Backhanded Deal

[Altanis]

Leaving behind the scene of their last encounter once the storm had abated. They were still several days out from reaching their destination, but at least they were moving again. Their rate of progress aside, they were actually making progress again; that, combined with Altanis's improved mood after the encounter with the gem in the cave, would have to be enough for the moment.

Altanis rapped on the window separating her from the truck cab, getting the attention of Joey. When the window was opened, the centaur leaned forward to rest her chin on the rim of the window, leaning inside the cab. "Tell me, miss Blaese..." she murmured. "You seemed rather apprehensive about the subject of our destination. Why is that?"

"Not apprehensive, really..." Joey mumbled. "Just, y'know...s'a big place. What connects this world to the rest of 'em out there in the Crossroads. Kind of important, y'know?"

Altanis nodded her head ever so slightly. "Yes. I have some idea." It was no different from any of the major cities back home, she supposed. They all had their own ties to each other, and to the world at large. "So was it only that you have never been there yourself, then?"

"Yeah, guess so." The mechanic shrugged helplessly. "Whaddya want me to say? Never really had any reason to go there, only know about it by reputation."

"Then tell me of this reputation," the centaur murmured. "What do you know about the city? I would like to be somewhat prepared for what we will find when we arrive there."

"You'd, uh... Honestly you'd probably be better off talkin' to Joshua about that than me." Joey shifted uneasily in her seat, adjusting her hat with one hand. "He's actually been there before, could probably tell you a whole hell of a lot more than I could. I only got hearsay from folks that came and went through the little town I'm from."

"That will do fine, for now." Altanis curled her fingers around the rim of the window. "I suspect mister Graham is in a poor mood, at the moment, and do not wish to disturb him." While he may have advocated for killing the gem they encountered, he didn't quite approve of her methods for doing so. Even with her explanation that it was all a farce to make Flint let her guard down so as to easily dispose of her, he had been less than pleased.

"Killing," he had said, "is just a chore to be done, thoroughly and cleanly. There should be no joy taken in it, and it should be an act all of its own."

Clearly, what Altanis had done disturbed him greatly. A sentiment, she supposed, that was partially shared by the others in their little group. Joey was equal parts horrified, disgusted, and flabbergasted by the entire thing. Morgans seemed almost entirely disinterested, her sole reaction being a simple "Gross. But neat." when she had seen the aftermath. And Galand had shown no interest or care in it at all, only lamenting that it had been a simple execution without even a fight.

All different kinds of viewpoints to be had, it seemed.

"So again, miss Blaese," Altanis spoke up after a brief pause. "Tell me what you know of this city. Karim, was it?"

"Yeah, that's the place." Joey sighed heavily. "Alright, so, look.... I don't actually know a whole lot, but here's what I can tell ya: it's a big city. Prosperous and flourishing and whatnot. Just about the only place on this great big disk of a world that isn't trying to kill you; in fact, from what people who been there have to say about it, it's pretty damn nice." The mechanic paused to focus on the road for a moment. "Sits right in the center of the world. S'where all the water in the rivers comes from. It all flows outta that city, so you can imagine it's a pretty big deal."

"Oh, yes, I can certainly imagine as much." Altanis smirked lightly. Just that one resource alone, on a desert world, would make it have tremendous bargaining power. She could already tell there was more to it than just that, though. That would have been too simple.

"Used to be under the control of...someone else. Way before my time, so I dunno what to say about that." The mechanic shrugged helplessly, before forging on ahead. "Place is basically run by a buncha different noble houses and groups and whatnot. From what I heard, though, there's only two real big ones that actually really matter. Can't really remember the names of 'em right now, but uh...yeah. You don't wanna mess around with 'em, they keep the peace by basically any means necessary. Got plenty of muscle in both the, uh...muscle sense as well as in the politics and running things sense."

"How delightfully vague." Altanis snickered, lightly prodding at the back of Joey's head with a soft nudge of psychic force. "Is there anything about these two ruling houses you can tell me?"

"Not...really. Like I said, never actually been to the city, so it's just as much a mystery to me as it's gonna be to you when we get there." She shook her head. "Bandages could tell you all about 'em, I bet, whenever you wanna bother him about it."

"Mmm. Perhaps when we next stop to rest."

Starting Quest: Just Business
Post Word Count: 905
Quest Word Count: 905/5,000

 

[Altanis]

When they next stopped to rest at some unobtrusive little rest stop along the road, Altanis took the chance to speak with Graham about their destination.

"Mister Graham." She folded her arms across her chest as she settled down to 'sit' beside the burned man. "This city we are travelling to, Karim. What can you tell me of it? I don't wish to walk into it completely blind."

"There is...much that could be said about it," Graham responded at length. "It is the shining jewel of this desert world. Nothing truly comes in or out of this world without being touched by it, in some way."

"I am aware of its central location and importance within the world," Altanis cut in, lightly flicking a fingertip. "I am speaking more of the city itself. What lies within it, what is to be expected upon arrival there, what uses it may have for our future endeavors."

Graham's expression was unreadable as ever, but his blue eyes shone with a displeased gleam as he lifted them to regard Altanis intently. "....very well, then. The city is governed by several noble houses, though only two are of any true prominence and real authority over it." He lifted a hand, holding up two fingers. "The House of Wakanda and the House of Gerudo. Both of them are dangerous, powerful, and influential in their own ways; neither moreso than the other, but neither lesser than the other."

Altanis leaned forward slightly, her eyes sparkling with rapt attention. "Tell me more of the city itself, first, before delving into those who rule over it. I wish to know what I am walking into."

Graham lowered his gaze, shifting his posture to bring his bandaged hands up to rest on the table before him. For a long while, there was silence only broken by the occasional bantering and chattering of others in the near distance. "There is...much that can be said about the city. It is the center of trade on this world, both inbound and outbound. One of only a very small number settlements that could truly be called cities." He clasped both hands together, lifting his eyes to peer about the dingy room they were in. "It is a very delicate balance they keep in the city, but one that apparently works quite well for them."

"As for the city itself...well. Many different cultures join there. Melting together, yet kept apart by the different districts of the city. Cultures kept separate, stopped from merging with each other but still able to see and trade with their neighbors." Graham let out a cold, bitter chuckle. "Lavish, ornate decoration and construction mark the entire city. Distinct styles of architecture and construction, ranging from the most humble to the overbearingly extravagant. Sprawling markets, bath houses, countless palaces and facilities for recreation..." He trailed off, leaving a long pause before his gaze lifted up to meet Altanis's again. "It is a place you cannot truly understand or grasp without seeing it for yourself. But if there is something to be had on this world, you can likely find it there."

"Hmm..." Altanis lifted an arm, her clawed fingertips lightly tapping at her chin in thought. "You don't sound especially fond of the place, mister Graham. Why is that?"

"I have my reasons. I would prefer they remain unspoken."

"Nothing that will cause us any trouble, I should hope?"

"No." Graham shook his head. "The only trouble it might make will be for me, and me alone."

"Mysterious. A more...spiritual kind of trouble, then?"

"In a manner of speaking."

Post Word Count: 598
Quest Word Count: 1,506/5,000

 

[Altanis]

Though Graham was as terse and unreadable as ever in his answers, he was willing to divulge a great deal of information about the city of Karim and what lay around it when prompted by the right questions, talking well into the night. About its structure, what was found within it, its defenses and those who were defended by them. By all accounts, it was indeed the great shining jewel of Mesa Roja, and deserved that title not only for its placement over the source of all the world's water.

Some things were of particular interest to her, and she hungrily pried for more information. Graham was less than helpful in regard to some of her questions, though. His knowledge of the city wasn't limitless, and it had been quite some time since he had been there last. He had been, after all, a simple desert guide and made his living out in the wild lands away from the city. He only knew as much as he did about it from time spent with those who employed his services, guiding them into and out of the barren lands for this or that reason. His knowledge was more than merely surface level, but far from all-encompassing.

It was enough to paint a picture of the city, as seen from a distance...but it left out so much of the important, key details and information. Gaps would just have to be filled in when they arrived, it seemed.

With much frustration at not being able to know more about where they were headed, Altanis settled in for the night to try and get some rest. Likely on the following day, she was advised, they would come within sight of the city and all her questions could soon be answered.

Post Word Count: 296
Quest Word Count: 1,802/5,000

 

[Altanis]

The next day dawned gray and rainy. The oppressive desert heat remained, but the direct sunlight at least was hidden behind the sheeting curtains of warm rain. Altanis was less than pleased by this development, given her exposed position in the bed of the truck, but it took barely any effort to raise a psychic barrier around herself to keep the water away.

Unfortunately for Galand, in the other skimmer, there was no such shelter to be had for him.

Slowly but surely, the large expanses of desert had begun to give way to more savannah and greenery. Here and there, patches of grasses and the occasional tree rose out of the shimmering heat hazes in the distance, marking progress onward. It was at what Altanis gauged as midday that she was alerted by Joey of a message from Graham.

"There. It's hard to see through the rain, but that's Karim up ahead." As straight to the point and no-nonsense as ever, but that was a good thing at times. And, indeed, peering ahead through the rain Altanis could just begin to make out the vague shape of a city. The spires and peaks of buildings, the low but steady swell of outer walls, all silhouetted against the gray haze of the day's rain. "We should reach it within the next few hours."

"Excellent. I look forward to seeing it more closely with my own eyes." Altanis grinned, baring her teeth to the damp air as she settled herself in for the final leg of their trip. "Are you looking forward to experiencing the big city for the first time, miss Blaese?" she murmured, turning her attention to the young mechanic.

"Well, I mean...yeah, I guess." Joey shrugged noncommittally. "Always kinda wanted to go here, even if it was for no reason than to just see the place. Heck, always wanted to go off world, too. See other places out there in the Crossroads. Life gets boring when your entire everything is a big dusty coin flippin' through space like it's the hottest new trick out there."

The centaur barked out a short laugh. "Yes. I can imagine so. Perhaps when we get into the city, we can find somewhere suitable to stay until the rain passes, then split up to...admire the scenery, hmm?"

"Sounds great to me. Just, uh...one thing about that..." Joey paused for a moment, scowling at the road ahead, before she went on. "I dunno if any of us even have the cash for something like that. Bandages might be secretly loaded for all I know, but I know for a fact I ain't got much on me. And I'm pretty sure your two pals ain't exactly rich either." She looked up, into the rearview mirror and locked eyes with Altanis. "So....unless you got some mad cash hidden away somewhere you ain't showed off yet, it might be a pretty short stay."

This, again, drew an amused snort from the centaur. "Don't worry about something like that. Between what valuables and coin were stashed away in that sorry excuse for a cultist's stronghold and my winnings from the abyss, I believe I have more than sufficient wealth to sustain even a long-term stay in the city."

"Oh, right...there was all that loot in those caverns," Joey mumbled, mostly to herself. "Cool, I guess. Won't need to worry about suddenly being broke and gettin' kicked out on the streets. Get the feeling that would sting like five times as much in a fancy place like Karim. Assuming it was just kicking and not something a lot more...uh...extreme."

"Let us pray we don't have to find out, hmm?" Altanis murmured, letting her eyes lazily drift to the road ahead. "For now, focus on getting us to the city."

Post Word Count: 632
Quest Word Count: 2,434/5,000

 

[Altanis]

They hadn't made it much further toward the city when the next hiccup of their journey showed itself. Shimmering and wavering in the rain, there was a figure stood near the road, one hand lifted into a wave to get their attention while the other held aloft an umbrella in a vain attempt to keep dry.

"Looks like we got a hitchhiker, boss lady," Joey noted. "Should we stop?"

Altanis squinted into the gloom ahead, a frown creasing her features. "....yes," she finally said. "Something about this seems...off. Be on your guard." There was every chance it was some ploy to distract them so that some rabid band of maniacs could come swarming out of the woodwork, using the rain as cover. One didn't exactly go tramping around in the desert, especially with an umbrella. Whoever this fool was, they stood out like a sore thumb.

As they drew closer and slowed to a stop, Joey shifted in her seat and reached down to the floorboard, where a hefty wrench lay, to reassure herself it was in quick grabbing range. "Makin' me think I shoulda kept that shotgun from the cultist mountain."

"You wouldn't be able to make use of it in time, in such close quarters." Altanis shook her head. "Some kind of blade, like a knife or dagger, would be ideal. Though I suppose a heavy enough bludgeon will also work."

"Gee, thanks. Glad to know what I got on hand classifies as 'good enough'." Joey rolled her eyes.

A light knock on the passenger window as the umbrella-toting figure came jogging up broke the conversation, and the mechanic warily rolled down the window. "Afternoon, ladies," he spoke up with a cheerful tone to his words. "Wouldn't happen to be headin' into Karim, by any chance, would ya?"

"As a matter of fact, we are," Altanis responded.

"Don't suppose I could, ah...get a lift into town?" The man smiled sheepishly. "Bit of a hike from all the way out here, 'specially in this rain, and no telling how long it's gonna last, you know?"

Altanis rested her chin on the rim of the cab's rear window, eyeing the man curiously. "What say you, miss Blaese?" she murmured, with a light smirk curling at her lips. "Shall we give our friend here a ride? We are going the same way, after all."

"You're askin' me?" the mechanic squeaked, sitting fully upright in her seat. "I-I mean..." She rubbed at her face with one hand. "....ah...hell...why not?" she finally relented. "Wouldn't be right to just leave somebody out in weather like this." She reached over and unlocked the passenger door. "Hop in, pal."

"You're a lifesaver, you are!" the man chirped as he did just that, opening the door and clambering inside. There was only a brief moment of comedic fumbling with his umbrella before he managed to get it sorted, and the door slammed shut behind him. As he settled into his seat and the window was rolled back up, Joey shifted uncomfortably in her seat before resuming the drive onward.

"Name's Darryl, by the way," he said cheerfully. "Darryl Wayman. Hell of a lucky break on my part, you came along when you did!"

"Well, mister Wayman," Altanis murmured. "I suppose good fortune comes when it is most needed. Repayment for some good deed you've recently done, perhaps?"

"Maybe so!" Darryl laughed. "Maybe so..."

Post Word Count: 568
Quest Word Count: 3,002/5,000

 

[Altanis]

"If you don't mind me asking, mister Wayman, what is it that has you out so far from safety?" Altanis ventured after several minutes of relative silence.

"Hmm? Oh, well, you know." Darryl waved a hand in the air vaguely. "Just out doing a bit of traveling, to check up on some business of mine out in the badlands."

"Business, hmm...?" Altanis murmured. "I don't suppose you'd be of a mind to elaborate? We've just come from out that way, and aside from Uruk I didn't spot very many places that looked very promising for any sort of...business."

"Oh, haha, well..." Darryl shifted and fidgeted in his seat. "Truth be told, I'm actually going to my business, you see. Business in Karim, that is." He lifted a hand to tap one finger against his temple. "Not really a secret or anything, but you know how it goes."

"Buddy, I don't even think you know how it goes," Joey cut in. "First you're wanderin' out in the badlands on business, then you're goin' to Karim on business. What next? You gonna be goin' to Arcadia on business or something?"

"Oh, haha, don't I wish!" Darryl positively hooted, slapping his knee with one hand. "That'd be a real business deal, if it took me all the way off world. But, ah, no.... The truth is, and I mean the real truth, I'm headed into Karim on some business. Real hush-hush type of thing, can't really get into much detail. Apologies, but it's the nature of the work, you understand."

"Of course, of course." Altanis chuckled quietly. "I'm well acquainted with...clandestine activities. You needn't worry about us ratting you out, mister Wayman."

"Oh, really? Well, that's a relief." The man visibly deflated slightly in his seat with relief, letting out a breath he'd been holding.

"Or, at least, you would be if any of that were actually the whole truth." Altanis's lips curled up into a grin as she observed the man, shifting and turning in his seat to regard her with a wide-eyed expression, his eyebrows making a mad dash for a meeting with his hairline. "There are precious few places you could have come from out in the direction we've come from, dressed as you are, and so ill-prepared for any distance of travel. If you were truly traveling to Karim on business as you claim, you would likely have already been there, courtesy of your own transportation."

Darryl Wayman just chuckled quietly, shifting uneasily in his seat. "That's definitely one assumption you could make, miss."

"And such an assumption leads me to just one question, mister Wayman." The amusement vanished from the centaur's expression, her smirk slowly dropping into a venomous frown. "What are you doing out here? You're headed to Karim, that much is clear, but...why, exactly? Why would you be traveling there, from such a distance, so wholly unprepared for something as simple as inclement weather? What is your real reason for going there, in such a state?"

Darryl held his posture for several tense seconds before he let out a low whistle, trailing off into an exhausted laugh. "Well hot damn, lady. You sure don't miss a beat, do ya?" he finally said. "Guess you got me. There's more to this whole thing than first meets the eye. Unless, of course, that eye happens to be yours, it seems!" He straightened up in his seat, showcasing a smile full of pearly white, though somewhat crooked and misshapen, teeth. "As I said, name's Darryl Wayman. And I just so happened to be waitin' for someone to come along, there on the side of the road. That someone bein' you, miss Altanis."

One of Altanis's eyebrows curled upward, and her expression shifted to one of mild surprise. "I was merely curious before, but now you have my full attention, mister Wayman. Pray tell, how did you know who I am? Or that we were coming this way?"

"Well, now...ain't that the billion dollar question? How about I tell you a little story to answer that one for you?"

Post Word Count: 685
Quest Word Count: 3,687/5,000

 

[Altanis]

"Now...the truth of the matter is that I work for somebody who happens to be real powerful influential, out there in the badlands of this here world," Darryl started, resting his hands easily in his lap. "He does a lotta work out there, and even in Karim too. Does a lotta good, helps a lot of people out, you know?"

"Mmm." Altanis nodded absently, her eyes drooping half closed. "Not an uncommon tale. I have been to many deserts before, and there is always someone out there seeking to 'do a lot of good' for other people." The corners of her mouth curled upward in a smirk as she went on. "The more pertinent matter though...is why he does so. What does he get in return?"

"Ah, well, now, there's the right question to ask!" Darryl chuckled, shifting in his seat as he turned to look out the window. "It ain't like he does it entirely out of the goodness of his heart, mind you. There's plenty of profit to be made from what he does, and he spreads it around to people who do good work for him."

"And what, exactly, is it that this man you're referring to...does?"

"Well, see, that's the thing. He does a lot of stuff." Darryl waved a hand vaguely. "Manages a whole lotta archeological sites, mining operations, and other stuff out in the deserts. Deals with a lot of trade and stuff, to boot. Plenty of work opportunities for people willin' to put in the effort."

Joey shot a sideling glance at the man, one eyebrow raised. "Can't be fuckin' real..." she mumbled, before turning her eyes back to the road ahead.

"Does this mysterious boss of yours have a name?" Altanis murmured, lightly drumming her fingertips on the rim of the window. "You seem to have been conveniently skirting around that particular topic."

"Well, right you are. I work for a, uh...let's call him an associate, of one mister Daniel Plaineview." Darryl straightened up in his seat, puffing out his chest with some clear measure of pride. "And I was sent along on a real important errand, y'see. To see you in particular. Well, you and all your other friends here, that is."

"Oh come the fuck on, really?" Joey hissed, hunching her shoulders and glaring at the rain-soaked road. "Daniel fuckin' Plaineview?"

"Uh...y-yes. I see you've heard of him," Darryl said, with a nervous chuckle.

"Heard of him, yeah, for sure..." the mechanic muttered. "None of my business. Keep talkin'."

"Yes, mister Wayman." Altanis leaned forward, until her horns touched the upper rim of the window, leering in through the opening at Darryl's suddenly much less proud and confident form. "Keep talking."

"Well, uh..." The man faltered, flapping his lips and stammering while trying to collect himself before finally sucking in a deep breath and composing himself. "Right, so. It's like this." All at once it was like an entirely different man was present, with the wave of calm that washed over him. "We've had an eye on you for a while now. Ever since you rolled up and took care of business at Black Mountain." He turned to look at Altanis directly, meeting her gaze without so much as flinching. "We'd had our eyes on the place for a while now, but were just waiting on the right time to make a move on it. Then you come in and turn the place upside down and rip out everything valuable there."

He again flashed his crooked, pearly white teeth. "Not exactly good for business, for folks like us, you know? So we kept our eyes on you, to see what you were made of and whether you'd be of any use."

Altanis grinned, with a wry chuckle. "I trust by your appearance, you have come to a conclusion about such matters, hmm?"

"You might say we have, yeah." Darryl folded his arms in front of him. "We pretty much got you pegged down. Right piece of work, for sure, but that's just what we need every now and then." There was a gleam in his eyes as he leaned over, before whispering to the centaur directly, "We got a little bit of a job offer for you and your pals, here, if you're amenable to gettin' your hands dirty."

Post Word Count: 719
Quest Word Count: 4,406/5,000

 

[Altanis]

"A job offer, is it?" Altanis murmured, raising one eyebrow.

"Something like that." Darryl nodded. "Consider it a little way of...repaying us, for all that loot and salvage you wrecked and pulled out from under us at Black Mountain."

"Why, mister Wayman, you almost make that sound as if it were a threat."

"Not a threat, per se. But I can't promise things won't get a little ugly for you if you don't take this offer, you understand?" Darryl smiled smugly, resting his hands in his lap. "It's a real delicate operation and balance we got, and even a comparatively little thing like this can really get folks all rankled."

"I see..." Altanis let her eyes drift closed as she lapsed into silent thought.

The sheer audacity of this man was astounding and infuriating. That he could just sit there so brazenly and make such statements. Indirect threats and backhanded promises... For all the idiocy and airs of bumbling ineptitude he had put on at first, he was shaping up to be a remarkably shrewd and bold individual. He was either overwhelmingly capable, or extremely confident in his own safety for some other reason.

The uncertainty of which one bothered her deeply.

"Very well then, mister Wayman. I will consider your offer, after I talk with my other...companions." She withdrew from the window, and drew out the walkie-talkie into her hand with a light tug of telekinetic force.

"Mister Graham," she spoke up softly, after shutting the window to the cab. "I require your judgement on a particular matter."

"It relates to that hitchhiker we picked up, I take it?" The Burned Man was as astute as ever in his judgement.

"Correct." Altanis kept her voice level, as best she could. "He has turned out to be a very...frustrating passenger, indeed."

"In what way?"

"An employee of someone named...Daniel Plaineview." Altanis's tail whipped to and fro in the damp air as she went on. I've not heard that name come up before now, but from what our passenger has said, he is not someone to be trifled with."

"That judgement is correct. Plaineview is not the sort of man to be taken lightly, especially so the further you get from the from the city." There was a long moment of only crackling silence before Graham spoke up again. "What is it about our passenger that you need my judgement?"

"He says that he has...a job offer for us. Something that would be a repayment for our activities at Black Mountain."

"All of the potential salvage and valuables that we destroyed or took for ourselves, I presume?"

"Correct."

"My suggestion would be not to deal with him at all. I've had run-ins with those working for Plaineview before, and any job being offered by him is sure to be an unpleasant one."

"You do not have a very favorable opinion of anyone of any renown on this world, do you, mister Graham?" Altanis murmured. "Shall we resort to violence and simply throw him out, then?"

"No. There is a time and a place for such things, but this may yet be resolved peacefully and properly." Again things lapsed into silence, only the crackle of static and the steady sound of rain over the engines. "Find out what you can from him about what the job entails. When we reach the city, we can report both his presence, purpose and whatever 'job' he had for you to the proper authorities and leave it to them."

"How delightfully underhanded, mister Graham."

"Squeeze the information about what he wants from you out of him. I'll handle getting it to someone who can deal with him when we get to the city."

Post Word Count: 627
Quest Word Count: 5,033/5,000

 

[Altanis]

For a few minutes further, Altanis picked Graham's brain as to his plan. The Burned Man was, as ever, incredibly vague as to the particulars, however; quite frustratingly so.

"It's better you not know the how or who will be involved," he had finally said, somewhat shortly. He sounded equal parts tired and frustrated in turn, a rare change of inflection from his usual tone. "I will need to think about exactly how to go about this matter, as it is. Plaineview is a dangerous man to oppose, and we don't want to draw...more attention than necessary in this."

"Fine, fine... I will leave it to you, then." Altanis clenched her teeth in a silent snarl as she switched off the radio, her fingers clutching it so tightly the plastic casing began to crack in her grasp. Graham's insight to this world was valuable, that much was doubtless, but his attitude and demeanor...he was much too righteous. Grim, vengeful and murderously violent as he could be when the need arose, he was still a sickeningly good person at his very core. And the longer Altanis spent in his company, the more it began to grate on her.

"When I finally leave this world behind, mister Graham...I don't know that you will be joining me," she hissed. He had already professed that his knowledge of this world was only so vast because he had spent so long traveling and observing it. The same could not be said of the rest of the Crossroads, so his absence would not be an irreplaceable loss.

Taking a long breath to try and soothe her rankled nerves, the hellspawn waved a finger before her, snapping the truck cab's rear window open again. "Very well, mister Wayman..." she murmured as she leaned forward, resting her chin on the edge of the small aperture. "I have gotten an agreement, of sorts, from my other companions. I believe we can come to a favorable business arrangement in this matter. It is, after all, only fair..." And her lips curled up at the corners into a faint smirk. "...given we did swipe a rather large amount of other potentially useful material right out of your reach."

Darryl chuckled at that, reaching into a pocket of his jacket and producing a handkerchief. "Well, that's a mighty fine decision you made, ma'am," he said, delicately mopping and dabbing at his face and forehead. "Had me a bit, ah...nervous when you took so long to talk it through, there. Glad we can all see the same kind of sense here, though."

"Oh, of course. I'm a smart enough woman to recognize a good deal and a potential...opportunity when one presents itself so plainly." Here, Altanis forced her playful smirk into a more pronounced smile. It almost managed to actually seem genuine, though failed to fully reach her eyes, which kept the same cold, unblinking cast. "Perhaps you might care to enlighten us a bit further as to the exact details of this little job offer you have for us?"

"Ah, well, yes. Of course." Darryl bobbed his head enthusiastically, flashing another of his pearly white, crooked-toothed smiles. "Can't exactly have you floppin' around not knowin' what we're gonna have you doing, and all that." He slipped his handkerchief back into his pocket, momentarily pausing as if he had trouble getting the thing back where it came from, then coughing lightly as he withdrew his arm. "Ah, 'scuse me.... Sometimes the weather and I don't get along, you understand."

One of Altanis's eyebrows curled ever so slightly upward. "Yes, I'm quite sure.."

"Now, then. The details, as you asked for. It's pretty simple, see..."

Post Word Count: 615
Quest Word Count: 5,648/5,000

 

[Altanis]

As Darryl launched into his explanation, Altanis reached through the small cab window to deposit the walkie-talkie back in its normal resting place. A subtle twitch of her mental powers depressed the button to activate it, ensuring that everything said in the ensuing conversation would be heard by Graham and the others as well. It would be...easier that way, without having to worry about reiterating the details to the burned man again later.

The so-called 'job offer' that the smug 'businessman' had was, as it turned out, very simple indeed. As well as being utterly demeaning and insulting to even have offered. Mister Plaineview and his corporation, it seemed, oftentimes had a hand in marketing and procuring certain...forbidden and illicit items and goods for particular distinguished clientele in the city of Karim. It was a very lucrative business, as well as being fairly simple, if not without its element of risk.

As evidenced by the current offer being laid out before them: a recent 'transaction' had gone poorly for Plaineview and its associates. They hadn't taken it lying down, however, and merely stepped up on their...aggressive business practices. If they were going to be stiffed and kept out from their rightful dues for such risky work, well...they'd just have to make sure it couldn't happen again. They'd need to bring something to make business go smoother and grease the wheels of such delicate social interactions and mercantile arrangements. They were very good at speaking softly and carefully, making the offer prime and tempting...but they needed a bigger stick, as it were.

A bigger stick that couldn't be easily traced back to them in the event it broke.

How very, very droll.

Still...even in spite of the offense that made Altanis bristle -- the mere suggestion that she was, in fact, being demanded to do this task, lest she suffer some untold consequences -- the offer was not a terrible one. It seemed like simple enough work, that could be ended in short order, and even carried a promise of some minor compensation and maybe even a reversal of her current sour opinion in the records of Plaineview Inc.

Generous offer or not, however...Altanis could not abide by the smug demeanor, roundabout way of getting to the point, and virtual demands for her immediate agreement. Back home, such a thing would have been cause for immediate execution, and even now it was difficult for her to stay her hand once she had heard the man out. Only the promise of turning his own underhanded tactics against him, that delicious revenge, kept his head attached to its shoulders for the moment.

"....and so ya see, it'll turn out real simple for all of us," Darryl finished. "If all goes well, you all might not even have to lift a finger. You just get to stand there, look all menacing and tough, and then when the deal wraps up...well. You get a little somethin' for your hard work and get a good word put in for yourselves with the higher ups. Smiles all around, and we can part ways and probably never see each other again."

"Well, that certainly does like....quite an offer, mister Wayman," Altanis murmured, her eyes by now reduced to mere glimmering slits, in an effort to mask her ire. "It does have a particularly enticing end to it, I must admit. Everything wrapped up nicely, and everyone involved coming out better off for the trouble."

"Couldn't have said it better myself!" Darryl said cheerily, flashing another of his crooked, pearly white smiles as he turned around in his seat awkwardly to regard Altanis directly. "So I take it we got us a full understanding and agreement, then?"

"Mmmm....." Altanis let her eyes drift fully closed, as her expression softened into a neutral one. "....yes, I believe so. The task is quite simple, after all. I presume you already have the deal we would be...assisting you with in mind and already planned out?"

"Well, naturally. Couldn't exactly just come to such a....well, not to offend, but unstable and unpredictable bunch like yourselves without havin' things already set, now, could we?" He chuckled nervously. "That seemed like, uh....well, just not awful smart, you understand?"

Yes, trying to coerce and vaguely threaten someone into doing work that wasn't even a sure thing yet was...much more difficult, to put it mildly. "Very well, then." Altanis's eyes fluttered open, fixing the besuited gentleman before her with half-lidded, pensive stare. "Please enlighten me then, and perhaps share a few details of this little...business arrangement, then, if you would. I don't terribly like walking into an unknown situation."

"Ah, yes, 'course, of course." Darryl bobbed his head, turning back in his seat to face forward toward the road ahead once more. "It isn't gonna be too complicated, if things go accordin' to plan, but guess it never hurts to be ready in case things go sour...again." He heaved a disgruntled sigh at that, reaching up adjust his tie. "So, what we got in store for us is..."

Post Word Count: 843
Quest Word Count: 6,491/5,000

 

[Altanis]

Eventually, they came to a stop in their travels to rest for a moment. Darryl was less than enthused about the delay, but it took only a few short words to convince him that a short break wouldn't cause any real problems. They would, after all, still arrive in plenty of time to make it to his scheduled appointment.

What was never mentioned, however, was that the other half of the group -- that which contained Graham -- had not stopped for such a break and gone on ahead. They would arrive in the city some few hours ahead of Altanis and the others, and the Burned Man would work his magic, getting word of the illicit operations to the right people and prepare a...surprise of their own for mister Wayman and his contacts.

It was, perhaps, a comically underhanded sort of plan. It was also an extremely simple one, that Altanis was personally quite sure that someone as so confident and self-important as Darryl Wayman wouldn't see coming until it was right in front of him. Against a more savvy or clever individual, she knew, such a simple and hastily concocted scheme would have little chance of working, but...well. That wasn't a concern. Darryl had made it quite plain that while he wasn't am idiot by any means, he was far too absorbed in the illusion of his own safety and that simply working as an agent of Plaineview Inc. would keep him safe and sound no matter what.

It was an attitude she had encountered many, many times before.

Altanis and Joey kept the man busy with a constant barrage of harmless questions and idle chatter, digging out further information and details. About him, his plan, the goods he had prepared, who he was going to be doing business with, and even his employer and organization. All under the veneer of simple curiosity, being so foreign to this world as a whole and especially the inner parts of it. Altanis was, after all, from an entirely different universe and the mechanic was from a small nothing town out in the badlands away from the major civilization centers. This was, practically and literally, an entirely new world for both of them, for different reasons.

For his part, Darryl was happy to go on at length about some topics, though incredibly reluctant to say much about others. The looseness or tightness of his tongue regarding a particular subject spoke plenty all on its own, though, so Altanis was more than happy to let it be when he decided to clam up and simply laugh it off, moving to another topic.

Eventually, though, the besuited man started to get restless, checking his watch and peering out toward the city of Karim in the distance. Lest they start to come too close to rousing his ire or drawing too much attention to the fact that Graham and the others had gone on ahead, they all unanimously decided to get underway again and resume travel. Darryl opted to take over driving, allowing the exhausted mechanic to get at least a few hours of sleep before they got to town. Altanis herself, meanwhile, cursing over the fact she had not yet regained enough strength to forgo sleeping altogether, similarly settled in to rest for a short time while the battered old truck clunked and rumbled down the road, Karim-ward...

Post Word Count: 564
Quest Word Count: 7,055/5,000

 

[Altanis]

"I don't like this..." Darryl muttered, shifting uneasily as he reached up to adjust his collar. For what felt like the hundredth time in the past half hour, he checked his watch. "Bad as they wanted this stuff, they should've already been here..."

"Relax, now, mister Wayman," Altanis murmured softly. "They are only a few minutes overdue. In a city like this, it isn't that out of the ordinary to think they simply got held up somewhere along the way, is it?"

"Right....right, yeah, 'course," Darryl said quickly, nodding his head absently. "I reckon they wouldn't wanna be seen, either, so guess it makes sense they might be a little late..."

Nearby, from where he sat perched on a pile of crates, Galand snorted derisively. "Or maybe they just decided not to come at all!" he rumbled, slapping at the crates with one hand. The wood buckled and all but shattered under the impact, as the warrior demon leaned forward. "They already screwed you over once before, maybe they just decided not to bother comin' out to even meet you!"

"Nah, more likely they're just a bunch of stupid fucks who can't tell time," Morgans sneered, flicking ash from a cigarette in her fingers. "Place like this, wouldn't be surprising if they only had analog clocks and couldn't rub enough brain cells together to be able to read 'em."

When they had reached the city, the others were waiting for them, sans Graham. He had needed to go attend to some other 'urgent business' and wasn't able to rejoin them for this little transaction. Darryl had accepted it readily enough, especially under the piercing weight of the Burned Man's cold stare. Karim was a major city, and Graham was a native of this world, so it was easy enough for the bumbling besuited man to come up with an excuse on Graham's behalf to free himself from the uncomfortable predicament.

"Now, now...I don't think it's anything like that!" Darryl said hastily. He began to pace to and fro, wringing his hands as his eyes darted every which way.

They were situated in the dank, unpleasant underpass under one of the smaller rivers emerging from the city. An unobtrusive, out of the way location near to a warehouse ostensibly owned by some minor noble and used for storage of...less than entirely legal goods. There were only two directions that anyone could reasonably approach from, outside of emerging from the warehouse itself, so it wouldn't be especially hard to notice the other half of this business arrangement when they showed.

The sound of Darryl's uncomfortable shuffling and pacing about, and the faint drip-drip of water from overhead was interrupted soon enough by the clear sound of footsteps approaching, echoing down the tunnel. Not just from one direction, much to Darryl's sudden immensely escalated displeasure and panic, as he whirled about looking one way and then the other. "Who in the...what in the...?"

"Ah. It seems our company has finally decided to show, then," Altanis murmured.

"'Bout time!" Galand snapped, heaving himself off of his perch to land on his feet with a heavy, echoing boom.

The first one to make his way onto the scene was one Joshua Graham, accompanied only moments later by...an exceptionally tall woman who looked immensely displeased about being here.

Darryl's face immediately hardened and went cold, even as the color drained from it. "How in the blazes..." he growled, his hand instinctively flying into his jacket to grasp for something.

"Don't try it." In a blur, there was suddenly someone else behind him, blade pressed to his throat and arm across his chest to stop his questing arm from going anywhere.

"What's the meaning of this?!" Darryl squirmed and his gaze roved over to Altanis, glaring daggers at her. "You damn she-devil...you lied to me about this entire thing!"

Altanis's lips curled into a mocking smirk. "Did I?" She cackled, shaking her head. "Tell me, mister Wayman...exactly when did I lie?"

The besuited man's eyes bugged out at that, his teeth grinding against each other. The gears turning in his head were almost audible, with the way they must be shrieking and sparking with effort. "You....you said this was a good opportunity; a good deal! That it would end well for everyone involved!"

"And I spoke truthfully." Altanis lifted her arms in a shrug, hands facing palm-up. "It was an excellent opportunity, and a fine deal. The way it was presented was hard to dismiss, as important a man as your boss supposedly is. However..." And she sighed. "I never said I agreed to help you with it."

"B-But you...said you and the rest of your band of idiots...!"

"I spoke with my companions and we reached an agreement of our own, yes. An agreement to have nothing to do with you or your organization, and to make sure you stayed out of our hair another way."

Darryl's enraged expression began to slowly deflate, as his body sagged. "....so that's how it is, then. I knew about your little friend there, the one who you can't lie around," and he weakly gestured at Galand. "So I let my guard down. Never expected you'd be that much of—"

Darryl Wayman was silenced by a sudden blow to the side of his head from the pommel of a sword, leaving him a crumpled heap in the arms of his captor.

"Good night, mister Wayman." Altanis sneered, turning to regard Graham and his 'guests'. "A timely arrival, as always, mister Graham. Who are your friends?"

"Not friends," the Burned Man muttered. "Just the appropriate people to handle this, as I said before."

Altanis crossed her arms over her chest, peering curiously at the amazonian woman who stood with her own arms crossed, glaring at the scene. Beside her, there were two more, and at least three others had come from the opposite direction, two of which now took care of properly restraining and carting off the hapless Plaineview associate.

"I believe I will like this city," Altanis murmured, cracking a grin.

Post Word Count: 1,013
Quest Word Count: 8,068/5,000