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Post by e on Sept 14, 2010 17:52:20 GMT -8
Claire is relieved when her feet his a flat area at the bottom of the slope. By no means does she expect the climb to be the most exciting moment of this evening, but it would not look good in the strength and bravery areas for one of hers to fall down the mountain.
She takes a deep breath, quietly in and then just as quietly lets it out. She nudges Tom as Jura-Vi is miming his plans for them to help in snaring the beast.
"Follow his lead. With all them teeth on his pretty collar there, I'd bet he knows what he's doin'. We can keep yer grenade idea in mind though... if things get messy."
Claire watches the widening rings where the meat entered the still lake water. She steps up near Jura-Vi, readying the rifle. She squints, kneeling for better support and aim, watching the rope for signs of movement.
She intends to give this Kan-Echa a bullet in the eye the very moment it breaks the surface. If it has eyes. If it's all teeth, (she briefly smiles as she recalls Jura-Vi's gesturing of massive jaws and teeth) well, those'll do just as nicely.
((Would like to spend 30cp for +6 in Combat Tactics... Unless, was there a limit at 5pts in one go?))
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 14, 2010 19:31:29 GMT -8
The meat-on-a-rope gradually sinks down below the surface, and after a minute Jura-Vi hauls in the rope and casts again, the meat landing with a sodden splash in the lake once more. Noticing Tom's hand attached to the end of the rope he looks at him like he'd just stuck it in a running furnace, then shrugs, grinning. The silence is deep enough that every drop of water that falls from the rope held in Jura's hand into the water is clearly audible. The chk-klak sound of Helouse easing back the hammer of her gun seems almost unbearably loud. On the fifth cast, the splash of the meat into the pond is instantly eclipsed by a huge thrashing in the water. Spray flies far enough to land on the faces of those on the rock. Jura-Vi's eyes go wide and he hauls in hard on the rope, straining and backpeadaling simultaneously, almost bowling over Heloise. Half the meat pops free of the clutches of whatever struck it and Jura begins reeling it in hand over fist. Following it is a sizeable bow-wake, with the edge of a wide green snout at the lead. "Eka ni ravas kan dua na esha!" Jura-Vi shouts, forgettign in his excitement that mosf of them can't understand him. He hauls on the rope one last time and then drops it, taking up his spear. The meat bumps up against the boulder and it's immediately followed by a huge scaled form, toothed and clawed and impossibly sinister. it flings itself bodily up onto the bounder, taking nearly half of it up. There is a scattering of pebbles and the rock shifts a few dregrees as it's center of gravity is adjusted. It gazes at the party with two tiny-seeming reptilian eyes and from it's toothy maw issues a hiss like a venting steam engine. "Oh Jesus!" Heloise cries, "LAND SHARK!" For a moment time stops and no-one dares to move. Then the creature puts one foot forward, claws clicking and scraping on the rough stone. It's head drops, it's jaws yawn impossibly wide, and it charges. =======================================In case you are wondering: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PorrdLeVMTU&feature=relatedHave fun! Claire:+6 Com Tac ( -30 CP) (And nah, I'm not going to worry about it unless people start actually abusing it..) +2 CP Dexter:+2 CP Tom+3 CP (Meant to give you an extra yesterday)
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Post by jazzs3quence on Sept 15, 2010 7:42:54 GMT -8
Dexter's eyes widen in shock. He wasn't sure what he expected, but this thing with a mouth like a bear trap was not it. Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god repeats like a mantra in his brain, and each repetition is punctuated by his finger squeezing the trigger. Action 1: SHOOT! Action 2: SHOOT! (( sub-action 3: PANIC!!! )) (( oh, and I'll spend 10CP for +2 more Com Tac, too ))
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Post by brendur on Sept 15, 2010 8:20:18 GMT -8
Tom blinked at the explosion of water and scales, during the oppressive silence as everyone stood in awe of this behemoth, Tom realized he knew only one thing about this beast. It was certainly no shark. He took the cue from Jura-Vi when the rope was dropped and dove to the left of the charging beast. Spitting his blade out into his hand he lashed out at the nearest scaled bits he could reach. No problem too big that a few holes in it couldn't take care of.
(( Action 1: Attack! Action 2: Attack!))
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Post by e on Sept 15, 2010 9:07:14 GMT -8
Claires eyes widen when she sees the size of the monster crawling out of the water. Her jaw twitches a bit but her hands stay steady. She calls to Tom, "Rope could do well to keep it's teeth clean, eh?"
She fires the rifle into the thing's monstrous eyes, keeping her sights clear of Tom and everyone else. A growling comes from her throat as she watches the beast lunge for them.
((Action 1: Shoot))
((Action 2: Shoot!))
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 15, 2010 21:14:03 GMT -8
The beast lumbers forward towards the group as party opens up with an ear-shattering fusillade of shots. Chips of flying rock and splashes of water punctuate the shots that go wide, though the target is large enough that few of them do. The Imperial kicks hard in Claire's grasp, and tears a gouge out of the rock next to the crocodile's front paw. Realigning and adjusting for the sizeable recoil, she points the barrel right between the creature's stubbby eye mounds and fires the second shot. The croc flinches visibly from snout to tail, seeming to lose coordination and stalling in it's advance. The respite only lasts a second, but the momentary pause is enough for Heloise and Dexter to get thair sight in on a stationary target. Their guns blare and the creature drops with a rumbling moan not two feet from Jura-VI and Tom, not dead but seemingly too wounded or disoriented to continue on. It's deep breathing sounds like a bellows working, and it's massive tooth-filled jaw opens and closes slowly. ==============UPKEEP=========== ((Merf. Sort of an anticlamax. But you guys rolled well and poor 'ol Gustav just didn't have any luck with his toughness rolls. Plus Claire hit him HAARRDD with the super death cannon that is the Imperial.)) Tom:+3 CP Claire:-2 R14 ammo +3 CP Dexter:-2 Highwind ammo +3 CP
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Post by jazzs3quence on Sept 16, 2010 4:50:30 GMT -8
Dexter keeps the gun poised on the animal while the shots ring through the cindercone. Looking at it, motionless on the rock, makes him sad, and he wonders what made the beast decide to make a home up here. Lowering his weapon cautiously, he walks over to the huge lizard and puts a hand on its cold, scaly back, closing his eyes and feeling the beast's slow breathing.
((you got the +2 com tac, right? I know it doesn't affect the rolls but it wasn't in le upkeep.))
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 16, 2010 6:32:04 GMT -8
((no, actually I totally forgot. -_- I'll get it next round...))
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Post by brendur on Sept 16, 2010 7:35:32 GMT -8
Tom keeps his dagger at the ready as the scaled body comes crashing to a halt before him and Jura-Vi, he keeps a healthy attitude of caution as he see's it still breathing. He'd seen too many men and animals looking dead and turn out to be the exact opposite once a limb got into reach. When Dexter walks up and lays a hand on it Tom snaps at him, grabbing his shoulder.
"Careful! We don't know how dead it tis..."
He looks to the others, wrinkling his nose.
"As to that matter though, who wants the killin blow? Seems only right the ones what got shots off decide amongst themselves."
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Post by jazzs3quence on Sept 16, 2010 8:05:00 GMT -8
Dexter slowly opens his eyes from his reverie to glare at Tom like he was facing a half-wit.
"'Not sure how dead'? Just how dead did you need it to be? A little deader, perhaps? Not quite dead enough for you? In case you missed it in primary school, there's only two states for organisms -- they're either dead, or they're not. This one's not, but he's not going anywhere at the moment. That said, we're all animals here, Tom. Even this beast deserves a little respect. How would you take to a band of hostile intruders breaking into your home, threatening violence with guns and spears?" He turns back to the croc, putting a hand on his head. "Whatever we do, he doesn't need to suffer any more than he has."
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Post by brendur on Sept 16, 2010 8:21:20 GMT -8
Tom's eyes narrow to slits as Dexter talks down to him.
"Don't lecture me on death boyo till ye've seen a death rattle or two, this ain't about bein fair to the animal. Tis about him weighin near 10 times as much as ye! He twitches and breaks yer spine, then what have we got to show fer yer kindness eh? Think yer sister oer there wants to tell the tale oh how her brother got squashed by a dyin animal that decided to roll oer? Ye want to be kind to it I suggest we kill it quick, put it out oh it's misery."
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Post by jazzs3quence on Sept 16, 2010 8:30:41 GMT -8
Dexter sighs and nods silently. He stands slowly and walks back toward the path they came down and sits in the shadows.
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Post by e on Sept 16, 2010 20:19:30 GMT -8
Claire's satisfaction shows in a small smile when she sees the huge beast stop its advance. She watches it's jaws and it's great breaths, thinking that she was in not too terrible different shape just a few short days ago. She's glad that nobody put her out of her misery when she was lyin' on her back, but she's just not quite as eager to strike the creature in front of her again as she would have been last week. She's readying herself to step closer and finish it off when Dexter decides he wants to play nursemaid to the awful beast.
"Yes, Dex. Tom's right. We need to put out the last torch here and quick is better for all of us, including the... what'd you call it Heloise? Landshark? I'll do it, and after we can all work out how we'd like to show our respect, without losing any limbs."
She steps up next to Jura-Vi and quickly draws the rifle up toward her chest, holding it like a spear now, then thrusts in down at the beast, aiming for the middle of it's skull, 'tween the eyes. She takes the time to get a good hold on the rifle and a good fix on her target, but no longer.
She prefers to use the blade with the beast still and looking near death. Using a bullet seems too much and she figures it's the way Jura would have done it.
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 16, 2010 22:41:32 GMT -8
Heloise straightens up, succesfully holstering her pistol on the second try. "Ah.. No, it's called a Crocodile. I've seen pictures. I was just a bit excited." She peers intently at the beast but doesn't move closer. "I had no idea thay got -that- big, though."
Mara-Ke slides down from the higher rock where she'd scuttled to during the fight. She gives Dexter a long, quiet look as he approaches the croc, then slides in close herself as he moves away and Claire takes up position. Crouching at arms length, she lays the pads of her two fingers gently on the tip of the animal's snout. She speaks lowly and softly, wnding with what sounds like the names of everyone present. After a brief pause she withdraws her hand and looks up to Claire, giving her a small nod.
=========Ye upkeep-------------------
Dexter +2 Com Tac (-10 CP) +2 CP
Tom: +2 CP
Claire: +2 CP
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Post by brendur on Sept 17, 2010 9:14:52 GMT -8
When the killing blow is made Tom is silent for a moment, watching Mara-ke perform her rite with what might be construed as reverence. When it's done he sheaths his dirk, walking around the corpse and still giving it a respectful distance.
"S'too big to be a crocodile any longer...s'a proper dragon now. Coor...how long you think it's been here to get like that? S'the bloody size oh the damn boiler. "
After a time and he's convinced that the beast it good and dead, he walks up to it, tapping the scales where they're the hardest.
"S'almost like a full suit oh armor...speakin oh which, what are we goin to do with the big lug now? Don't seem right just to leave him here to rot..."
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Post by jazzs3quence on Sept 17, 2010 10:22:45 GMT -8
"He should be used to feed the tribe," Dexter says from his spot in the blackness. "Haul as much meat as we can carry back down the volcano. It's...uh...it's what tribals in other parts of the world do with buffalo...well, and other things, of course..." He looks at Mara-Ke. "Unless the beast is cursed or his meat is tainted or something, seems like the most honorable thing to do, and it would help the tribe."
"Heck. Maybe you're onto something, Tom. Maybe his scales could be used for armor or shields or...something." He glances at Jura-Vi.
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Post by e on Sept 17, 2010 12:26:18 GMT -8
Claire cleans much from the blade as well as she can with a few leaves she finds tucked in the rock crevices nearby and listens quietly as Mara speaks over the dead beast. At the woman's nod, Claire gives her a small nod in return and a quiet "Thank you."
She touches the crocodile once, lightly on the uppermost point of it's spine, then turns away, looking up at the steep path to the top of the crater, listening to Tom and Dexter. She wonders how much the carcass weighs and how prudent it would be to attempt to haul it up the slope. Perhaps in pieces...
She reattaches the rifle to her back and stands.
"Mara-Ke, Jura-Vi, would it please your people to bring meat and scales, teeth also back to the village?"
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 17, 2010 20:34:29 GMT -8
Jura-Vi crouches by the remains of the crocodile, pausing for a moment to touch it's head in a respectful, almost amicable manner. "Jura-Vi." He says to the creature, before placing a sharp-edged stone knife against the root of one of the croc's teeth. Using a flat bit of obsidian from the boulder he hammers loose the pointed tooth with three sharp strokes, pulling it the rest of the way out with his hand. After inspecting it a moment he slips it into his pouch. Straightening up he turns back to the group.
"Tell name so if want revenge, know who." He smiles. "Tomorrow warriors come, cut." He pantomimes a chopping motion. "Carry back... Not eat because Kan-Echa eat family." He pulls a face, overcome by a brief mood, then shrugs it away. He looks up the steep side of the cone's interior. A bright white moon is just now peeking over the edge, casting pools of light and making those areas still in shadow seem even darker.
"Lick!" Jura-Vi beams, pointing at it with his spear.
"Luck." Mara-Ke says, her mouth quirking in irritation, following up with a stream of native. The warrior shrugs, his jubilant mood undiminished.
The added illumination reveals more details around the crater. Clearly visible now are the 'caves' the crocodile apparently used to enter and exit the cone. Though they are half-full of leisurely flowing water, it's immediately obvious that they are not natural features. Each of the six that are visible are perfectly rounded, almost certainly the work of men and mining equipment, though no more can be ascertained from this distance.
Jura-Vi taps the butt of his spear on the rock and points up the slope. "We go. Back morning."
================================================ Get Ye Upkeep
Tom: +2 CP
Dexter: +2 CP
Claire: +2 CP
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Post by e on Sept 20, 2010 18:12:24 GMT -8
Claire watches Jura-Vi as he extracts a tooth. She pictures herself with a collar decorated in bones and feathers and the hat on top, looking grim. She smiles a bit. She decides after a good long bit of back and forth that she doesn't need to start a tooth and fang collection this late in her life, though it might well impress many of her business acquaintances.
"Tomorrow warriors come, cut."
Claire tips her head toward him amiably. "Arrite."
Her attention turns back to the crocodile, then to the water behind it. She wonders how many of them there are and just how keen on human chops they are. She stares at the caves, wondering how they came to be, but she keeps her feet well away from the edge and the water.
"We go. Back morning."
"Sounds good. I'm hungry enough to hurry back quick as a wink."
She steps to make room for the others at the bottom of the path they descended earlier.
"On up then. I'll bring up the rear this time round."
She watches the water until it's her turn to ascend.
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Post by jazzs3quence on Sept 20, 2010 19:23:15 GMT -8
Dexter rises and stands next to his sister, silently, his eyes following her gaze toward the water and intuitively reading the question behind her eyes; are there more? As the others begin filing up the path back to the rim, he takes a step towards the water, imagining putting his ear to the ground to see if he can hear movement. The idiocy of that particular action strikes him like a gunshot -- it would only take a fraction of a second for one of those things to take his head off, best not to tempt fate. Not anxious to lead off the pack back to the village, he waits with his sister until everyone else is past before heading back up the slope.
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Post by brendur on Sept 21, 2010 0:06:23 GMT -8
Tom himself eyes the large reptilian behemoth from snout to stem, two feet, that was the distance it had stopped from him and Juri when it fell out of it's charge. Just two feet between him and a creature fashioned by life simply to wait and kill. Damn right he was going to take a tooth. He watched carefully as Juri did it, then mimicked the warrior's action, patting the croc on the snout.
"Name's Tick Tock...yer welcome to come back after me iffin yer hard enough."
Smirking he stood and slung his rucksack back over his shoulder, nodding to the others.
"S'get the hell out oh here fore the tide rises."
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Post by jazzs3quence on Sept 21, 2010 2:13:37 GMT -8
Dexter looks from Tick Tock to Jura-Vi to the crocodile. He nudges his sister and nods his head towards the beast as he walks over to it, puts his hand on its snout and says "Dexter" in a low voice. Then he follows the rest up the mountain.
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Post by e on Sept 21, 2010 7:10:38 GMT -8
Claire's mouth squeezes a bit narrower in irritation at Dexter's nudge. Oh, fer crying out loud. It already knows what I look like 'n how I smell, I think if it's after revenge it'll do just fine. But on account of fittin' in with the crowd, I s'pose I'll give the dead beastie my name.
She steps back toward the huge crocodile and crouches down so she can look it in the eye to speak.
"If you want revenge, come for me, Claire. It was me as put the last blow into your hide."
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 21, 2010 11:51:41 GMT -8
((Holy crap, I totally passed out last night, sorry. -_- I'll do upkeep for both at the end of the day.))
The trip back up the inside of the cindercone is made easier by the moonlight and leftover adrenaline from the fight. Still, when the group reaches the top of the slope, Jura-Vi halts the group for almost an our in order to rest their weary legs and quivering muscles. The moon is at it's apex by the time the pick themselves up to move on, Heloise grumbling nearly all the way.
Back in amongst the treeline the darkness is enveloping, and rather than pass through the jungle at night Jura elects to make a halt just above the vegetation line in order to rest and wait for the sun. Jura volunteers to keep watch and there is a space of perhaps three or four hours in which to rest.
When the light of the sun is strong enough to pierce through the canopy the group moves on, backtracking along the trail they took to arrive here. After another bit of travel through the brush, pie-easy compared to some of the other terrain they'd been covering, they make their way back to the clearing of the islander village.
They emerge from the trail head to find the village already in motion; one of the nearby fire pits is lit and attended by a cluster of villagers who are cooking what looks like fish on long sticks in a circle around the fire. Sitting among he locals are some more familiar faces. Maximillian sits among them, with Anastasia and Elle to his left and right. As the hunting party breaks clear of the jungle, Max jumps to his feet, waving and smiling broadly.
"'Ey! The conquerors return! " He calls loudly, doing a quick headcount. "'An with all their pieces even!"
Every head at the fire swivels to look at the newcomers. A murmur arises two or three of the villagers get to their feet, moving off to spread the news.
Jura Vi- jogs forward, digging in his pouch for the croc tooth. Holding it above his head provokes a jubilant shout from the assembled villagers, who celebrate further by stomping their feet in the sand.
Elle and Anastasia get to their feet and move to greet the rest of the crew. "Well you didn't miss much." Elle raises her voice to be heard over the crowd. "But it's nice and peaceful here... Well, until recently. ..What kind of tooth is that?!"
Anastasia walks amongst the crew, looking for injuries. "So I guess you did the deed, yes? Nobody's hurt?"
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Post by jazzs3quence on Sept 21, 2010 18:40:04 GMT -8
Dexter shrugs off his pack and grabs a piece of whatever's cooking, his squeamishness about food that moves temporarily ignored after recent events. "Hurt? Just a really big reptile. He couldn't make the trip down," he says, completely deadpan in a voice that makes you wonder if he's serious.
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Post by e on Sept 21, 2010 18:58:10 GMT -8
"So I guess you did the deed, yes? Nobody's hurt?"
Claire grins at Anastasia.
"Nope. We're safe and sound. Nothing fer you to put a stitch in, I'm afraid."
After surveying the crowd for a bit she walks over to Max, holding his rifle out to him.
"Yer darlin' of a piece here came in mighty handy last night. Much obliged fer its borrow."
She sits down, stretching her legs and pointing and flexing her toes a few times to get rid of the aches.
"Went fair enough last night, hope it'll do right by our cause here. Jura-Vi offered a giant meatball to a huge beastie of a crocodile and we put him out without any of us gettin' bit or battered up. Was a helluva climb down there though. Stuff of nightmares, if you ask me. One false step... but we kept our feet till we got down there to the beasts caves."
She sniffs the air in one direction, then turns her head in the other.
"Speakin' of beasties, I could use me somethin' to pad my insides with. You got any bright ideas about where I could get us a little mornin' tidbit?"
She looks about, in hopes of spying something like what Kenneth whips up waitin' for her somewhere. Ever since she met that cook, she can't get his biscuits out of her head.
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Post by brendur on Sept 21, 2010 19:15:44 GMT -8
Tom can't help but soak in all the celebration, drinking it in like well aged wine. All that bloody noise, and all because they put a few bullets in a lizard. Well a big effin lizard with a head about as long as many of the village children. He takes out his own crocodile tooth admiring it in the sun light, he then looks around at the rest of the crew.
"Ye should have bloody seen the thing! Twas thrice the length oh any man, n'faster than a greased pig afore Sunday dinner. One less bullet in it and it would have gotten ugly quick...hell bet he could have fit meself into one bite without much trouble."
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 21, 2010 21:05:29 GMT -8
Maximillian intercepts Dexter and sticks a pair of roasted fish in his hands before he has a chance to try and wheedle some out of the natives. "'ere ya go, lad." He grins. "Ye don't wanna go borrowin' just yet." He turns to Claire as she approaches and acccepts the rifle, absently working the bolt once to make sure everything is in proper order. "No trouble 't all, Cap'n. Glad she came in handy." He grins and pockets the ejected round, slaps the gun's stock once and slings it over his shoulder. Anastasia, Elle and Max listen intently as Claire and Tom unravel their tales of the night. Several of the villagers gather around to have a look at Tom's new tooth, pointing and talkign excitedly. "Crocodile, huh?" Elle scratches her nose. "I know some of them can live in salt water, but I wonder how in hell one of 'em got way out here." Max shrugs. "Beats hell outta me.. Maybe slithered offa some trader or just found it's way here natural." He shakes his head in wonderment. " Stranger things've happened. Any case I'm sure they'll be happy ta see the back of it." Kenneth sits nearby, but only offers a few grumbles in response to Clair's inquiry about food, he doesn't have anything with him to cook. Fortunately Max seems to figure out what's on Claire's mind, hunger-wise and he brings around a woven plate piled with roasted fish for everyone along with a few cooked plantaines. A few minutes later Ki-Rav appears, flanked by Kima-Ek, Jura-Vi and Mara-Ke. The four make their way in a miniature procession towards the cookfire, flanked by what looks like most of the village. ====UPKEEP======Tom:+1 croc tooth (Has no size, but note it down in your description if you want. ) +4 CP Dexter:+4 CP Claire:-Imperial R14 +4 CP ((NINJA EDIT: Oops. Kenneth was with you.))
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Post by jazzs3quence on Sept 22, 2010 15:17:50 GMT -8
Dexter shrugs and takes what Max hands him silently. He's too hungry and tired to argue. After Max comes back with food for the group -- Dexter grabbing a few plantains when they appear -- he notices the convoy approaching their camp, and nudges Claire, nodding in their direction.
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Post by e on Sept 22, 2010 19:02:46 GMT -8
Claire's happily swallowing mouthfuls of delicious island it-really-doesn't-matter-what and sighing in relief at having something besides her own stomach to digest when Dex prods at her again. She's tired, hungry and irritated by still not having a handle on what is going on so she turns to give him a sharp you got a mouth, now use it instead of elbowing me day in and day out, but instead she sees what he's all excited over and instead says to herself "Huh, that was quicker than I thought it'd be. Are they all decided then, or do we need to collect the carcass and all that first do you think?"
She swallows the mouthful she just bit off and stands, waiting for whatever it is happens now. She hopes the waiting part is done with and she hopes even more that she'll be excluded from climbin all that way back to hack up that monster. Not that she'd let it show. If it was up to her, she'd rather catch a few winks or dig a ship out a volcano. Either'd make her morning a whole lot brighter.
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