Bandits Ahoy! (OPEN)

[Saxon]

Saxon watched quietly as a woman who looked completely alien to the local color walked out in a huff and took to the railing on the other side of the porch. That was quick, the eldritch thought as he watched the woman suck in air as if she had just been punched in the gut. He didn't know her, but the weird certainly knew of the woman that stood less than a few feet away. Kip was it? Saxon thought, No, no that isn't right. Its.. Kyo, right?

Saxon had kept his ear low to the ground ever since it had become public knowledge that a group of bandits and thieves were forming a sort of brotherhood. They had practically shouted it to the rooftops in the criminal underworld and the people who led the splinter group were so physically loud that it hurt the weird's ears. But, there she was. A woman who had staked something in this organization and looked like she belonged in the sort of thing like Saxon belonged in a concert.

Was she trustworthy? His mind asked.

" Only one way to find out," Saxon muttered as his arms left the railing and he took one last look at the quiet serenity around him. Taking a deep breath, the weird grabbed Syvriak who sat against a column and slowly began to walk in her direction.

Clack, Clack, Clack

Within seconds Saxon could hear the woman breathing as she looked off into the distance. Offering a small smile, the eldritch nodded to the woman who had probably noticed her by now. Setting the staff against the railing and leaning against the rail a safe distance away, the weird looked out towards the bright, lunar orb that hung in the night sky and said," Pretty sight, isn't it?"

[Kyo]

“Much prettier than the faces back in there…” Kyo mumbled under her breath.

The ninja sighed and leaned more heavily against the railing, her head falling down until her forehead rested against one of her forearms and her eyes could see nothing but the cracks and the knots in the wood beneath her. She was not in the mood for random conversations, especially with a stranger. All she really wanted to do was calm the anger within her veins and just relax and enjoy the outdoors a bit before heading back inside. If she went back in there now, she’d probably beat Molotov to death with that chair just for fun.

Turning her head to the side, Kyosku looked over at the man next to her. He kept a safe and respectable distance as he too leaned against the railing. Her eyes swept over his appearance quickly, taking in as much as they could. He dressed himself well enough, but he clearly didn’t put in the greatest amount of effort into his appearance. His hair was all over the place and he looked as if he hadn’t shaved his beard in months if ever. Beneath the rough exterior though, she could see light blue eyes close in colour to her own, eyes that seemed friendly enough. But she didn’t really care about that right now.

Why me? Just go bug some other woman…

As much as she wanted to say that aloud, her lips never even parted to do such a thing. She was not vulgar like Molotov and she was not disrespectful. Though she did not feel like talking to anyone at the moment, she would not blindly be cruel to someone else because of her foul mood.

Standing straight, Kyosku looked out into the darkness surrounding the Minstrel’s Perch. She always found something very soothing about the night, perhaps it had been all of her training in it and the fact that she spent so much of her time in it. Her job as an assassin required her to hide in the dark and use it to her advantage, which she did. She always found it very comforting, but tonight it wasn’t working as much as she wanted it to.

“Is there something I can help you with?”

She didn’t want to beat around the bush with small talk. Not tonight.

[Bandit]

Events at the table transformed before the bandit’s eyes. The discussion of the monsters and situations with the informant seemed to spark a fire between Molotov and Kyo. As far as the actual monsters went, Ziggy was not worried at all, seeing as on more then one occasion he had been caught running into a situation without the foggiest idea of what he was getting himself into. The many wars against the mindless were a perfect example of what he went through with the previous Brotherhood. Anytime that Zigurate found himself in a tight spot his friends and instincts were able to help to bail him out. Despite how risky this mission was, it had to be completed before the Bandit Brotherhood could return to its former glory which Yari and Damon had once built it up to.

Watching Kyo storm out, the young bandit gave the new comer a slight nudge on the arm. “Now you see why you don’t get involved with women. There bad news and some can kill you, like her.” He winked at the kid as he took a long gulp from his mug of ale. Turning to face Molotov once again, Ziggy could see the mutant was very untrusting of this ally of theirs. Leaning on the table, he waited as his thought formed within his mind. The last thing he wanted to do was say something that would ignite a spark between him and Molotov. They had their difference and both of them knew it. Anytime in the past that they had actually settled any scores it had caused big scenes in bars and citadels alike. Despite these confrontations they always seemed to get over it and once again go on to being friends on a timid level.

“So you managed to scare her away, otherwise I think she was ready to snap.” Smiling, Ziggy kept his alliance with Molotov. Even though he didn’t know the mutant as well as he once had, he knew him a lot more than he did Kyo, not to mention he agreed with where the mutant was coming from. “Her trust is given out a little too premature, but on the same token, if we want to get this brotherhood back up then we have to go out on a few limbs before we can stand on our own two feet again.” Draining the bottom of his mug of ale, Ziggy set it down gently. He didn’t know the whole situation and frankly didn’t want to know unless they needed his help with something.

Looking around the tavern, Ziggy noticed that Kyo had not simply gotten up to go for a walk, but had completely left the tavern. He knew that the woman was capable of defending herself, otherwise his protective side would have kicked in by now and he would have followed her to make sure that nothing did indeed happen to her. Focusing back on the table, Ziggy looked from Luthien and Molotov and back to Luthien. The conversation at the table had died since the little outburst between the two leaders of the discussion. The new kid looked shocked at the whole situation, and Ziggy wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to handle some of the shit that the Bandit Brotherhood was put through, but then again years ago people had probably thought the same thing about him when he was a rookie. All it would take is come patience and guidance and this kid could be turned into a bandit.

“So how are we going to go about clearing this swamp of these dangerous monsters? From the description Kyo gave I have a feeling that damn things won’t go down without a fight.” Ziggy kept his voice light and cheerful, trying to reverse the downward spiral which had taken place at the table.

[Papa Dagon]

Dagon unwound the knots in his muscles with a yawn and a swig of malt. Grinning absently, he slumped on the backrest and rearranged the tattered lapels of his coat, taking another quaff of the mug he loosely held, eyeing what was the night's highlight of tavern trysts. They were only four at that table, but they'd done a good job at bringing down the pub's high and yellow mood. The tension in the air was all a tangle of strings when the black-haired girl, that pretty piece of woman, stormed out in a huff at some indiscretion of her friend with the pierced brow and lip; either she was surprisingly thin-skinned or that man had a tongue to make vipers envious. Pity though, since he'd considered answering to the toast the man had given earlier. It was simple, honest and to the point, the stuff that made the better speeches he could remember, and, let’s face it, being a bandit and bumping baddies for a living didn’t sound half-bad.

It’d all have to wait, though. These people would read his resume later tonight, if their plans didn’t fall through before he was done with his work. There was a reason this hole at the mouth of Concordia Forest still stood, and there was a damn reason it was called the Minstrel’s Perch. The glass bottom slammed on wood, a dark brew and froth spilling on the table, and the hobnails of his boots scuffed the dirtied floorboards, pushing him up. Dagon had been ushered to a seat right next to a stage that’d fallen into disuse so much that each of his steps upon it was answered with a drawn-out wail. He’d borrowed an old guitar from the owner and took it up with him in one hand, the other pushing the fold of his coat and rummaging inside a bladder-skin pouch at his belt. After plucking a sea-green pebble from its depths, he blew off the dust and, satisfied, popped it into his mouth, where it clung snugly to the inside of his cheek.

Dagon clicked his tongue to the rhythm of the strums, the ropey dreadlocks bobbing on his head. A few weary heads rose at the thrumming sounds, dry and creaky at first like a voice that hadn’t sung in years. The melody became smoother, and soon the tension that hung over each head melted away as fast as wax in the desert. Then he sang, his voice ringing loud and clear as if by magic, courtesy of the stone capsule in his mouth. It sounded nothing like the beginning cries of his instrument, sounded like he was singing out in the open, singing out of a dream. The man’s features were still creased and stern, but his eyes flickered green like swaying blades of grass, his full smile wreathed in deep dimples and soft brackets.

“Heard dat bandits, dey rob all
Big ‘eads, da poor or da blackfoots
Kill da young and take ‘em wives
Take it all, da gold and da blood.

But my ears dey deceived me
Words and lies of da guilty
Took me years, but now I can see
Banditry, I know, is right for me.

Kill no sons, no mothers, no fathers
Hands on our back, dey our brothers
Dey take much and dey give more
And dey all play a song of freedom.

Took me years, but now I can see
I want to help ‘em sing for the free
Took me years, but now I can see
Banditry, I know, is right for me.”

His words faded with the last shudders of the guitar. With his eyes closed, he could hear only a few polite claps and a cough from the backend. There were, however, a few unmindful nods of appreciation, unwrinkling scowls and a particularly strong applause that slightly broadened the grin he wore as he stepped down from the stage and walked toward the three-man gathering. He’d meant the song as a message, a preambule to what would follow. Anything else he’d gotten from it was a pleasant bonus. Dagon spit out the jade pellet and stowed it away, replacing it with a roll of paper-wrapped herbs. The tip lit up when he snapped his fingers, and he took a long drag that infused his lungs before leaving in a smoky veil from his nostrils.

“Question is,” he said with a slow, mellow voice, “is Dagon right for banditry?”

[Saxon]

Splaying his hands, Saxon simply shrugged as he tried to look deep into the sky that seemed to have grown with waves of beautiful mauve and shades of indigo and blue. Stars and orbs poked through the night sky in an infinite ray of different hues and colours, while the vacuum of unrelenting beauty was so commonplace, so understated that it was one of those rare times that the eldritch had lost himself in it.

" Hey? Hey! You there?" The woman interrupted, her voice taut with frustration and snapped the weird's drifting mind back into order.

It took the eldritch a couple of seconds to register where he was again. Pull yourself together, bud, Saxon thought, Can't be doing this now. Shifting his gaze from the starry sky, the eldritch looked back towards at the slant-eyed woman who had been staring at him curiously. Pulling his leg up and putting a foot between the posts in the railing he smiled softly," How should I put this?.. When you and this... Molotov, is it?.. Spread word about this expedition of yours into the swamplands of that God forsaken land, it made an impression."

Pausing for a moment to see that he had gotten Kyo's attention he continued," I've come a very long way in a very short period of time to throw my name into the hat. If there is a monster you need to kill, than I'm your man... my name is Saxon, by the way."

[Molotov]

In truth, Molotov didn’t know very much about the monsters. He generally trusted details like that to Kyo. While the mutant considered himself a leader of the newfound Bandit Brotherhood, he didn’t really consider himself the “details” person. He considered that to be Kyo’s job. Instead, his job to call a wanker a wanker. It was a generally underrated job, but someone still had to do it.

However, now he had to answer Ziggy’s question. He chuckled when he heard about Ziggy’s comment on women, remembering the first time that he had met the bandit in a club in Radasanth, he had flirted with Ziggy’s then girlfriend, Maia. “Bloody wonder what happened to that bird…” Molotov thought. “Now that she isn’t with Ziggy, I’d like to pay her a visit, see if she’d like to go a few rounds in the sack…”

Still, talking about how much he wanted to have sex with Ziggy’s ex was unlikely to endear the bandit to the prospect of fighting monsters. Instead, he decided to point out the singer on the stage. “Bloody hell, Ziggy, if the monsters aren’t going to go down without a fight, we’ll fight those buggers. Honestly, I don’t know exactly what we’ll be facing… I know it won’t be too easy, but we’ll make our way out. Just listen to the music now, mate… that bloke up there’s even singing about bandits!”

Molotov smiled, and once the song was done, gave a particularly strong applause. “Everyone’s bloody right for bandits.” he called out with a smile. “Bloody get over here Dagon! Share the smokes and we’ll buy you a drink!”

[Kyo]

So, he was offering to help them with their little monster problem. She should have known, given how loudly Molotov had announced their intentions in the tavern, anyone approaching her or him would have such a thing in mind. Either that or they were probably going to start some trouble. Taverns in Corone were notorious for having what were called ‘bar brawls’ break out over the pettiest and silliest of things. Kyo on the other hand, thought it best to just leave and save face rather than explode upon the person she was disagreeing with.

Standing straight, the ninja gave the man a polite bow. “Tetsoma Kyosku, but you may call me Kyo.”

It may seem over the top for him and those that saw the action, but it was how she was raised and even though she was not in her home region of Akashima, she was not about to deviate from that. Even if it meant blending in with the crowd just a little more.

Leaning her back against the railing, the assassin regarded the man for a few minutes. He didn’t particularly look untrustworthy, nor did he particularly look trustworthy either, but knew that starting this clan would mean taking a few risks with whom they let in. Molotov didn’t appear to care who joined the bloody thing just as long as they were human; she on the other hand had no issues with race. Heck, if a few Draconians eventually wanted to join, she’d let them and she didn’t care what Molotov thought about it either.

“Well, if you’re up for some monster hunting, than you’re welcome to join us, Saxon. The more the merrier…” She paused here, not entirely sure how to breach the next subject with him though. They weren’t just looking for monster hunters after all; they were looking for people to join them. “But I’m sure you know the reason why we’re clearing out those ruins. This isn’t some fun expedition to slaughter a few hundred things to go bump in the night, this is to secure us a home for The Bandit Brotherhood, and if you help us do that, you’re more than welcome to join us there if that is what you wish.”

[MiaKane]

”I took the law and threw it away
Cause there's nothing wrong
It's just for play
There’s no law, no law anymore
I want to steal from the rich and
Give to the poor

Sha-la-la-la
Sha-la-la-la-la-la”*

The Ice elf sang softly to her self as she listened to the Akashima local and the rather unusual Saxon. She listened a little longer in silence as she thought. She had found that lying on the roof was always a good way to find out things or in her case, to watch the stars and enjoy some peace and quiet.

Hmm…guess we could at least do a little exploring in places unknown…

The thought was quite provoking. She waited only a moment more to light a cigarillo before flipping over and crawling to the edge where she laid on her belly and hung her head over the edge, directly above Kyo.

“Sounds like fun Kyo… Though I mean from a business prospective….you know this monster hunting business isn’t going to be free….How about I help you clear out that place and you give me a place to stay when I need one? Who Knows, maybe I might join you guys in some more fun, sound good?”

She took a long drag as she waited for an answer.

(* Howling at the moon (sha la la la by the ramones)

[Saxon]

Arching a bushy eyebrow as he watched the woman bow in front of him, the eldritch's thoughts turned towards one of the provinces he had visited in the uncharted lands to the east. It was common place for its citizens to do such things, but it didn't mean Saxon would get used to it. To him, it just seemed strange to expose one's self for an attack, or other such things. But, then again, the weird never completely trusted anybody save himself.

Offering a grin when the ninja had finished her explanation," I had you pegged for the perceptive type from the start, Kyo," He began," I have no doubt that your motives were deeper than just extermination and the like, but I am ready to roll up my sleeves and see this to the end if you'd have me. As for that organization of yours.. well.. Let’s just say I know of a few places where the Brotherhood could stand to make a lot of money should our partnership be as fruitful as I suspect it to be."

Out of the corner of the weird's eye the saloon doors from the tavern came swinging open and Julie quietly slipped outside, probing the porch for her employer. Setting her sights on Saxon she began to move towards him when the scantily clad prostitute noticed he was accompanied by the assassin. Brushing her off with a narrow gaze, the weird watched the hooker turn on her heel, rolling her eyes, and slipped back into the tavern.

Looking back at Kyo, the eldritch smiled," So tell me, miss Tetsoma, what is it exactly we'll be dealing with here and when will i-"

Saxon leapt back with a curse at the sight of the deranged elf as she cleared the roof. For once, the weird was positive that if Kyo hadn't been standing right next to him, he would've pulled that elf down by the ears and given her a nice thwack for good measure.

[Kyo]

The ninja barely reacted or even bothered moving at the head of one slightly strange elf descended over the edge of the roof. Her long orange hair flowing in the light of the moon like fire and dancing in the slight breeze that danced through the area. If the elf had expected some kind of reaction from her, then she was clearly dropping in on the wrong ninja. Of course the man beside her was a completely different story. He jumped away as if she was a bearer of the plague and he was not immune. The whole series of events put a smile on her face and a small burst of laughter that escaped her parted lips.

“Well, elf, I promise you nothing. Rebuilding the Bandit Brotherhood will take commitment, not someone who deems themselves worthy to merely drop in from time to time and say hi.”

She didn’t really like the idea of someone freeloading on them just because they helped with a certain monster problem. They were getting more than enough people interested in this to exterminate those suckers, what they really needed now were members. People who were interested in returning the Brotherhood to what it once was, or at least reforming it and creating something new and just as grand.

“For starters, you should think about coming down off the roof, you’re making more noise up there than a herd of centaurs in Concordia.”