[Desolation] Chapter 1: Digging In

Ryoma


"No'," says a gruff voice. You don't recognize it. "I just wanted to find out how much a pretty bitch like you costs. Been watching you for awhile. Like what I see. Wanted to do the right thing and offer to pay ya."


What do you do?
 
"Pay me...?" she says, thoughtfully. "Do you want someone dead? Or do you wish for life and death? I balance those scales. I have taken it as my duty in life, you might say."
 
Hooper


My face stares at the men. I can see the light reflect off the perfect surface, just enough to make them have to squint slightly. If I was going to kill them, I'd have done it then.


My arms and legs are too numb, coated in belts and straps holding down the metal plates, to feel the the morning air. I rely on the bare skin of my chest for that. Warm morning wind slides over the countless scars, bullet wounds, and the few patches of un scarred flesh.


The hole that lets in air and food wheezes for a while as the men look at me. Then my face decides to speak first.


"People were in my room Graves. Tell me or I think everyone was."


The hole closes and I can hear the dry skin sticking. The old mans heart is beating faster than his poker face and stance show, he's scared. He'd be crazy if he wasn't scared.
 
Oh balls.


"What do you want, you sad sack?" I ask, annoyedly. "Haven't moved on since Graves beat you to the curb, or are you still up to your old ways?"
 
Ryoma


You're still not looking, right? Eyes closed in meditation?


You hear a snicker. "No, though I didn't know you offered that kind of service. I'll have to remember that." The voice sighs. "No, I'm looking to, what do you gals call it? Make love? Make love to ya. How much to have you for the night?"


What do you do?


Fauci


"Eh!" Balls says pulling back the hammer on the pistol. "If you don't got somethin' nice to say, don't FUCKING say anything at all. Now give me the keys to your van asshole. NOW!"


What do you do?
 
Red Bean:


I am looking at Lumpy, trying to determine how concerned he is. "Bugger. We will need to get some people to find her. Find some and get them started. I am going to go see Fauci and see if he will let me borrow the van."
 
Red Bean


Yeah. Concern. It's the only thing you see in his face.


He nods at you and rushes off to gather people.


So, now you're heading to see Fauci? What do you do?
 
Eyes still closed. "Oh, I see, I see... well... the price is free, if you think you can manage. Step inside -- it's unlocked." Now she opens her eyes and sees this stranger. If he is a man of nobility, then why not? If he is a man of delusion and sin...


...well, no such man she's met has been able to take pleasure in her tattoos. They coil up her skin, images of hell and damnation for those too ignorant to master their karma. She doubts she has met such a man, so when he steps in she will not hesitate to shrug off her robe and show him his moral destiny.
 
I fumble to get my keys out of my pocket, more out of tiredness than fear, accidentally dropping them in the process.


"Here ya go, then," I say, picking them up. "Let's just not do anything stupid, eh?"


Good luck getting out of here, though, I think with a smirk.
 
I know this is going to take a longer time than I want. I take a moment to calm myself, while I dress. I change from the sleep clothes to the white dress, the red tabbard, wrap the red scarf around my head, put on my boots and lace them up. She will need to reserve the van early if they have to head out of the base, before someone else.


She makes sure that the groups are given proper instruction. We are looking for someone, we are not rousing the whole camp. They depend on me for direction. If someone has her and won't let her go, or she doesn't come willingly, we walk away. Graves can deal with them. Our direction is to fin out where she is and what happened, not to start a contest.


With the message delivered, she heads down to the garage, where Fauci keeps the van and works on other things that people bring him. She knocks on the door as she enters, then calls out his name. She doesn't walk in too far, as she never knows what you might trip over that could be important.
 
Graves shakes his head, sits up, pulls on a hard-worn pair of blue jeans.


"Roark, pass me my gun."


He stands, slips on an ammo belt with a couple of spare shells.


"Hooper... I don't know who was in your room, but I'll find out, okay? In the meantime, there are so bad people outside town who need to be punished. You want to punish 'em, Hooper?"
 
Hooper


"I'm not a dog Graves. Bigger rations then. I'll kill them. Find out for me"


Not waiting for a response, Hooper turns and lumbers out in the cell Block. She could feel the eyes of the residents on her, each one with their own horrified opinion. She didn't care.


Counting the steps, she looks around as she takes the long way through the prison. There had to be clues to who did this. People were loud.
 
Ryoma


The man before you is skin and bones. He's tall and, if fed, would be a hulk. Not in this life.


You shrug off your robe and his eyes go wide as saucers. He stands for a long moment, hesitating. He looks like he just saw the devil himself.


He slowly backs up until he backs into the wall. Then he stands, in shock, and stares.


What do you do?


Red Bean


Your followers obey without hesitation. After delivering your messages, you head across the courtyard to find Fauci.


And you do.


Before you get to his workshop, you spy Balls holding a gun in his face. You know that Balls was exiled after not paying his dues to Graves and isn't supposed to be here. Then you see Fauci fumble his keys, then hand them to Balls.


What do you do?


Fauci


Balls snatches the keys. He grins. "Thanks. Got any food or weapons? I don't have the comfort out there that you do here. Gimme what you got. NOW!"


Graves


Roark hands you your hunting rifle(?), I don't know what gun you have. Then he asks, "Should I follow her, Boss? Always seemed to be more trouble than she was worth."


Hooper


You step out into the morning light, hazy and sickly as it is. The markets are active early this morning down in the courtyard and a few of Graves' men are gathered together on the wall. They all seem to be looking in the same direction beyond the wall.


What do you do?
 
Ryoma walks toward him. "I am a virgin. No man, or woman, has ever laid a loving hand on me. Know that you now face your destiny... a hell that you have manifested, with chains you forged, link by heavy link. Where you go -- and I expect you will go there very soon -- you will serve every second your ignorance and your karma demands of you..."


"...tell me, what is it you fear?"
 
Ryoma


He's either going to run or is just stand and stare in shock unless you either go aggro on him with threat of force or you seduce/manipulate him. I see both working well here.


What do you do?
 
Ryoma


Very nice. So, you hit with an 8. He is going to ask you to promise something first and you have to give him concrete assurance right now. You'll have to prove to him, right now, you'll do what he asks you to promise.


He looks up from you body and deep into your eyes. He says, "If I tell you ... " He swallows hard and seems mesmerized. "If I tell you my fear ... will you promise to show me the way to ... heaven?" He begins weeping. "I don't want to burn in hell. Please ... "
 
She looks at him, thoughtfully. "No. I will not show you the way to heaven. It is an illusion... a lie. I will show you enlightenment, the path beyond heaven and hell. That... that I can tell you, if you prove able to listen. For you to listen, I must know what words you are able to hear. To know those, I must know what you fear."
 
Ryoma


He stares a moment, then smiles, dumbly. "Yes. Yes, show me enlightenment! Promise? You'll show me? Prove to me you'll show me."
 
Ryoma


"Skag, just Skag." He won't take your word. If you want the manipulation to work it has to be concrete and it has to be now.
 
She reaches through the bars and gently pulls him closer. "Skag... you need no longer fear. Your karma... some act of compassion has brought your path across mine, so that you might learn the dharma. Listen to me..." she draws him close, right up against the hard metal slats. "...the noble path will soon become clear."


She kisses his brow, the metal cold on her face, on her body. "I vow to you now... that you will see the way, enter sit with me, and I will guide you... you need not fear those marks... we will break your chains, and find the heaven behind heaven..."


A vow as pure as the bridal oaths she will never swear -- in those rare communities that remember the concept.
 
Hooper


Where there was a crowd, there was something going on. Hooper cold taste it.


Waltzing through the market, Hooper reaches the wall and walks through the ranks to see what they are looking at.


Reading the group! What are they looking at, what are they acting like? Are they nervous to see me?
 
So, Balls got the hooha to put a gun in someone's face. Graves will probably just kill him for that. He can't be that desperate. Time to Read the Sitch/Person.

Rolled a 6 +1 Sharp = 7 = Hit, 1 XP


So, is Balls likely to actually shoot someone, knowing that if he does it will just get him caught, or is he just going for intimidation?
 
Ryoma


That's definitely concrete enough for him. Skag just stares at you, as if he's somehow seeing pure beauty where he just saw the most hideous of demons just moments ago.


His voice is quiet and reserved. "I fear that crazed masked bitch, Hooper. More than anything."


Hooper


You either have to choose to read a sitch or read a person. This would be read a sitch. Something to keep in mind with that is that both are for "charged" situations. That means that by doing the move, you are telling me there is something on edge or threatening about the situation.


All that makes sense here with the narrative, so that may well be. I just want to warn you that by reading the sitch we are definitely saying there is something more going on, whether that be all the people eying your or whatnot.


So, on read a sitch, when you get a 7-9, you get to ask me one of these questions:

  • where’s my best escape route / way in / way past?
  • which enemy is most vulnerable to me?
  • which enemy is the biggest threat?
  • what should I be on the lookout for?
  • what’s my enemy’s true position?
  • who’s in control here?


What would you like to ask?


Red Bean


You definitely got a hit with a 7, but for your hit, you are limited to these questions:

  • where’s my best escape route / way in / way past?
  • which enemy is most vulnerable to me?
  • which enemy is the biggest threat?
  • what should I be on the lookout for?
  • what’s my enemy’s true position?
  • who’s in control here?


But, I'll answer you other question as well. He probably is willing to shoot someone just based on his history here before getting kicked out.


Now, what is your other question from the list?
 
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