The knife of the ganger about to plunge into the mans gut holds, the two gangers look your way. At a nod from the ganger with the knife the other releases their victim who slumps to the floor. They approach, both of them have the right side of their face tattooed red, they are well armed with their heavy spiked armour but they wearily look Donna over as they stop about five metres away. The smaller man, the one doing the beating takes his gaze away from Donna and answers Philomena "This is our turf, who the fuck are you?"

"Tourists, who'll be gone once we're done seeing the sights. We're not looking to put down roots," she says placidly. She turns her gaze to the bloody Boris. "We're also the people willing to turn this useless would-be corpse into some thrones for you." Her eyes flick back to the smaller ganger and she gives him her most winning smile. "So, unless you're not interested in getting your money back, how much does this man owe you?"

Donna was content to let her lead, but made no move to seem less than willing to fight.

"We be needin a good go'fah to fetch me knickers after that last one done pissed me off. "E wont be doin thawt an'more iffen yew know what oui mean."

She looks the man up and down and makes a clicking sounds with her tongue.

"Maybe 'es no good choice at awl. 'Es awl scrawny, Oui think those thrones be best spent elsewhere."

Reverse psychology - Donna's strong suit.

The two gangers seem a little unsure of themselves, they'd no doubt be more confident in larger numbers. "He owes fifty thrones. You pay that and Boris there can walk away." The small ganger replies. "If he's able." the larger of the two sniggers.

Even though she's already made her decision, Philomena leans to the side and gives Boris a long appraising look, pretending to weigh his potential worth against the cost. When she feels like the thugs are getting impatient, or that Boris' despair has reached its zenith, she straightens up and turns back to the gangers. "Deal." She produces the coins from under her cloak and hands them to the smaller thug. "Now, if you'll excuse me," she says with a sickly sweet smile. "I need to have a chat with my property."

Mina flows past the thugs and walks to Boris, her heels clicking steadily on the metal flooring. She stops in front of the bloodied man. "Congratulations, you've escaped death today. However, as your new creditor, I want to discuss the terms of your debt." She looks around the dark, dirty hallway with open disgust on her face. A puddle nearby is reflecting a rainbow's worth of colors from the oil staining its surface. "Perhaps, somewhere we can sit without getting our buttocks wet."

The Lady's eyes lock back onto her debtor's. "You have a residence nearby, no doubt? Take us there."

Boris, barely able to register whats going on nods meekly and then makes an heroic effort to stand. He then wobbles and stumbles down the corridor leaving bloody hand prints on the wall until he gets to his dwelling.

Inside the man slumps into a chair in the kitchenette and looks up at you through swollen and bruised eyes. A resigned look on his face.

Philomena looks around the small kitchenette, then retrieves the cleanest rag she can find. She turns on the tap and looks up as the pipes groan, before finally disgorging brownish water. She waits for it turn clear, then wets the rag. Mina walks to the table and pulls a chair closer to Boris'. She sits and looks at his puffed eyes. "This is going to hurt a bit. Try not to flinch," she says, her voice soft and kind. "Donna, see if you can find something cold in his icebox he can use to reduce the swelling."

Mina gently wipes the blood and grime from Boris' face. "My name is Mina. My friend is Donna. You may now be in our debt, but we're not interested in your money. We want you to work off your debt. We're new here; we need information and assistance to get our task done. You help us with that, your debt will be written off."

She leans back and takes a good look at Boris' cleaned face. "There, much better. Isn't it?"

Boris kept quiet while you tended to him other than to occasionally wince or whelp in pain. He'd lost a few teeth with one side of his jaw swollen, there was a good chance his nose was broken and he could only currently see out of one eye, the other having closed up.

Donna finds the ice box, it was broken. There is one solitary ration of corpse starch inside half eaten. Boris was clearly malnourished.

As Philomena cleaned up his wounds she picked up a 'fragrance' to Boris, seeped into his clothes and perhaps his pores. The chemical smell that lingered around the warehouses.

He regards Philomena carefully as she spoke, an obviously wary look to his face. Once he is cleaned up he manages a grimace, perhaps it was supposed to have been a smile. He winces. "Yes fank you." he says through blocked nasal pasageways. "What is it you want of me?" Despite your kindness there is a resigned tone to his voice, he's perhaps still not sure if he was in the frying pan or about to jump into the fire.

Donna comes back into the room, clearly annoyed.
"'E ain got no bloody whiskey, vodka, pissrot, not even ah drop of grox-wash. Whawt are yew sum sortta tea drinking ninny?"

It was a minute before Donna realizes Philomena didn't meant alcohol.

"Oui aint got nothin for the swellin' Jus some slaught might dull 'is pain....an'is senses."

Philomena nods at Donna. "Thank you, but I'd like him sharp for now. Perhaps Felyx can do something for him. Would you please vox him and let him know where we are?"

Mina leans back and turns back to Boris. "As for your question: Firstly, information. Who the movers and shakers are in this neighborhood. Who those gangers work for. Places to avoid, places we can use. That kind of thing. So long as we're here, you will answer our questions to the best of your ability. I would also like to know why you borrowed money from those thugs."

"Secondly, maybe access. You work at the warehouses, right? What do you do there?"

moarhair wrote:

Mina leans back and turns back to Boris. "As for your question: Firstly, information. Who the movers and shakers are in this neighborhood. Who those gangers work for. Places to avoid, places we can use. That kind of thing. So long as we're here, you will answer our questions to the best of your ability. I would also like to know why you borrowed money from those thugs."

"Secondly, maybe access. You work at the warehouses, right? What do you do there?"

He nods "I can do that" he winces as he speaks and feels gingerly at his jaw before soldiering on "Those thugs are from a gang called the Red Walk, they're the main gang around here. Don't know what the gang leader is called though." he talks slowly his facial injuries causing his speach to be halting as he tries to think through the pain "Benny and Jay Jay were the two whaling on me; owed em' money that I borrowed so I could get meds for my ma. I knew I wouldn't be able to pay em' back but I had little choice." he sighs and shrugs his slumped shoulders, he pauses for a moment in thought before continuing...

"I guess you mean the Charnel Houses. I work in Charnel House 9 preparing corpses for storage before they're eventually taken to be processed in the Mortuaris factories"

As Felyx leaves the room to explore a new career as a handyman Severine walks him to the door, exchanging information about who was doing what and where before they went their separate ways. While her back was turned Lokar sprung into action, using all his feral strength to move boulders while she was otherwise engaged. By the time she turned around there was only Lokar standing in a clear room, the arrogance of youth shining proudly through his best smug face.

Severine, I didn't catch what you said earlier, something about a shining woman, what was it again?

Severine couldn't help but laugh when Lokar presented the cleaned space. "I said you wouldn't want me to outshine you in the eyes of our Lady! Ha!" She stepped forward and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Good job. I'm sure she'll be impressed. Might even let you get some slack after doing all this work, hey?" She paused, smirking. "Next time tell me if it's a contest, first. Can't let you win this easy every time."

Lokar smiles at Severines comradery

You moved many boulders, you are a strong woman.

The young feral looks her up and down again, but this time in a new light.

You have good wide child bearing hips. You know what I think, given half a chance I could squeeze inside your power armor. How about you let me have a go? ... For the Emperor?

"If I didn't know better I'd think you were trying to bed me, Lokar. I think I'd break you~" Severine laughed easily as she walked to find a spot to sit - a well deserved break from their work.

"The armor is designed for me, you couldn't fit. Besides, its on the ship. If I'd worn it down here we'd have swarms of people asking me to bless them or purge the evils from their lives... Instead I get to lift rocks. A wonderful trade off."