Facile Princeps

[Gwbiii†]

((Mia Kuiper continued from Heartbeat Symphony))


That morning as the sun rose and the announcements declared the dawn of day four Mia had removed herself from the Ranger Station bed, checked her map, and made a decision. She based this decision on a number of premises.

a) The Ranger Station was kind of tacky.

b) It didn't give her the tactical suppremacy her rifle afforded.

c) Living in a lighthouse would be so, so romantic.

She wasn't sure what it was, whether its association with the seaside; its metaphorical possibilities as a beacon, or the Rapunzelian appeal of living in a tower, but regardless of the reason she had her new goal. And so, almost before the announcements had finished, she began her pilgrimage.



That was several hours before now. She'd walked another kilometre or five, her legs were hurting even more than they had the day before, and not that anyone besides herself probably cared, but she was really starting to pong. Four days away from a bath were taking their toll. The lighthouse would be by the sea (duh.), and once she'd taken up residence she could go wash herself in the waves.

And then she could read, and sit at the top of the tower beside that great big lantern and it would be glorious and "ack!"

The tree trunk she'd just stumbled over broke her out of her daydream. There were way too many tree trunks in this place. Okay, so the Felled Forest was basically all tree trunks and she'd have been worried if it weren't but for goodness' sake it was starting to grate with her.

She lashed out at the trunk she'd stumbled over with her foot, hitting it with a dull thud. It didn't cheer her up nearly as much as she'd hoped. So as a second resort she shouted as well.

"Fine! Whatever! Be solid and impervious! You're already dead so it's not like it matters!"

Screaming didn't help much either, frankly, but it was still a little more effective. She decided to pursue that solution more fully. Well, not decide, but she did give another gutteral wail of botanical frustration before she started considering walking again.

"Aaaaaugh!"

[Killer_Moth†]

((Quincy Jones cont'd from Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows...))

He needed a place to sleep. He'd been able to snatch a few short hours in a clearing while Tiffany kept watch before he'd returned the favour, but Quince needed to get some proper rest. Still, he had a duty here. He had to protect Tiffany, and to find Felicia. He had to know what had happened, and to make things right.

The announcement of his actions yesterday were not what he had expected. So, Mike was still alive, and the guy he'd killed was called Max. He didn't worry about that too much, rather about the reactions of the girls. There was also the worry that now more people would be afraid of him.

He was glad to be off the mountain, even though he had nothing resembling a concrete plan. Just an idea to keep moving, keep asking questions, and to take out any threats he came across. Given the way things were going, that pretty much meant everybody. He was still on edge, but had been able to clam down following his confrontation with Bill.

What that meant was that he'd spent the better part of the night alone with Tiffany, uncertain of their relationship. He thought he'd gotten a vibe off of her, one that suggested she was into him. Then again, if she wasn't, then he didn't want to assault her. Either way, the ball was in her court. If she was going to be backward about coming forward, then he wouldn't worry about it.

What he was worried about was the lack of cover they had at the moment. The trees in this area had all been chopped down, so he was wandering through a sea of stumps. The ground was rough, but open. Hard going and easy for them to be spotted, but by the same token, harder to be ambushed.

Case in point. After a short time, he heard someone shouting and wailing. A quick jog in their direction, and he saw the figure. Mia Kuiper, foreign chick. He'd seen her around, and figured physically she posed no threat. He turned to his companion. "She's there. No visible threat. You know her? How do you want to play this?"

[selphie_trabia†]

((Tiffany continued from Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows...))

Tiffany looked up at Quince and smiled uneasily. This was good. Perfect, really. The big, dumb brute really did rely on her now to be the brains of the operation. All she did give him were a few little "tastes" of life with her and he'd fallen for her hook, line and sinker. She needed to string him along, tease him, keep him interested so that he'd have eyes for nobody else.

Felicia. Felicia was going to be a problem later on.

Tiffany had the feeling that the other girl hadn't left Quincy's mind just yet. She needed him to forget Felicia. She stared at Mia Kuiper, wondering for a moment if it were a good idea to include her in the little group.

She thought for a while as she examined the other girl. How would she play this...? The addition of another girl to protect might make Quincy think less about Felicia, but Tiffany wasn't sure how clever Mia was. She never really paid attention to other girls - not when boys were easier to manipulate. Mia might just be smart enough to know all her little tricks.

She watched as Mia kicked a tree and yelled.

"I don't think it's a good idea, Quincy. She has a gun and she seems pretty mad, but we should talk to her – find out where she's going." She said.

[Gwbiii†]

With the former-tree firmly and rightfully put in its place she set about composing herself. She rearranged the bags on her back, shifted the rifle onto her other shoulder, and tried to just breathe. In, out. She pushed her hands down, as if she was repelling all the frustration and embarrasingly unmannerly rage from herself. She was the very essence of tranquility.

It didn't last for long. The tree-stumps weren't the only thing getting on her nerves. So was the sun which beat down upon her, despite the sunscreen and wide-brimmed hat she now wore. So were the bags clawing at her shoulders. So was the fact she hadn't found anything remotely interesting in the Ranger's station book-wise. So was the way she smelt. And so was... So was... Everything. She was a raging ball of discomfort and she was sick of it. Sick of it all.

She laid the rifle down, dropped her bags against the nearest tree stump, and finally used them as a cushion as she took a little rest. She needed a rest. She let out a long sigh, closed her eyes for a second and just thought. How nice it was going to be at the lighthouse. How nice it would be if she were home with Emily, a warm bath, a cup of tea and a book. She could almost taste it.

Well, no, she couldn't taste anything much because her mouth was dry and horrible.

Wasser... Wie spricht man das andere Wort... Durstig? Ja. Durstig.

She withdrew a bottle, removed the lid, and began to drink. She tried to do so sparingly, the last major river was at least, oh, 2 hours behind her? And though the water bottles were now all full she couldn't be sure she'd find a suitable creek. She'd just sip this one as she went along now that she thought about it, there were a few more in her bag for later.

For now though, she was content to just sit. And drink. And daydream.

[Killer_Moth†]

"Sure thing, boss. You just keep your head down here until I give the all clear"

Okay, Tiffany was still calling the shots. That was fine with him. He knew that he stood a better chance if he let somebody else make the decisions for him. He tucked the gun into the back of his jeans and moved towards Mia, his hands held high to show he meant no harm.

"Hey!" He approached the seated girl slowly, wondering how much water he had left himself. "I come in peace." Damn, stupid line. Especially since he was now a known killer. "You okay there?" It was dull, it was boring, but it was non-threatening. He'd rather not have to kill somebody in front of Tiffany if he didn't have to.

He considered turning back to see what she was up to, if she was keeping her head down, but he didn't want to let Mia know that he wasn't alone. Not yet, anyway. Between Tiff and the gun he had a few cards he could play. Hell, maybe he'd luck out and there wouldn't be any need for a fight just yet at all.

[selphie_trabia†]

As if reading Quincy's mind, Tiffany kept low, ducking behind the bushes and staying out of sight.

She wasn't actually reading Quincy's mind, of course, she'd ordered him to go check Mia out to save her own skin. Not that the big, stupid lump would have realised that.

She hid, her eyes fixed upon the scene in front of her, her golf club at the ready. If Mia attached Quincy, then Tiffany would need to retrieve that gun - it was a weapon that was far too good to let out of her sight.

[Gwbiii†]

((sorry this has taken so long, the last two weeks have kind of disappeared))

*daydreams some*

Her mind sprang back to attention as if a klaxon had been sounded. There was a person. Coming. Towards her. And it looked anything but harmless.

Well, until she was on her feet, a massive rifle held across her hip, and she realised the boy seemed to be requesting peace and parley. Or something. She lowered the rifle's barrel towards the ground again.

"Yes! I'm fine!" She took a single step back so she could see her bags with a quick glance down. "But, but you can stay there!" If she had to run, she could, how far she'd get with someone of his physical prowess behind her she didn't want to think about. Just take the bags and go and... She kept forgetting she had a loaded sniper rifle. She didn't need to run anywhere!

With that confidence, she asked the most obvious of questions. "What do you want!?"

[Killer_Moth†]

The girl was armed, with a rather nasty looking gun. That would be a problem, especially since she seemed prepared to use it. Quince figured that she might not have any decent skills, but at this range with a rifle he was probably in more danger of being hit than of not. He stood his ground, and kept his hands held high, trying to show that he wasn't a threat, even as he made sure that his footing was solid. If he had to run for it or lunge at her, we wanted to be prepared.

"What do you want?"

It was a good question. What did he want? Tiff had sent him up there without much of a plan. All he really wanted was to get out of this alive. "I saw you, just wanted to make sure that you knew I was here. I'd rather not get shot if I can avoid it. Figure by the way you're talking you're not playing. So, yeah. I'm here, passing through, and please don't shoot me."

It was lousy, the way that once again he was at somebody else's mercy. This girl had her gun ready, so Quince was bargaining for his life. The last time he had really felt in control of the situation, he had slammed his foot down on somebody's neck, killing him. He wanted to feel that way again, rather than be the one getting threatened.

Still, there was one other thing that he wanted. "I'm looking for somebody as well. Felicia Carmichael. Have you seen her anywhere?" That probably wouldn't sit well with Tiffany, given the way she'd been behaving towards him, but he had to find her, if only to get some closure on their brief relationship.

[selphie_trabia†]

Tiffany stayed out of sight, until she heard mention of Felicia. She hissed inwardly to herself. That girl was definitely going to be trouble. Her anger almost boiled over, but she pushed it down inside herself. She could let Quince have it later. If her analysis was right, he would feel guilty. If she was wrong, well... there was that one little tidbit that she'd been saving about Felicia that she could accidentally drop in front of him. That would make him upset - all the easier for severing his ties with the little bitch.

She carefully manouvered herself, circling Mia as Quincy approached her, keeping as quiet as she could and her head low so that Mia couldn't see. She needed to get behind Mia and she wasn't sure how observant the other girl was. For now, this would do.

[Grim Wolf]

[This is mainly to avoid inactivity. Sorry if I'm intruding.]


(Naoko Raidon continued from The Lord's Mercy)

This was too risky.

That gun looked deadly, no doubt about that, and that girl wasn't exactly holding it easily. She didn't know how to use it, if Raidon was any judge of such things. On the other hand, he had a half-empty handgun and there were three people.

He was hidden behind a cluster of fallen logs, clumsily displayed. He had been taking a short walk from his meandering, resting his weary legs, when he'd heard voices and bent lower. There was a fortunate crack in this makeshift lean-to; he had peeked through a crack to see what was happening.

Sniper rifle. Interesting, but it was too risky and, and...

Someone else might die.

Raidon grimaced and huddled a little lower in his shelter.

Someone else might die. His hand tightened around his gun, which he glanced down at. With this weapon, he'd taken the lives of three people, two of whom, at least, had deserved far better. And he was here, casually contemplating the murder of another human being because she had a better gun than he did.

"Christ," he whispered, then rose to his feet and stumbled out into the darkness, out into the trees and out of the temptation that murder now offered to him.

God help me.

(Naoko Raidon continued in Surely God Is In This Place)

[selphie_trabia†]

((Avoid Inactivity))

Tiffany spun around and peered into the bushes as she heard some rustling behind her. Seeing noone, she breathed an almost imperceptible sigh of relief and continued her trek through the bushes. No doubt that Mia girl would have heard the same rustling as well.

[Killer_Moth†]

Even as he waited for the girl to make her reply, Quince found himself startled by a sudden movement off to the left. The wrong direction to be Tiff. That wasn't good. It meant that there was somebody else out there, under cover. Watching them. Maybe this girl was the advance guard for her own little group, much as he was for Tiffany.

He had to play it fair though. He resisted the instinct to go for his own gun. After all, there was still a rifle that could be pointed at him much faster than he could bring his own ordnance round. He tried to remain as nonchalant as he could. "Friends of yours?"

[Gwbiii†]

"Felicia? No..." Temptation to make snarky comment about Felatia, queen of sluts, rising... "No, no I haven't."

Mia slowly snatched up and replaced her bags across her shoulder again, before taking another step back.

And another.

"Friends of yours?"

And tree stump.

"What?" She glanced quickly in the direction of whatever the boy was looking at. Which seemed to be very... nothing. Just a rustle in the bushes. Just a distraction.

She lifted the gun's stock ever so slightly as she felt for the top of the stump behind her with her left foot. If he was trying to distract her, trying to get the upper hand, it was time she reminded him who was in charge here.

Or just abscond. Her chest was feeling tighter as each second passed. Noises in the bushes, the way this guy was still... there. Something felt wrong here, and it was giving her the creeps. Although, if she had to make a mad dash between the tree stumps in her long, pleated skirt... It wouldn't be marked as the epitome of dignified retreat. Also, she'd be trying to outrun someone fitter, stronger, better equipped for pursuit and probably a lot faster than herself...

That really wasn't going to work.

First step of plan Alpha was getting up onto this tree stump. A quick movement, a careful assessment of her balance, and she was standing atop the tree's carcass. She felt a lot better with a few inches of higher ground, a little more separation between her and him and... who the fuck was that. Klaxons screamed in her mind as she noticed some young lady creeping around her flank. She snapped the rifle's snout to point at her, thought better of it, and swung it back in the general direction of the boy's head.

"HEY, HARLOT!" She shouted at the interloper. Her voice expressing something between apprehension and the confidence that came with suddenly understanding an entire situation and knowing you were more or less in control of its outcome.

She willed her trigger hand to relax, with her body as tensed to flee as it was at that moment she thought it lucky she remembered accidentally pulling the trigger was a real potentiality. She really didn't want to shoot anybody unless it was necessary... or she had a sudden change of heart. Just shooting them and being rid of a couple of annoyances cum potential nighttime-cutthroats had a certain appeal.

Then again, what if she missed?

Well, then she had another 18 shots.

She liked those odds.

"HALTEN SIE, OR I SNUFF DON QUIXOTE HERE!" Bitch.

[Killer_Moth†]

What had just happened? She must have noticed either the fourth party, or given the way her head had snapped round, Tiffany had come out of her cover and been spotted. Either way, Quincy now had a gun pointed straight at his head. He moved his hands high and wide to show he was not being a threat, just as he had seen so many times.

Inside, he was furious. How could he have been so stupid? He should have just taken a quick shot at her before he had been noticed. He'd already killed once. What would one more be in the scheme of things? He could have shown Tiffany that he was not to be messed with, shown all of them. Instead, he was trapped here, his own gun still tucked in the back of his pants, and him unwilling to move to get at it for fear of a bullet to the face.

Worst of all, the bitch hadn't even known anything about Felicia. He'd blown it on a long shot, and had nothing to show for it. If he got out of this alive, he was sure that he'd find a way to smooth things over with Tiffany, but it might take some time. In the meantime, he just had to hope that either Gunslut would lose concentration on him enough to make a move, or that Tiffany was going to somehow come to his rescue. Either way, he was stuck waiting for somebody else to make a move.

[decoy73]

((ASSUMING CONTROL of Tiffany Chanders))

Quincy was an asset. Many people would have agreed with Tiffany on this. However, many of those people saw Quincy as such because he was a good guy who honored his promises. Tiffany saw Quincy in a slightly different way: Quincy was an asset because he was able and willing to do what she told him to do. That wasn't the first thing that went through her head at this turn of events.

"HEY, HARLOT!"

Fuck. That was the first thing to come to Tiffany's mind.

"HALTEN SIE, OR I SNUFF DON QUIXOTE HERE!"

The second was, as the girl without he rifle swung her gun to point at Quincy was: Do I expose myself or stay here? The answer to that was rooted in yet another question: Who's the bigger asset? Well, let's see:

Reasons to jump out and save Quincy: He was strong, he was loyal, and he had a gun. Reasons to stay hidden and risk losing Quincy for new girl: New girl had a bigger gun, and, well, that was really it. It didn't really seem like she would fall for any of Tiffany's tricks. If the girl was bluffing, or didn't manage to blow off Quincy's head, Tiffany could always play the scared little girl, scared to come out because of the BIG FUCKING GUN. But if Rifle Girl wasn't bluffing, she'd have the Big Gun and be able to add Tiffany's gun to the mix, and there was no way in hell that Tiffany would be able to defend herself against that girl as things were now. Not when all Tiffany had was a golf club.

Even though Tiffany didn't realize it, what went through her head was essentially a cost-benefit analysis that led her to sniff and put on that face she put on when she got into that fight with Bridget Connolly (among other things), the one that said "I'm an innocent victim in all this."

"Okay, I'm coming out!" Tiffany stepped out of the bush, her hands, and the golf club, above her head, sounding as scared as she possibly could. "Please don't hurt him! I - I saw somebody over there!" Tiffany motioned over to where she had heard that other person. Actually, she motioned about ten yards away from where he was. That way, it was less likely for anyone to question why she was in the bushes in the first place. "I thought I saw a gun, and I was just trying to get away from him!" Tiffany fleetingly thought about how this was the best type of lie - the one with enough of the truth in it to make it believable.