Red Sands (Closed, IC)

[souldrive11]

5 hours ago, bowiespoon said:

 

1 hour ago, EscortAlpha said:

 

(so the question is, are they in Deadwood now, or outside it?)

 

Edited March 24, 2017 by souldrive11

[bowiespoon]

15 minutes ago, Sharpstriker said:

Zaben takes out his heat dagger and attempts to cut a hole in the door. After a bit of heating up, he was able to pierce the doors metal.

((How well does he do?))

The blade barely made a scratch in the door.

"Damn," one of the crew said, "How're we gonna get that door open?"

[bowiespoon]

10 minutes ago, souldrive11 said:

(so the question is, are they in Deadwood now, or outside it?)

 

((J'Taav is in Deadwood, but for how long is unclear.))

[bowiespoon]

18 minutes ago, EscortAlpha said:

Svytoj could soon see the town of Deadwood, the damage tissue and frame finally healing.
As he began his approach, he notice a familiar signature: the grineer deserter from New Moscow.
What is He doing here? Svytoj thought as he moved towards the signal.
He ejected from his archwing, sending a cloud of dust into the air as he landed, and causing a large racket as he slammed into several bits of lose debris.
If J'Taav as still in the area, he'd definitely hear it.

"When it rains....." the aged grineer captain muttered, continuing to stroll down the main street of the city as if he didn't hear Svytoj.

[Sharpstriker]

10 minutes ago, bowiespoon said:

The blade barely made a scratch in the door.

"Damn," one of the crew said, "How're we gonna get that door open?"

Zaben: "Mind if we get a little loud? We've got some high grade explosives."

[bowiespoon]

25 minutes ago, Sharpstriker said:

Zaben: "Mind if we get a little loud? We've got some high grade explosives."

"How high-grade are we talking here?" the leader whispered, "Because we don't wanna bring this ship down on our heads..... They're already weakened by the crash into the surface."

[EscortAlpha]

35 minutes ago, bowiespoon said:

"When it rains....." the aged grineer captain muttered, continuing to stroll down the main street of the city as if he didn't hear Svytoj.

Svytoj righted himself, cheched J'taavs position, and began sprinting towards him.
"OI! HOLD UP THERE, HEKINGTON." Svytoj called as he closed in.

[Sharpstriker]

15 minutes ago, bowiespoon said:

"How high-grade are we talking here?" the leader whispered, "Because we don't wanna bring this ship down on our heads..... They're already weakened by the crash into the surface."

Zaben: "Good enough to break through the hull of a ship, though we won't use all of it. Just enough to blast the surrounding walls, ceiling and floor so that the door can be knocked down."

[bowiespoon]

42 minutes ago, EscortAlpha said:

Svytoj righted himself, cheched J'taavs position, and began sprinting towards him.
"OI! HOLD UP THERE, HEKINGTON." Svytoj called as he closed in.

J'Taav sighed

".....It pours."

He turned around and folded his arms, looking impatient.

"You want something?"

[bowiespoon]

37 minutes ago, Sharpstriker said:

Zaben: "Good enough to break through the hull of a ship, though we won't use all of it. Just enough to blast the surrounding walls, ceiling and floor so that the door can be knocked down."

The leader nodded reluctantly

"Just.... be careful. We only want to door blown up."

[EscortAlpha]

20 minutes ago, bowiespoon said:

J'Taav sighed

".....It pours."

He turned around and folded his arms, looking impatient.

"You want something?"

"First New Moscow, now Deadwood..." Svytoj said as he approached, moving beside J'Taav. "You have been busy." He looked the man right in the eyes.
"So, If you're here, what kind of Sh!t storm do I have in my future?"

[Sharpstriker]

1 hour ago, bowiespoon said:

The leader nodded reluctantly

"Just.... be careful. We only want to door blown up."

Zaben: "roger that."

Zaben and Rakan get to work, using a moldable type of explosive they bought earlier. 

The logic behind this was that the door would be stronger than the surrounding surfaces. Zaben takes advantage and cuts little openings around the door with the heat dagger, which Rakan fills with the explosive.

They had some experience with explosives so they were careful not to put too much explosive in that the ship will collapse, but enough to do the job.

looking at the setup, it looked similar to a dash-line outline of the door. 

The explosives were place far enough apart to not waste explosives while close enough that the explosions would either completely remove any connection to the door, or weaken that connection.

After the explosives go off, the door should be able to be knocked over with enough force.

Zaben then ushers everyone to a safe range, and detonated the explosives.

[(PSN)SuperShadic445]

16 hours ago, EscortAlpha said:

((Your text blocks are fine; they only take up one post. everything I've been doing is a multi-page affair. :D))
((By the way, Svytoj is on his way to deadwood.))

((I think SuperShadic445 still has characters aboard the fomorian.))

With no reply from Tycho, Svytoj took off, making his way for deadwood.
Bits of char and dead flesh pealed off him as the flew over arid landscape.

 

(Jesus christ I forgot all about this for a bit. Cram studying for tests takes a lot out of ya)
 

 

17 hours ago, souldrive11 said:

(If you were worried, how do you think I feel? Every time I drop a blockbuster of a post I worry that I might've accidently drowned someone out in a sea of words)

 

(We do drown in spaghetti every time. It´s just that we´re quick eaters.)

[Daakjenaar]

56 minutes ago, (PS4)SuperShadic445 said:

(Jesus christ I forgot all about this for a bit. Cram studying for tests takes a lot out of ya)
 

 

(We do drown in spaghetti every time. It´s just that we´re quick eaters.)

(Have you read the last couple pages? A LOT of stuff happened.)

[souldrive11]

13 hours ago, souldrive11 said:

Mia's mind was on fire. Hundreds of voices flooded her head like like a radio that was receiving every single channel at once with the volume stuck at eleven. Or was it only a few dozen? Mia was in no position to figure that out for sure. Throwing off the fabric draped over her body, in her semi-awake state she accidentally rolls off the bed she was lying on and crashes face first onto hard rock.

"...arrg, what happened..." she wonders to herself. "...where am I...?" Propping herself up, she slowly realizes that her entire body was covered in bandages and stitches, and sore all over. 

"...need to...grab my bearings..." Mia reflects, painfully crawling in the darkness towards the only source of light coming out of the doorway.

---

"Mom seemed to be making more than usual tonight, are we expecting guests? I've never seen either her or mother invite anyone before..."Jane ponders out loud as she finishes setting up the table. Satisfied with her work, she climbs back out of the sunken table and gives her home a once over. Suddenly, she notices an unfamiliar hand and two glowing white orbs coming out of her room. As a girl who's been through years of hard living and training, she does what comes first to her mind.

She lets out a blood curdling scream.

 

Jane leaps towards the workstation and grabs a giant mop and broom in each hand. Dual wielding each cleaning implement with a skill that looks more appropriate on the boogeymen ninjas from space that her moms told her about in stories than on a girl barely sixteen on a backwater colony, she closes her eyes and rushes towards the unknown person. brushy and fluffy end first.

"Evil ghost begone, evil ghost begone, EVIL GHOST BEGONE!!!!" Jane yells, spinning the brush and mop with terrifying speed. The bandaged figure, in their addled state barely had time to comprehend what going on after using the doorway to drag themselves up off the floor before being attempting to stagger away. Jane chases intruder around the room several times, knocking parts off the workstation and books off the shelves in a terrified frenzy. Finally after their 3rd go around, the figure trips and collapses onto the couch under the bookshelf. Still keeping her eyes closed, Jane begins to lay down a mighty brush and yarn beatdown on the ghost(?) when Lily walks in through the front door, carrying a giant pot of steaming food.

"Oh my~" Lily quietly muses, her calm demeanor completely unchanged by the spectacle. "Looks like you and our guest are getting along just fine~"

"Guest?! Since when do we invite ghosts for dinne-" Jane finally opens her eyes to take a look at just what she's been attempting to excorcise this entire time. Crawled up in a fetal position on the couch was a late teen girl who doesn't look a day over eighteen, covered in bandages and stitches, her shoulder length draped over her head like a wild woman. The assault on her seemingly stopped for now, the girl quietly parts her hair, meekly waving at Jane who finally gets a first good look at her. 

Her skin as white as the untouched snow on Pluto, lips as blood red as a ruby, and glowing white eyes that are apparently still adjusting to the light of the room.

"...mmm, what's cooking, doc?~..." A sensual voice comes out of Jane's room, causing her to point her broom towards it.

Another equally bandaged woman is crawling on all fours, her dark olive skin and lips barely peaking out from under her waist length black hair which was dragging along the stone floor.

"Oh good, you're awake too~" Lily calmly replies to the newcomer. "Supper's going to be served soon, so make your way to the table~"

"Sure thing, chief~" The woman answers, continuing to crawl on fours down to the table, her brown nose wiggling like some sort of fishcat.

"Jane sweetie, you should hurry up and clean the room; you know how Florence gets whenever she enters a roughshod home~" Lily says to Jane, seemlessly putting the pot of food down on the center of the table before pressing a button on her choker. Her face flickers for a moment before revealing a huge black void scar, starting from the top of her eyebrow and sharply diagonally down her face and down past her neck.

The other woman on the couch shakily gets up, nods again at Jane and stutters down to the table.

Jane, still standing by the couch with both mop and broom still raised could only think of one thing. "WHAT WAS GOING ON?!!!!"

The four girls had taken a seat at the table, with Jane having quickly cleaned up the room to the best of her ability. They all sat down facing towards the entrance door: Jane to Lily's left, the snow white woman to Lily's left, and the ebony woman to snow white's other side, sniffing the large pot and plates of food intensely.

"Smells awesome, chief~ Can we dig in~?" the ebony woman asks, reaching towards a serving spoon with a bandaged hand. Like a venus flytrap, Lily snaps out with a spoon, beating the woman's hand back.

"We don't eat until everyone's at the table, kitty~" she says.

"Aww, but when will that be~?" the woman whines with her best exaggerated petulant whine.

"Right about now~" Lily muses, as the front stone door slides open and the doctor from the clinic walks in, her entire body caked in red and white Both arms were completely dyed crimson, and her face mask looked like she had dunked it into a vat of scarlet paint. The hellhound assistant quickly follows suit behind her, equally covered in dried blood and bone shards.

"Oh, I'm gonna hurl..." Jane mutters under her breath and turning away from the sight. Even though she's fully aware of the more grisly aspects of her mother's job, Jane's never gotten used to the sight; and frankly she's not sure she wants to.

"Florence honey, do quickly clean yourself up before sitting down~" Lily says, the smell of disinfectant colliding with the sweet fragrance coming off her and the aromas on the table for a fog of clashing scents. It was all Jane could do from heaving all over the table.

"Huh? Oh, right...this." The woman replies, apparently having completely forgotten that she had performed life saving surgery on several dozen people just hours before. "Give me thirty seconds." she nonchalantly answers, before walking into the bathroom alongside her kubrow and sliding the door shut with a blood caked foot.

When the door seals shut, a muffled roar creeps out, as the entire room gets flooded with a mix of water and cleaning solution from tiny jets that jut out all along the six dimensions of the room. When room's completely filled, the jets churn the water into a whirlpool, while customized UV lights extend out beside the nozzles and bombard the inside like a rave. The entire process finishes up in twenty seconds, afterwards the equipment retracts and the solution quickly drains down a large grate in the middle of the bathroom.

As the door slides back open, Florence quickly peels herself out of her working clothes and dumps it besides the one of the sinks. Pulling a fresh bodysuit out of the cupboard, she absentmindedly slides it on and walks out of the bathroom. As she does so, miniaturized dryers built all throughout the door frame spring into action, drying Florence off in an instant, with the side effect of raising her sand colored hair into a massive frizzle. The kubrow fares no better, looking more like a ball of fuzz with legs than a war hound. Finally presentable, Florence heads down the steps to the table and takes a seat beside Jane. 

"Can we eat *now*~?" the ebony woman asks, channeling her inner child as she once again reaches for a serving spoon.

After once again beating back the hand with her spoon, Lily smoothly replies like an older sister lecturing her siblings: "Yes Aria, *now* we can eat~ Dig in everyone~"

"Thank you chief~!" Aria cheerfully replies, for launching herself at the fruits of Lily's labor: Thick beef chili, black bean and corn salad, buttermilk biscuits with gravy, and peach cobbler.

Jane and the pale woman whom she's dubbed "snow white" in her head hesitantly fill their plates, while Lily and Florence casually help themselves with the doctor setting aside a plate for the Sahasa that`s taken place on top of her feet. Aria or "olive brown" seems to acting like a vacuum cleaner, shoveling plate after plate down a bottomless gullet. 

In between bites of food, Jane finally works up the courage to lean over to Florence and ask: "Who *are* these people?" 

"What, you haven't introduced each other yet~? A shame sweetie, I thought I taught you better than this~" Florence teases Jane. Raising her right hand towards the white woman, "This quiet beauty is Mia~". "And this famished kitty,-" moving her hand counterclockwise to the wild woman already on her 3rd plate of food. "is Aria. Mia, Aria, this is Jane. She's our daughter.~ Mia and Aria are...like your aunts~"

"Oh wow, it's really great to meet you~!!" Aria manages to spit out between bites of food. With a pained look on her face as she moves her arm, Mia grabs a napkin and cleans up the smeared canvas that is Aria's face.

"Aunts? You never me told I had aunts." Jane wonders, a little relieved that these two newcomers aren't strangers, but still confused nonetheless.

"Well you never asked, sweetie~" Florence replies, daintily spooning a bite of chili into her mouth. "And between where we live and your aunts' line of work, it's quite challenging to organize get-togethers~"

"And when they do decide to pay a visit, it's never for just a social call." Florence states, staring daggers into Mia. "No, it's always to escort them to *thiiiis*, or save us from *thaaat*. Sometimes I wonder if they think w're maids or something."

Mia guiltily look downwards. brow-beaten by the doctor's verbal assault.

Spoiler

"...I'm sorry. It's just that our last mission out in Pluto-"

"No excuses!" Florence yells, bringing a fist down on the stone table, though instead of crying in pain she dents the solid rock table slightly without even noticing. "Even considering where we live there's absolutely no reason you can't take five minutes out of your time to make a simple call! What the Hek do you take us for?! Aren't we *family*?!" the last word echoing around the room. "And pull your fork out of your mouth once you put your food in, you're liable to jam it down your throat!"

Mia dejectedly pulls her fork out of her mouth, her bandaged face completely crestfallen.

Spoiler

"...yes Florence..."

Aria lets out a hearty laugh, her mouth still stuffed with the remains of her fifth plate of food and second dessert.

"And you! How many times do I have to tell you not to talk with your mouth full, you feral cat!!" Florence shouts, her finger now homed in on Aria's messy face. "We've worked together for decades and you still haven't an ounce of etiquette in you!"

"Wait, decades? just how long have my parents known my aunts...?" Jane wonders, between bites of food. "Do they know why my moms never seem to age-"

"Aw, manners are more like guidelines anyways~ Besides, ain't laughter the best medicine for the injured~? And I'm a very injured kitty~" Aria jokes, breaking Jane's line of thought as she swallows the last of here food in her mouth.

"Injured my void corrupted &#!! I only treated you this afternoon and your body is already more than three quarters healed! What the Hek is up with you and that downright cheating body of yours?! Is it because you dumped all your brainpower into vitality instead?!"

At that last comment, Aria breaks out into another roar of laughter. Veins popping out of her forehead and her black eyes glowing in a rage, Florence finally leaps over the table and grapples Aria down to the floor with a headlock.

"Hey *gasp* sis, aren't you supposed to not injure your *gasp* patients~?" Aria asks, a wide smile plastered across her face reaching from ear to ear.

"Oh shut up! You're not gettin up until I pound some common sense into that thick skull of yours!"

"You sound pretty *gasp* tense, maybe you just *gasp* need a good snuggliiii-heyhEYHEY!" Aria's voice raises an octave as Florence pulls her head further back as well as twisting her entire arm backwards towards the ceiling. 

"Don't ever question the doctor's methods!"

"Can I get get a second opinion on tha-NYAAAAAAA!!!" Aria squeals as Florence pushes her arm upward to the the point that it snaps with a very audibly *POP*. Instead of crying in pain though, Aria is acting more like someone is tickling her funny bone. Lily covers her mouth with her hand as she breaks into a very refined laughter, while Mia looks downward at her empty plate with her face shining red like a warning light in the middle of winter.

A small chuckle escapes out of Jane at the sheer absurdity of the situation. Though it happened out of the blue, it definitely feels like two family members have dropped in after having not seen each other in a long time. Many questions still floated within her mind, but if her moms are ok with it then that's enough for her for now.

[bowiespoon]

20 hours ago, EscortAlpha said:

"First New Moscow, now Deadwood..." Svytoj said as he approached, moving beside J'Taav. "You have been busy." He looked the man right in the eyes.
"So, If you're here, what kind of Sh!t storm do I have in my future?"

"One hint per planet, Svytoj." the grineer replied, "137, I already told your friends. Now run along, I'm a busy man."

[bowiespoon]

19 hours ago, Sharpstriker said:

Zaben: "roger that."

Zaben and Rakan get to work, using a moldable type of explosive they bought earlier. 

The logic behind this was that the door would be stronger than the surrounding surfaces. Zaben takes advantage and cuts little openings around the door with the heat dagger, which Rakan fills with the explosive.

They had some experience with explosives so they were careful not to put too much explosive in that the ship will collapse, but enough to do the job.

looking at the setup, it looked similar to a dash-line outline of the door. 

The explosives were place far enough apart to not waste explosives while close enough that the explosions would either completely remove any connection to the door, or weaken that connection.

After the explosives go off, the door should be able to be knocked over with enough force.

Zaben then ushers everyone to a safe range, and detonated the explosives.

The door is blown open, and the unmistakable screeches and wails of the infested can be heard. Twisted, mangled forms burst out of the cargo bay, attacking everything in sight.

[EscortAlpha]

24 minutes ago, bowiespoon said:

"One hint per planet, Svytoj." the grineer replied, "137, I already told your friends. Now run along, I'm a busy man."

Svytoj squinted at the J'Taav.
"no quips, no insults, no japes... Something has your feathers ruffled." Svytoj said, still keeping his eyes on the grineer.
He turned to leave.
"Well, let me know if you need a hand there." He said as he started walking the other way.
"137. I hope your not talking about heads, J-T. 'Cause if so, you've got one hell of a hydra on your hands..." Svytoj said as he walked away.
[ENTRY 07]
[Met with J'Taav. Normally a jovial, if snarky, individual. Today, something seems to be troubling him.
Confirmed the source of the number from my first entry. Now all I need to do is find the relevance.
Haven't been able to contact Aria or Mia. will continue my attempts while I look over the town of Deadwood.
I have include a transcript of the conversation.

Spoiler

JT:.....It pours. You want something?"
SV: First New Moscow, now Deadwood. You have been busy.So, If you're here, what kind of Sh!t storm do I have in my future?
JT: One hint per planet, Svytoj.137, I already told your friends. Now run along, I'm a busy man.
SV:no quips, no insults, no japes... Something has your feathers ruffled. Well, let me know if you need a hand there.137. I hope your not talking about heads, J-T. 'Cause if so, you've got one hell of a hydra on your hands.

]
[END OF REPORT]
Svytoj scanned various COMM channels, looking for Aria and Mia.
very strange that two Tenno would go off the grid after those two messages..

[bowiespoon]

18 minutes ago, EscortAlpha said:

Svytoj squinted at the J'Taav.
"no quips, no insults, no japes... Something has your feathers ruffled." Svytoj said, still keeping his eyes on the grineer.
He turned to leave.
"Well, let me know if you need a hand there." He said as he started walking the other way.
"137. I hope your not talking about heads, J-T. 'Cause if so, you've got one hell of a hydra on your hands..." Svytoj said as he walked away.
[ENTRY 07]
[Met with J'Taav. Normally a jovial, if snarky, individual. Today, something seems to be troubling him.
Confirmed the source of the number from my first entry. Now all I need to do is find the relevance.
Haven't been able to contact Aria or Mia. will continue my attempts while I look over the town of Deadwood.
I have include a transcript of the conversation.

  Hide contents

JT:.....It pours. You want something?"
SV: First New Moscow, now Deadwood. You have been busy.So, If you're here, what kind of Sh!t storm do I have in my future?
JT: One hint per planet, Svytoj.137, I already told your friends. Now run along, I'm a busy man.
SV:no quips, no insults, no japes... Something has your feathers ruffled. Well, let me know if you need a hand there.137. I hope your not talking about heads, J-T. 'Cause if so, you've got one hell of a hydra on your hands.

]
[END OF REPORT]
Svytoj scanned various COMM channels, looking for Aria and Mia.
very strange that two Tenno would go off the grid after those two messages..

"I thought you were supposed to be the one who was good at cracking codes." J'Taav replied dryly before walking off.

[EscortAlpha]

5 minutes ago, bowiespoon said:

"I thought you were supposed to be the one who was good at cracking codes." J'Taav replied dryly before walking off.

"Let's put it this way: If this turns out to be alpha-numeric, I'm gonna be disappointed."
Svytoj continued to send out signals, looking for Aria and Mia.

[Sharpstriker]

57 minutes ago, bowiespoon said:

The door is blown open, and the unmistakable screeches and wails of the infested can be heard. Twisted, mangled forms burst out of the cargo bay, attacking everything in sight.

Rakan reacts quickly as multiple shields fill the hallway, blocking the creatures. There were gaps between the shields big enough to fire through while not big enough for them to get through.

Zaben: "alright Rakan, let's cut them down."

He draws his Vaykor marelok and Rakan his twin grakatas. They insert their guns through the gaps and open fire.

[bowiespoon]

7 minutes ago, EscortAlpha said:

"Let's put it this way: If this turns out to be alpha-numeric, I'm gonna be disappointed."
Svytoj continued to send out signals, looking for Aria and Mia.

((Oh no, I'll be highly surprised if you crack this code. Souldrive11 can back me up on this one.))

((This is a *few* steps above binary...))

[souldrive11]

12 minutes ago, EscortAlpha said:

"Let's put it this way: If this turns out to be alpha-numeric, I'm gonna be disappointed."
Svytoj continued to send out signals, looking for Aria and Mia.

4 minutes ago, bowiespoon said:

((Oh no, I'll be highly surprised if you crack this code. Souldrive11 can back me up on this one.))

((This is a *few* steps above binary...))

(it's so far above my british detective skills, that I still haven't figured it out X.x)

[souldrive11]

2 hours ago, souldrive11 said:

The four girls had taken a seat at the table, with Jane having quickly cleaned up the room to the best of her ability. They all sat down facing towards the entrance door: Jane to Lily's left, the snow white woman to Lily's left, and the ebony woman to snow white's other side, sniffing the large pot and plates of food intensely.

"Smells awesome, chief~ Can we dig in~?" the ebony woman asks, reaching towards a serving spoon with a bandaged hand. Like a venus flytrap, Lily snaps out with a spoon, beating the woman's hand back.

"We don't eat until everyone's at the table, kitty~" she says.

"Aww, but when will that be~?" the woman whines with her best exaggerated petulant whine.

"Right about now~" Lily muses, as the front stone door slides open and the doctor from the clinic walks in, her entire body caked in red and white Both arms were completely dyed crimson, and her face mask looked like she had dunked it into a vat of scarlet paint. The hellhound assistant quickly follows suit behind her, equally covered in dried blood and bone shards.

"Oh, I'm gonna hurl..." Jane mutters under her breath and turning away from the sight. Even though she's fully aware of the more grisly aspects of her mother's job, Jane's never gotten used to the sight; and frankly she's not sure she wants to.

"Florence honey, do quickly clean yourself up before sitting down~" Lily says, the smell of disinfectant colliding with the sweet fragrance coming off her and the aromas on the table for a fog of clashing scents. It was all Jane could do from heaving all over the table.

"Huh? Oh, right...this." The woman replies, apparently having completely forgotten that she had performed life saving surgery on several dozen people just hours before. "Give me thirty seconds." she nonchalantly answers, before walking into the bathroom alongside her kubrow and sliding the door shut with a blood caked foot.

When the door seals shut, a muffled roar creeps out, as the entire room gets flooded with a mix of water and cleaning solution from tiny jets that jut out all along the six dimensions of the room. When room's completely filled, the jets churn the water into a whirlpool, while customized UV lights extend out beside the nozzles and bombard the inside like a rave. The entire process finishes up in twenty seconds, afterwards the equipment retracts and the solution quickly drains down a large grate in the middle of the bathroom.

As the door slides back open, Florence quickly peels herself out of her working clothes and dumps it besides the one of the sinks. Pulling a fresh bodysuit out of the cupboard, she absentmindedly slides it on and walks out of the bathroom. As she does so, miniaturized dryers built all throughout the door frame spring into action, drying Florence off in an instant, with the side effect of raising her sand colored hair into a massive frizzle. The kubrow fares no better, looking more like a ball of fuzz with legs than a war hound. Finally presentable, Florence heads down the steps to the table and takes a seat beside Jane. 

"Can we eat *now*~?" the ebony woman asks, channeling her inner child as she once again reaches for a serving spoon.

After once again beating back the hand with her spoon, Lily smoothly replies like an older sister lecturing her siblings: "Yes Aria, *now* we can eat~ Dig in everyone~"

"Thank you chief~!" Aria cheerfully replies, for launching herself at the fruits of Lily's labor: Thick beef chili, black bean and corn salad, buttermilk biscuits with gravy, and peach cobbler.

Jane and the pale woman whom she's dubbed "snow white" in her head hesitantly fill their plates, while Lily and Florence casually help themselves with the doctor setting aside a plate for the Sahasa that`s taken place on top of her feet. Aria or "olive brown" seems to acting like a vacuum cleaner, shoveling plate after plate down a bottomless gullet. 

In between bites of food, Jane finally works up the courage to lean over to Florence and ask: "Who *are* these people?" 

"What, you haven't introduced each other yet~? A shame sweetie, I thought I taught you better than this~" Florence teases Jane. Raising her right hand towards the white woman, "This quiet beauty is Mia~". "And this famished kitty,-" moving her hand counterclockwise to the wild woman already on her 3rd plate of food. "is Aria. Mia, Aria, this is Jane. She's our daughter.~ Mia and Aria are...like your aunts~"

"Oh wow, it's really great to meet you~!!" Aria manages to spit out between bites of food. With a pained look on her face as she moves her arm, Mia grabs a napkin and cleans up the smeared canvas that is Aria's face.

"Aunts? You never me told I had aunts." Jane wonders, a little relieved that these two newcomers aren't strangers, but still confused nonetheless.

"Well you never asked, sweetie~" Florence replies, daintily spooning a bite of chili into her mouth. "And between where we live and your aunts' line of work, it's quite challenging to organize get-togethers~"

"And when they do decide to pay a visit, it's never for just a social call." Florence states, staring daggers into Mia. "No, it's always to escort them to *thiiiis*, or save us from *thaaat*. Sometimes I wonder if they think w're maids or something."

Mia guiltily look downwards. brow-beaten by the doctor's verbal assault.

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"...I'm sorry. It's just that our last mission out in Pluto-"

"No excuses!" Florence yells, bringing a fist down on the stone table, though instead of crying in pain she dents the solid rock table slightly without even noticing. "Even considering where we live there's absolutely no reason you can't take five minutes out of your time to make a simple call! What the Hek do you take us for?! Aren't we *family*?!" the last word echoing around the room. "And pull your fork out of your mouth once you put your food in, you're liable to jam it down your throat!"

Mia dejectedly pulls her fork out of her mouth, her bandaged face completely crestfallen.

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"...yes Florence..."

Aria lets out a hearty laugh, her mouth still stuffed with the remains of her fifth plate of food and second dessert.

"And you! How many times do I have to tell you not to talk with your mouth full, you feral cat!!" Florence shouts, her finger now homed in on Aria's messy face. "We've worked together for decades and you still haven't an ounce of etiquette in you!"

"Wait, decades? just how long have my parents known my aunts...?" Jane wonders, between bites of food. "Do they know why my moms never seem to age-"

"Aw, manners are more like guidelines anyways~ Besides, ain't laughter the best medicine for the injured~? And I'm a very injured kitty~" Aria jokes, breaking Jane's line of thought as she swallows the last of here food in her mouth.

"Injured my void corrupted &#!! I only treated you this afternoon and your body is already more than three quarters healed! What the Hek is up with you and that downright cheating body of yours?! Is it because you dumped all your brainpower into vitality instead?!"

At that last comment, Aria breaks out into another roar of laughter. Veins popping out of her forehead and her black eyes glowing in a rage, Florence finally leaps over the table and grapples Aria down to the floor with a headlock.

"Hey *gasp* sis, aren't you supposed to not injure your *gasp* patients~?" Aria asks, a wide smile plastered across her face reaching from ear to ear.

"Oh shut up! You're not gettin up until I pound some common sense into that thick skull of yours!"

"You sound pretty *gasp* tense, maybe you just *gasp* need a good snuggliiii-heyhEYHEY!" Aria's voice raises an octave as Florence pulls her head further back as well as twisting her entire arm backwards towards the ceiling. 

"Don't ever question the doctor's methods!"

"Can I get get a second opinion on tha-NYAAAAAAA!!!" Aria squeals as Florence pushes her arm upward to the the point that it snaps with a very audibly *POP*. Instead of crying in pain though, Aria is acting more like someone is tickling her funny bone. Lily covers her mouth with her hand as she breaks into a very refined laughter, while Mia looks downward at her empty plate with her face shining red like a warning light in the middle of winter.

A small chuckle escapes out of Jane at the sheer absurdity of the situation. Though it happened out of the blue, it definitely feels like two family members have dropped in after having not seen each other in a long time. Many questions still floated within her mind, but if her moms are ok with it then that's enough for her for now.

Aria and Jane were fast asleep back in Jane's room with the door closed, the former having locked the latter in a death hug: smothering her face into her bandaged chest.

Mia, Florence, and Lily were still sitting in the middle of the living room; having turned off the generator and switched to a small gas lantern on the table. A small bottle of tequila and three empty shot glasses casted wisps across the shadows of the room.

"Now Mia dear, what exactly brings you and the kitty cat falling apart at the seams on the edges of town~?" Lily velvetly asks, the scent of cardamon and cinnamon wafting over the burning flame. The elegant girl had pulled an ornate paper fan out of a fold on her black dress suit and was fanning herself slightly; partly out of habit, partly to keep cool.

"...it's a long story, and I don't want to drag you into our mess..." Mia gets cut off by a whack to the forehead by Florence's fan who folded it in before unraveling it back out.

"Oh dear, we've told you already~ We're family, we *want* to help you~ Besides, girls like us can never truly be free from our lot in life, right~?" Lily remarks with with a hint of wistfulness. 

"In any case, you've already dragged us into this whether you wanted to or not by simply setting foot here. So stop worrying and tell us what's going on in that creepy stalker way you always do." Florence continues, holding Mia's arm up as she checks it over.

Physically and mentally sighing with a small smile on her face, Mia shows the both of them the events that transpired on the the most unthawed of lands.

 

No more than a few seconds tick past, though in the trio's minds it might as well have been an eternity.

"Well then," Lily muses out loud, "It seems that we in the thick of this in whether you would've arrived or not~" The elegant smile on her raven colored lips never shakes once.

"...is Jane going to be alright with this? Worst case, the entire way of life she's ever known may be thrown out the window..."

"Oh don't you worry about that~" Lily says. "Whether she knows it directly or not, she's been preparing for an eventuality like this ever since she entered our little group. She's always been enamored with the stories of adventures and the secret boogeymen hero ninjas that watch over the shadows~" Florence opens her one eye not covered by her bang, the white void glowing out of it like a beacon on the shore. "She just has no idea how close they are~"

"We've put that little calamity of ours through a training regiment that would make *us* sweat, to say nothing of regular civilians. Martial arts, sharpshooting, infiltration, agility, stamina, both medical and general knowledge application, engineering, the works." Florence explains as she tightens a bandage on Mia which earns a wince from her before letting her arm go. "She passed them all with flying colors."

"Though she may not be touched by the abyss, she can handle anything short of the killer machines from beyond, and even then I'm not sure that that would stick for long~ The little rose has got thorns on her~" Lily remarks, pride evident on her voice.

"...in that case, she may just end up on the journey of her life..." Mia replies, who can't help but creep a smile on her own face. "...For now though..." she whispers, her mind finally in enough shape to filter out the chorus of thoughts in her mind; specifically dialing in on one particular voice walking outside. "Where did you put-"

"Your other halves~?" Lily asks, reading Mia's face like an open book. "Beside ours, down below. Why, you're not thinking of running off in to the sunset are you~?"

"...no, but there's someone outside who's been trying to contact us ever since we broke off after our...*demise*. I'd like to at least touch bases with him..."

"Well you're obviously going to reach him even without us, so why not~? Let's go for an evening stroll, if the doctor allows it~" Lily says, looking at Florence with the sweetest look.

"*Hurmph*, so *now* you decide to ask for my help? Figures..." Florence lightly snaps, more out of annoyance and concern than any genuine anger. "You can move, but no major physical exertion until two standard earth days, and no transferring until at least four." (Mars days are roughly twice that of Earth)

"Did you need to see them now~?"

"...yes, I'd rather he not spend the entire night looking for us..."

Florence and Lily prop Mia onto her feet, and help her hobble into the back of their bedroom. Florence presses her hand on the wall, and with a slight *hiss*, a portion slides open revealing a compact version of a clan elevator straight out of a dojo. The door closes behind them as the enter and the box quickly plummets downwards through the canyon. They go down for a good thirty seconds before sliding to a stop and the doors on the opposite open.

As the trio step out, the light audibly turn on, revealing a large hanger big enough for two sets of landing craft and orbiters stacked on top of each other. To the left was a Liset, to the right was a Mantis. Both were painted pure black with the only noticeable marking was a small symbol emblazoned by the landing craft's right window, the same one stamped on both Mia's and Aria's own crafts. (for details, please refer to my ingame clan profile)

Florence and Aria help Mia aboard Florence's orbiter, defined by the scent of flora coming out of the archwing hanger. The group made their way up the floor plan, identical to Mia's and Arias own, and up to the arsenal armory. In the middle was Mia's Nyx P, surrounded by a plethora of mechanical arms as they repair the various fractures and tears that resulted from her earlier self destruct.

1 hour ago, EscortAlpha said:

"Let's put it this way: If this turns out to be alpha-numeric, I'm gonna be disappointed."
Svytoj continued to send out signals, looking for Aria and Mia.

Physically contacting her frame with a bandaged hand, the inner radio quickly crackles to life as Mia reaches out both on a secure channel and in the back of Svytoj's head.

"...we're back..."

[bowiespoon]

2 hours ago, EscortAlpha said:

"Let's put it this way: If this turns out to be alpha-numeric, I'm gonna be disappointed."
Svytoj continued to send out signals, looking for Aria and Mia.

J'Taav rolled his eyes.

"I'll tell you what, if it makes you leave faster, I'll give you a little bit more to go on; it's the key to a cipher."

With that, he turned and began to walk off once more.