[RP] Flytrap Canyon - A Steampunk Western

[Sleuth]

@DLA: Apps will contnue to be open, however it'll be much more difficult for new Bandits to enter the gang after it's started. There'd have to be a bit of justification but it will be allowed.

[GuardianDreamer]

Spoiler : Alexis Lockswell :

Name: Alexis Lockswell
Age: 22
Occupation: Paladin Formerly the protector of her home village and part-time sword training instructor, now on the case to find those Bandits.
Group: Hunter
Appearance: This is how she looked like in another RP except for how she's supposed to be fully covered in armor so I have to do stuff to give the illusion of full armor and apparently there weren't options for lower-body armor and basically only focus on the face since she's wearing different stuff anyway. Why did I use this character creator for her. The armor has now been replaced by an azure power suit. Also, ignore the purple parts of the hair, that's just a thing that happens with the character maker I used. She's taller than average and she has many scars on her body, though they're covered up.

Gear:
- She thinks that she's in a medieval fantasy or something and uses a rapier to fight. The good news? It's not a normal rapier. It can be used like one, but she can also throw it at an enemy and call it back with the press of a button on her gloves, which causes the sword to levitate and be called back into her hands because science.
- She carries a talwar with her. She's not as good with it as she is with a rapier and it has no special tricks, but it's much more useful for cutting (whereas a rapier is better at thrusting).
- A large shield with some kind of crest on it. Made out of an extremely sturdy material that makes it hard to break.
- A first-aid kit
- Azure power suit. It helps her not die more. She wanted to wear medieval armor but that ended up not working out.
- Canteen of water and some rations
- A regular chain-sickle. This one isn't really meant to be used for serious combat, and is more used to solve minor disputes by disarming someone who got drunk and is swinging a knife around or something. (Watch as it ends up being her most-used weapon.)
- A bag where she carries a lot of this stuff so she doesn't look completely ridiculous.

Other: I'll begin by mentioning that this is an AU of one of my Endless Time characters, and I believe I can write her character better now that I've matured as a writer. She doesn't have light magic to help her anymore, and her backstory has differences, but she will be exploring similar concepts (but hopefully in a better way now that I've improved). I have a worry that she'll seem REALLY out of place in a steampunk RP and that I haven't updated her enough, though seeming out of place is part of the point. Do tell me if I need to make adjustments. ... Then again, Endless Time had SPACE SHIPS AND GUNS, so maybe I shouldn't worry that much.

It's said that Alexis has ancestors who were knights or something. Regardless or whether or not it is true, she thinks it is, and she seems really out of place as a result. While Alexis is a rather serious person, she often seems like a fish out of water due to having a difficult time adjusting to technology, and she has the honor code of a knight. This results in a lot of people making fun of her for it, which she doesn't always notice. She's not the best with sarcasm unless it's pretty obvious. Despite all of that, Alexis is actually rather formidable. Her family runs a training center for swordfighters, and Alexis has learned how to use a blade from a very young age. This does put her at a disadvantage against anyone using more advanced technology, so it's probably a good thing that she's rather tough.

Alexis is a rather compassionate and kind-hearted person, but she has a very bad tendency to see things in black and white, even when there are various shades of gray to a situation. Her trusting nature has also gotten her into trouble before. Alexis prefers to spare her enemies, unless she's convinced that they're really truly irredeemably evil. While she doesn't intend it, she can come across as rather short-sighted and self-righteous. Still, her heart's in the right place, and she has a lot of room to grow as a person. With any luck, she'll quickly realize the error in her way of thinking and become the true hero she aspires to be.

Oh right. Hero stuff. Yeah, Alexis likes the concept of justice and protecting other people. She seriously wants to be a knight, almost to the point where she forgets about her own desires as a person. As the protector of her town, she has very little leisure time for herself and tends to spend it on more training. She's the type who doesn't need a reason to help people, and will often refuse any rewards offered to her.

Alexis became a Hunter in order to help more people outside of her town. She's built up something of a reputation as a person who's much tougher than she seems, since people tend to underestimate her when she seriously tries to act like her idea of what a knight should be. She's also built up a reputation as the type of person who has a lot of knowledge on various subjects, yet constantly asks very basic questions about technology.

Would probably be voiced by Jennifer Hale. (That's who ShadowEdgeworth assigned as her a long time ago. I think that's fitting.)

Spoiler : Kenneth Roymond :

Name: Kenneth Roymond
Age: 19
Occupation: Does "expert in being a huge jerk" count as an occupation Thief/Burglar/Pickpocket
Group: Bandit
Appearance: got drew some art of him a very long time ago, and I got his permission to link it. His appearance is pretty much still the same. Though I realize now that I constantly flip-flop on whether his hair is orange or dirty blond or something in-between.

Gear:
- Twin daggers, clearly showing some wear and faded bloodstains, but still reliable in a fight. It helps that they're not ordinary daggers. Both of them have a button that, when pressed, allow for a powerful (but non-lethal) shock to flow through the blades of the daggers. Basically I noticed that Kenneth was underpowered with just regular daggers and stole the stun dagger (well, stun knife) thing from MGS.
- Lockpicks, because those are kind of useful.
- A few bags of marbles. Much more useful than people give them credit for, considering how useful they are during escapes.
- A medium-sized bag that he uses to carry the stuff he takes.
- Canteen of water.
- Box of matches.
- A whistle.
- A small bag full of spikes.
- Rope.
- Literally a sack full of rocks.

Other: First of all, it should be mentioned that this is an AU version of one of my Endless Time characters. Looking back, I realize that I could have written him a lot better, and his character has potential, so I'm going to give him another chance. Maybe I've grown enough to handle some stuff regarding him that I really should have thought more about before. Maybe this time the darkness and edginess will actually be more closely examined instead of being there just because.And maybe he won't get killed by Alexis this time. No promises.

Kenneth is an asshole. He is not a good human being, and if given the chance, he would not take the opportunity to better himself as a person. Any good he does is motivated purely by pragmatism, so it's safe to assume he always has an ulterior motive for altruistic acts. If you absolutely have to give him a redeeming quality, it's that he refuses to harm children. Even then, it isn't like he suddenly becomes super ultra nice guy. He just tries not to be a jerk to them, though this usually involves ignoring them unless he has to talk to them. Kenneth gets the most enjoyment from watching other people suffer, and he's fully aware of how immoral it is to think that way. While he is able to act normally when the situation calls for it, this is an illusion: he feels rather empty on the inside, and isn't even sure if he has a personality aside from being a pathetic human being.

Usually he can be spotted with either a smug smirk on his face, or a look of mild annoyance. He's basically given up and has resigned himself to believing that he will one day be killed by the Hunters, though at the same time, his self-preservation instinct is still strong, so he's the type to put himself into a very dangerous situations, but then try to survive anyway. This isn't an aspect of himself that he particularly likes. This is actually reflected in how he fights: in case it isn't obvious from looking at his gear, Kenneth is equipped to escape from fights and live to see another day. Yet he easily prefers going berserk and charging at his enemies, hurting both them and himself greatly in the process. While Kenneth is able to withstand tremendous amounts of pain and still continue, he is not immortal, and this style of fighting WILL result in long-lasting wounds that could potentially kill him or handicap him if he's not careful or very lucky. He has a somewhat nihilistic view on things, but at the same time, he actually really wants to be proven wrong there. As a side note, he has a bit of a foul mouth, though nowhere near as much as a certain violinist from another RP.

He doesn't like to talk about his past much, believing that talking about it will sound like he's trying to justify his more immoral actions, or that he's fishing for sympathy. What can be deduced is that he has spent a good chunk of his life as a thief, though one with very mixed results. While he liked to think that he was very good at being the stealthy type of thief, he found that he really wasn't that good at it, and switched to being the type of thief who ambushes you, knocks you out, and takes your stuff. He's found much more success that way. More fun, too.

As for his attitude towards his fellow Bandits? Well, he doesn't really trust them at all, though to be fair, they shouldn't trust him too much either. Whether he will choose to betray them or not will depend on multiple factors, especially since Kenneth tends to make a lot of decisions on the spot. If you can get past the horrible personality and chance that he will stab you in the back, Kenneth otherwise earns his keep as a team member due to his skills. Is there a ray of hope anywhere for Kenneth? ... Probably not, but we'll see where the chips fall. His original version had no chance of a happy ending, but maybe this one does. Or at least a bittersweet one. We'll see.

Since voice acting is cool now, I imagine him being voiced by David Vincent. (I remember SE once cast him as David Humphrey, who isn't an unfitting voice... But I would not be able to get over him literally having Shadow the Hedgehog's voice.)

[lazyplague]

Spoiler : Townsfolk :

Name: Gabriella LaFonte

Age: 31

Appearance: A medium-sized woman with long flowing strawberry-blonde hair and grey eyes. She has tan-ish skin, due to not being able to avoid the sun. She’s dressed in a beautiful blood red dress that’s somewhat like a drape/toga that’s smooth as silk. One of these drape folds is a pouch that she stores things in. She stands in shoes with raises soles. (Not high-heels, mind you.)

She has quite the peaceful and serene look on her face.

Occupation: Local Entertainer, Mainly a singer, but can get some cheap laughs out sometimes if it's a depressing day.

Group: Townsfolk

Gear: A blow dart straw thing.
A bunch of blow darts that are covered in sedative poisons.
Needles covered in the same poison.
A wallet filled with the money that she gets from her gigs.

Other: Often considered one of the higher classed citizens, she does get a lot of special treatment. This is despite her down-to-earth nature and passive behavior. She has never once ordered people around, and always gives her companions the choice to do something for her out of the kindness of their hearts. A favorite around the Bar and the workshop. Sometime she’ll have a concert at the River if someone will spray the area with at least temporary bug spray.

She popped up around a year ago with a sack full of money and no mention of who she was before she came. Sometimes people wonder if she came here willingly. Or at least, if she came from her past willingly.

[Sleuth]

@GD and Dave: Accepted.

We've got about enough characters now, so I'm thinking we can start this up sometime tomorrow. Players can join after, of course, but they'll need to catch up.

[enigma]

Spoiler : Blackwood Graves :

Name: Algernon Graves/Blackwood Graves
Age: 31
Occupation: Teacher
Group: Hunter
Gear:

Teachers Pointer - A long wooden stick, used to point to or strike things

Black Revolver - A regular old six-shooter.... but black.

Taboo Weapon - What seems to be a hammer but made of human bone... Stained red at the top. Surprisingly strong.

Dreamcatcher - ...It's just a dreamcatcher, right?

Other:
Blackwoods Theme

Algernon Graves, from the wealthy Graves family, was always a man of nervous disposition. Frail, head down, black hair and a constant twitching nervous smile... Probably because of the heavy pressure put on him to succeed the family business from his father Stephen Graves. After all, the Graves bloodline has always been a noble one.

...That is until the night Stephen Graves went missing.

Disappeared without a trace, rumor says he was murdered and buried in a shallow grave. Well, big time merchant like him oughta have a ton of enemies. Nothin' to be done.

What's worrying is his son. Algernon Graves... From that day forward, his disposition changed. Cold, calm, collected... Quick with a joke and a laugh. Quick on the trigger. Quick to kill...

That's him. Cruel and sociopathic. Enjoying life, while he extinguishes life.

Something mighty fierce must have possessed him. Because now he calls himself Blackwood Graves and supplements his meager teachers salary as a bounty hunter...

One of the best in the business, they say...

Spoiler : Worm :

Name: Worm
Age: 40 or so?
Occupation: Unknown
Group: Bandit
Gear:

Goggles - Perfect goggles for a sandstorm or generally bad weather. They protect the eyes, but also shine with a strange light...

Cowboy Hat - A smaller sized, wide brimmed brown cowboy hat. It's emblazoned with a black ring on the side, with a red circle in the middle.

Poncho - A dark, deep blue poncho with red triangles decorating it. It's dirty, torn and stained. It covers almost his entire body. Inside he wears black, hard to make out clothing.

Black Journal - A beat-up, scratched, black leather journal.

Brown Journal - A beat up, stained, discolored brown leather journal.

Red Journal - A clean, new, fresh red leather journal.

Steam Shotgun - It's a shotgun! But instead of using gunpowder, it's been modified to work using high pressure steam.

Metal Flask - A shiny metal flask. It doesn't hold alcohol, though. It's just got water in it.

Metal Box(?) - A metal box... He keeps it on him at all times and refuses to let anyone even touch it... What the hell is it!?

Other: Worm's Theme

Worm appeared in the middle of nowhere, out of nowhere, one day. Ripped and torn clothes, blood and grime on his face... General consensus was that he was attacked by a couple of coyote. Holding up a shop with his shotgun, he got himself quickly fixed up. Dressed in his new clothes, he also pocketed a red journal. And like that, he disappeared into the distance. Drifting from town to town... Occasionally performing a stick up or two... And that's how his life went until he got himself involved with this group of bandits we hear of today.

The bandits called him Bookworm, later Worm, since he always seemed to have his nose buried in one of the journals. Either writing, or reading... Of course, given his secretive nature, no-one knows about what. In any case, surprisingly, he embraced the name. Before then, he was simply referred to as a traveler or such.

Worm is a cool headed, cheerful guy. Smirking and always happy to help out a friend. He doesn't seem particularly clever. He simply shrugs and grins to most questions. Then again, he doesn't seem dumb, either. If anything, his main factor is that he's secretive. No-one knows anything about him, and he tends to keep to himself. Just whistling and cheerfully chuckling away...

He's a decently tall guy. Eyes covered by his hat. Red-brown hair done up in a short ponytail. Big grin. Decently fit, but not particularly strong looking.

He has fantastic reaction time. And, sometimes, his speed could even be considered superhuman... But only for the shortest bursts of time... Looks like his stamina can't match up with those bursts of amazingly rapid speed, huh?

[Sleuth]

@Enigma: Aaaand accepted. With that, we're ready to go.

Starting Post coming shortly.

[Sleuth]

"The wild west. Filled with guns, gunmen, and steam-powered technological wonders, just like we all remember.
As steam technology advanced and grew, so to did the battles and conflicts between them. The world was a-changing, and everyone knew it.
Now was the time to make history--
To make legends that would live on for centuries.

Let us go now, to one such legend... The Pinkman Robbery of 189X.
It all began when a band of ragtag thieves did the seemingly impossible and robbed the old Pinkman Corp of 1 million in gold. Pinkman did the logical thing and sent after them a band of Hunters, who chased the gang down into Flytrap Canyon, a box canyon in the middle of nowhere.

It is there, in that sweaty, bug-filled canyon, that our story begins... When the Hunters first set foot in town, and the Bandits waited in their hideout, with baited breath...

Spoiler : OOC :

We've officially begun Flytrap Canyon. The game will run on based entirely on player decisions with little to no GM interference. Players will plot, act, befriend, or behead at their own bidding, so feel free to go crazy. You can make this historic showdown as bloody or as peaceful as you like. Have a relaxing drink at the bar, or go call out someone for a duel at high noon. If you get confused, details are found in the OP.

Hunters: You begin as a group, having just arrived in town. It's been a lengthy chase so far, and your group is now worn out from all the running and low on supplies. Now that you've reached town, you have a chance to recover before making your first move.

Bandits: You've made it safely to your Hideout in the Canyon-- A location only known to your group. Nobody would guess that this odd-looking boulder near the back of the canyon could slide away to reveal an underground bunker, so long as you knew the trick. Just slip the key into that odd-looking crack and voila! Now that your gang is safe inside the bunker, it's time to plan out your next move.

Townsfolk: While the two groups plan their next moves, it's business as usual for you guys! Open up shop, say hi to the neighbors, and get to swatting those flies. What daily troubles will come your way?

[gotMLK7]

Flytrap Town

The tumbleweeds rolling, the steam rising to the sky...and the pack of hunters out for the kill.

As the pack of Pinkman bounty hunters strolled into town, one, carrying a rather hefty box and hidden behind his poncho, hat, and mask, took a look around. He knew he needed to refuel on his ammunition before heading back out into the fray. He walked ahead of the others and pulled his mask down from his mouth, taking out a pack of cigars and a lighter from his pocket to have a quick smoke break. He lit one of the cigars and took a long puff as he looked around from behind his dark goggles. He saw one of the residents rubbernecking nearby and grabbed his attention.

"Oi, pard'ner," he said to the civilian in his gravelly voice. "This here's Flytrap Town, right? You know where they sell ammunition here?"

"U-Uh...I reckon there's one just down that there alley..." the man responded nervously.

The hunter tipped his hat in thanks. "Much obliged. There a bar?"

"I-I don't drink, sir, but there should be one if yer willin' to look."

"Obliged again." The hunter swiftly finished his smoke and tossed the used up cigar to the ground, grinding it beneath the heel of his black boot as he pulled his mask back on.

"Er, if ya don't mind my wonderin'," the civilian said, "who are you, exactly? What's yer name?"

"Names are unimportant," the hunter said. "Far as I'm concerned, I'm just another cowboy hired to take out another target. If it's eatin' away at you, pard'ner, I suppose folks have a fondness for just calling me a drifter." The "Drifter" turned back towards the other hunters he had arrived with and rose his voice. "I'm partin' ways with y'all now, if you don't mind. Gonna grab myself some ammo and a drink before throwin' myself back out there. Yer free to follow me along but don't feel obligated to drag me 'long for the ride."

The cowboy rose his arm to give a small wave back to them, revealing it to be entirely robotic. The civillian jumped with shock as he connected the dots to the rumors he had heard about the cyborg "Drifter" that struck fear into the hearts of his targets. By the time he realized it, though, the cowboy was already beginning to make his way through that tiny city to prepare for the job ahead.


-------


"You know what those damn Pinkman fellers do to shrimps like us?! Fry us, cook us, boil us and eat us all up! They're scourge of the Earth, those bastards, and they ain't stoppin' 'till us smallfries in the business are run to the ground and broke! They're crooks and we're gonna pay for it! Listen to me! Don't buy those scumbags' crap, it'll be the death of us small business owners! We gotta make a stand here, ya hear me?!"

A rough and tough man in a shambled suit stood upon a small crate he claimed to be a soapbox, shouting at a somewhat unimpressed small crowd in the village square. He blabbered on and on about the evils of the Pinkman Co. and how it was the death of small business, that they were growing a monopoly and that they were intent on crushing every opponent, and other words people didn't care about. He had been rambling on like this seemingly all day, and claimed he was an upstarting robotics company owner or something like that. The crowd seemed to only listen because they had nothing better to do, and even then their numbers seemed to be dwindling. The only lively soul there was the spokesman, and he was more livid than anything. The rest of the crowd seemed about reay to turn back and just all walk away right there.

"Oh-ho! Now what do we have here?"

The faces of the crowd lit up as they turned towards the new voice. The first thing they saw when they turned back were the two glowing yellow eyes they knew and loved, followed by the pleasant grin and the brown suit of the ever-presentable Harvey Copper. He approached the spokesman with a delightful spring in his step and a brighter glow in his eyes than many had seen before. Ah yes, this was more like it! A sensible man had taken the field!

"You! Copper!" The protestor shouted down to Harvey with both disdain and fear in his voice. "You bastard, you're with those goddamn vampires at Pinkman! The hell are you doin' here?!"

The crowd all booed the man as he shouted down to Harvey, but the lawyer didn't feel broken. He responded with a hearty laugh. "Ha ha ha! My, my! You're exciting as a bucking bronco today, Mr. Livingston! Is your wife doing well today? It sounds like she might have sent you to sleep on the couch last night with a tone of voice like that!"

The crowd laughed, but Livingston only grew angrier. "Don't give me yer crap! Y'all politicians make me wanna hurl! You know why the hell I'm so peaved, don't pretend like you don't!"

Harvey shrugged. "I'm aware you're going through harsh times right now, Mr. Livingston, and I do sympathize greatly. But I don't think shouting your issues to the fine people of Flytrap is going to get you anywhere. I've been an avid supporter of your company since the beginning, have I not? Your harsh words cut deep to my core! Blaming me and the fine folks at Pinkman for your own failings as businessman, I took you for a better man than that!"

The crowd got excited at Harvey's words, and Livngston only grew more livid. "Why you little shrew, I'll-what the hell?!" The crowd began to grab at Livingston and pull him off from atop the box he stood. Shouts of "Get lost!" and "Do your damn job better!" and "Get a life!" were thrown about at him as he was shoved away from his position of momentary attention and swiftly forgotten about. Atop his soapbox, Harvey Copper now stood.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I do greatly apologize for this. It's my fault! I thought the man a more trustworthy soul, but I suppose this is not the first time my belief in humanity had been so betrayed..." He put a hand gently to the mask that covered his eyes, and the crown gave a supportive yet melancholy murmer. "Not since I was blinded and deafened by that band of hooligans have I felt my heart so betrayed. Such back-stabbing as this is enough to make a man lose hope..." He moved his hand away and gave the crowd a big grin, emphasized by his literal bright-eyed demeanor. "But its your cheers and support that keep me going, good people! I could never thank Pinkman Co. enough for giving to me the gift of this mask and the gift of my eyes and ears, so that I may see your gentle smiles and hear your kind words of support! You all are the light of my life...well, second to these babies at least!" He gestured to the lights of his mask, and the crowd, which seemed to have grown since before, roared with laughter. "But really now, I am absolutely blessed to live in a town so great, and I sincerely wish you all will continue to support me both in my mayoral campaign and as a fellow citizen of this town, and of course support the wonderful miracles we get from good ol' Pinkman. Thank you all, thank you very much!"

The crowd applauded Harvey as he stepped off the box and finished his improvised speech. They began to disperse with smiles on their faces, satisfied by Harvey's words. Harvey himself, however, had vanished from the crowd, as did the protestor Livingston...

"Sooo, that was quite the ordeal!" Harvey spoke to Livingston, his back to the wall of an alleyway. in the shadow of the buildings, Harvey's eyes seemed to glow brighter, to the point it was almost all that could be seen of the man, like a demon about to pounce upon its prey. Although Harvey's grin had not changed, it seemed less pleasant and more malicious now. "I truly am dissapointed, Mr. Livingston. I gave you a loan to start your business up, now, didn't I? And here I find my good will wasted? And even worse, you've yet to even pay me back! It's not my fault you're a terrible businessman. If you have to start selling what you can to make up for your debt, that's entirely on you. I don't make the rules, I just endorse them! Now, why don't you run along and try to scavenge what you can from your poor career choices and do something damn right for once, alright, buddy? I'd hate to see you grovel in the dirt more than you have to. Have a nice day and a pleasant tomorrow, Mr. Livingston. Say hi to the kids for me."

Fixing his collar and leaving the terrified man in a crumpled pile of defeat behind him, Harvey snuck back into the streets with his grin wider than ever. Ah, yes, it felt good to have an entire town eating out of the palms of your hands. But for him, this was merely the beginning. He had a bright future ahead of him, and with the hunters said to be arriving back in town to break from their mission...perhaps it would do him good to stop by and say hi.

Spoiler : OoC :

Drifter can be found in the ammunition/gun shop and Harvey's currently wandering out considering greeting the hunters, for those interested in interacting.

[NihilisticNinja]

Rachel- Town Entrance

Rachel gave her weapon, Raging Strife, a playful spin as she entered Flytrap Canyon, being careful to avoid injuring either her bag or herself. She then set both her weapon and bag down, giving her arms a much-needed rest.

On the one hand, she really didn't want to have to do this job. Not only was it outside her usual purview- she was a guardian, not a huntress- it would probably end in bloodshed, something she had always made certain to avoid. There was always a possibility that things would end peacefully, sure, but given the circumstances that was... unlikely at best. She let out a rueful sigh.

What Winter wants, Winter gets, I guess?

Deciding that such a declaration silenced any further dissenting arguments, Rachel took a moment to look at her pocketwatch, the silver backing feeling cool against her hand. It looked like it was still relatively early, and thus Rachel determined it was as good a time to start working as any.

She honestly hadn't put that much thought into wardrobe choices- there was no realistic way to hide Raging Strife, so the hunter would look conspicuous regardless of her getup. However she had ended up going with a black shirt and red pants; she'd been told that the colors didn't quite mesh, but she was fine with how they looked. She liked the contrast.

Rachel searched through her bag until she found a piece of candy, and then popped it into her mouth, as she contemplated. Hm. She supposed she could stick with the others for the moment would be beneficial- there was strength in numbers, after all.

She bit down. On the other hand... it could be beneficial to scout ahead and then locate the others later- perhaps she would find some clues about the hideout of the bandits, perhaps she would simply get a better feel for the area. It was admittedly a very questionable decision- if there was power in numbers, the logical choice would be to have her group stay consistently large. But if she started off alone, if she saw somebody she expected was a thief, she could act least approach them in a slightly less intimidating manner, and try and convince them to simply turn themselves in. It was kind of a longshot, but if it saved Rachel a battle, it was worth it.

And if the group had divided itself so thoroughly that she couldn't locate many of them later on, the whole "strength in numbers" concept had been decided to be meaningless regardless.

Picking up her weapon and her bag, she turned to the others. "Gonna go scout ahead!" She said with a smile, and then walked into the city.

Tia- ???

There were people that were incredibly impatient, particularly in anxious situations. People that would panic, commit rash actions, and simply not think things through. Tia was not one of those people. Tia was used to waiting- she'd waited for many things. For her father to come back. For her mom to miraculously come back. For her life to simply not be a living hell day after day. Tia had waited well over a dozen years for all three of these things, and hadn't stopped yet. So she could stand waiting in the bunker for a while.

After making this determination, she sat silently, staring at one of the drab walls.

Honestly, Tia was talented enough at escaping tight situations- a thief had to be adept at such matters- that she could likely have gotten out of this situation, or at least not become trapped in this bunker to await capture from the bounty hunters that had been summoned to obtain her head on a pike. But most methods of doing this would have required her to abandon her contacts or her weapon, and neither of those options were things that Tia was willing to do. The bandit did have some level of pride in her work, and those were the tools of the trade that had allowed her to become as skilled as she was. So she would, as always, make do with the hand that Fate had dealt her.

It was possible that the intent was to take her in alive, and perhaps with an impassioned plea she could avoid a death sentence. However, to say Tia was skeptical of both these ideas was to put it mildly. It would be better to assume that this was a fight to the death until proven otherwise.

That said... there wasn't much she really felt comfortable doing in this situation. She couldn't exactly go out and hunt the hunters- well, she could, but it would require abandoning her weapon here, and she certainly didn't trust her fellow criminals enough to do that. So she would allow somebody else to make the first move.

And thus, as always, Tia continued to wait.

[Sleuth]

Flytrap Town:

The Goatman was getting old. Every morning, he felt his bones creak and tremble, as if they threatened to snap under the weight of his body. His cane, which he'd originally picked up as nothing more than an aide, was now a necessary instrument, as he was reminded every morning where he lifted himself out of his bed. The goats were good company-- He'd kept so many over the years, their company was now as normal to him as the wrinkles on his face. Draping his trusty whistle around his neck, The Goatman slowly made his way to the barn.

The doors creaked open, and his goats slowly emerged one by one. A smile crossed the old man's face, and he gave a soft blow through his whistle, raising the horned heads one by one as they waddled over to greet him.

"Buenos dias," He murmured, leaning down and petting his friends. With that, he whistled again, and the goats fell into line behind him like a row of ducklings. They had long since grown strong enough to far outpace him, but still they followed his every word, tethered by their affection for their master. The Goatman's cane struck the dirt, and they were off into town.


The Goatman was getting old. This town hadn't changed much in the many years he'd lived here, but even so it felt like it took ages to cross the length of town now. His goats continued trotting along after him, occassionally veering off to try and put their teeth on something that was decidedly inedible. But the Goatman was in luck today, for the man he wanted to see was just out on the streets, his bright gold mask glimmering in the sunlight.

The Goatman raised the whistle to his lips, and blew a soft note-- Instantly, a small brown goat darted out from his group and scampered up towards mayoral candidate and town lawyer Harvey Copper, braying and finally skidding to a halt just before the man. The creature plopped down before him, staring up into the yellow mask with its odd, sideways pupils.

Probably not the simplest way to say "hello", but the Goatman was getting old.

[DSY]

The Hideout

Natashi entered the hideout. Upon entering, she noticed it was a one room bunker. An empty bunker. This hideout did not say that it's users were pros or even in the thieving game too long. This was troubling to Natashi, as she figured if she was teamed up with professional thieves it would mean that all she would have to do is follow a few orders and leave with the her share of the prize. But when dealing with amateurs like herself, this meant that these bandits didn't have much in terms of plans or experience in this field.

How on earth did we pull off that heist!?

She nervously walked to the end of the room and set down the gold. With Heist complete Natashi figured it best to ask what was the next step in this plan. Specifically, the part about how they get away and live happily ever after.

"So," Natashi said nervously, "What's the next plan exactly?"

[GuardianDreamer]

Kenneth - Bandit Hideout

Even though we had made it this far, I'm pretty sure that our luck wasn't going to last forever. Still, if nothing else, we had some time to rest. With only six of us, there were some pretty obvious advantages and disadvantages... The good part was that there were fewer people to potentially screw everything up. The bad part was that even one of us deserting or betraying the others would pretty much mark us for death. Though honestly, it wasn't my place to think something like that. I certainly wouldn't trust myself, so what reason did the others have to believe that I wouldn't stab them in the back? Yeah, this wasn't exactly the best situation to be in. So why wasn't I completely dissatisfied with it?

It was thrilling. Even though we could have all gotten killed, the rush of adrenaline going through my veins was a euphoria that only few could understand. Yes, you had to be very specific type of person to constantly put yourself in danger like that primarily for the brief sense of satisfaction it brought to you. Sure, the money itself was also a big incentive, but it wasn't the one that drew me in. ... Well, I can try to pretty it all up with words like that, but I know that this way of thinking is shallow. It's not 'right', it's clearly the wrong way to be. But it's the path I've chosen, the path that'll likely end with me dead or in chains. Well, I'd take it as it happened.

Maybe I was underestimating what we were capable of. Really, we had done something that was supposed to be impossible. An event that was only supposed to be the subject of jokes about impossible events. Of course, now the question was whether we would end up as legends or as laughingstocks. Pinkman Corp was trying to take away our moment of glory to make up for how we had humiliated them. I did my best to picture the looks of shock and terror that would have been clear on the faces of all the Pinkman higher-ups... If only I could have seen it for myself. But I couldn't, not unless I suddenly turned into some sort of omniscient god. Not exactly the most likely thing to happen. ... Well, honestly, I should probably be thinking more about the Hunters being sent after us. No doubt they would be on our trail... Alright, it was decided. I would use that as my motivation. Not self-preservation, not the money... I was staying alive solely to piss them off, solely so I could imagine their looks of disappointment in themselves. That had to count as a self-preservation instinct in some way, right? Maybe a pathetic one, but it still counted in my book.

I made sure to check that I still had all of my equipment. While the thought of me dying thanks to misplacing one of my bags was probably amusing to someone out there, I didn't much care for the thought of dying in such an embarrassing way. If this ended in death, then I would hope that it would at least be more fun than that. ... Hm, I wonder what the others are thinking about. Talking to them... Kind of annoying, but we do need to make further plans. Unless everyone felt like staying in one place and getting horribly butchered by the Hunters. I wasn't sure how long we would be able to hide, but it definitely wouldn't be forever. One of the others asked about what to do next, and I decided that I may as well say something. Better than standing around looking at each other weirdly.

"So now that we all have a moment cool our heels... I hope I don't have to point out the obvious, but we can't stay permanently holed up in here forever. I haven't checked how we're doing in terms of our food and water supply, but I'm guessing it's piss-poor, and we're going to run out eventually. The question is if we want to take a risk and go directly to Flytrap Town, or take a different kind of risk and hunt for food and get water from the river. ... Oh, and if any of you got injured back there, speak up. Dead weight is bad, but it's even worse when you don't know it's dead weight. Anyone?" I said, speaking far more than I would have liked. Hopefully no one had actually gotten injured back there. That would just be annoying and cause far too many issues, and I had enough to deal with already.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alexis - Flytrap Town

It had felt as though we had made a great deal of progress, but I was aware that our mission was only just beginning. Though I hesitated to admit it, if I had been wearing full armor while walking... I feel as though I would been more exhausted. I was still not entirely sure how this 'power suit' worked exactly, but it seemed to be preferable to the armor that I had originally envisioned. I would need to thank my grandfather for gifting it to me when I returned home. But I needed to stay focused on the present.

Another confession I had to make: I had not thought much of it before, but the bugs really are an issue... What could be causing them to focus on this area specifically? I had to admit that my knowledge of insects was rather limited. Perhaps I could ask the townspeople about that later, when the opportunity presented itself. I took a moment to lower my shield and put away my rapier now that we were in town. It would send off the wrong impression if I tried to talk to anyone while holding a weapon, after all. Antagonizing people would be against the knightly code and is an action for villains alone.

I turned towards my fellow Hunters. Already it seemed as though there were those in the group who preferred to disband. Hopefully it would only be temporary. Underestimating the Bandits will only lead to unnecessary risks being taken, and we need to bring them to justice together. I smiled and addressed the Hunters who had not already left the group.

"Hopefully it will be unneeded, but if any of you require it, I brought a first-aid kit with me on this journey. As your comrade, do keep in mind that I am willing to help any of you to the best of my ability. With justice on our side, we will not fail!" I said, hoping that the others would take my words to heart and ask me if they needed help. It was far too common for a warrior to be stubborn and not ask for help when it was required. I had to confess that I had been that sort of person in the past.

Yes, everything will turn out just fine. I am sure of it.

[Alnar]

John Gull - The Bandit Hideout

How did these kids rob a train full of gold?

All of them, all younger than him. With the exception of that tall man with the hat. "Worm" they called him. Even then, he wasn't exactly sure how 4 kids and a middle-aged man managed to pull of a heist like this. One million gold, all with them. Successfully robbed from that train.

He wasn't part of the heist. No, he was a Hunter at the time. Once news hit the Pinkman Co., They sent the hunters. John was teamed up with two other guys he barely knew. It wasn't that hard to track the bandits. One million gold is ALOT to carry, especially with a majority of these bandits being young people. (He didn't expect it at the time) John and his group managed to find them a few miles away from the wreckage. But when he confronted them...

Well as he said, he wasn't expecting half the group to be this young.

His orders were to kill them and return the gold. He may have been a hunter, but he had his standards. He could've let the others kill them, so that his hands could have been free from that blood. He could have killed the two men and spared the others, telling them to return the gold and run away. But his partners were already beside him, and they weren't as merciful as him. If he did anything against their orders, they would kill him right there with the rest of them. Last he checked, he was still quite fond of breathing.

He made his choice.

Now here he was, in a bunker under the canyon, settling with five bandits and one million gold. Thinking about that time, he could've done a lot of things differently so that he wouldn't have ended up here. But no, he decided to join them (despite their initial and continued unease with him) and haul the gold all the way over here. Was it a rushed decision?

Well, having one million split among them didn't sound too bad compared to the alternative of not-breathing and not having one million gold. The only problem was, what were they going to do next?

"Unless you want to haul all this gold across another desert, I think we'll be staying here for the meantime, Knives." he said, perhaps a dangerous thing to say for someone in his position, but this brat was one of the people he was fine with killing at the time. But as for supplies they needed, well, he had an idea.

"News doesn't travel fast. As far as I know, the other hunters consider me to be missing, so no one's put my mug on a piece of paper just yet, unlike all of you. I'll go into town and get what we need. It would be nice to settle down for a moment."

Whether or not they approved, he was still going to go outside. He couldn't stand being around this pain in the ass for another consecutive day. Plus, seeing the town wouldn't be too bad. He can see if any hunters were around.

[NihilisticNinja]

Tia- Secret Hideout

"I'm uninjured." Tea called out to the others in a dull tone, not even inclining her head in their direction. She then proceeded to consider the former hunter's proposal. It was true that it would be difficult for her to get around town covertly gathering information, even if Tia was willing to trust the group enough to abandon her weapon, and that the older man would be a far better candidate. And there wasn't much risk. If he died? Well, they lost a member they hadn't counted on to begin with, and at least then she knew where everybody stood.

"No objections here."

[enigma]

Bandit Hideout - Worm

"Ah...."

A long yawn escaped the mouth of the tall man. He scratched his stubble and gave a short whistle.

"Sorry," He shrugged and shook his head. "But I'm far too lazy to head out. I'll leave the shopping to you kids. Heh..."

Despite seemingly being the oldest in the group, so far Worm had failed to impress. He did what he needed to and nothing more. Even with a vacuum in the leadership position, he hadn't made a single move to try and take it. He was someone without any drive, as some might say. Sometimes, one might even forget he's there...

To put it frank, Worm was the closest the group had to dead weight.

But, even more infuriating than his lackadaisical attitude, was his apparent goal to be as unhelpful as possible.

And this was a prime example of that. Without even a single scratch on him, he was still defaulting to the position of least work. No doubt planning to laze around the base, writing in his journal. Or reading.

Why the hell did this jerk even tag along with the group anyway?

"Hm~ Hm~ Hm~"

He stretched and began writing in his journal, humming a tune.

"So, Seagull..." He grinned at Gull and gave him a wave. Even though they were in the same room... "Since we're the only adults here, you wanna be the daddy or the mommy?"

He laughed at his own joke.

"Ah. Just kidding."

He turned back to his journal.

"What I really meant to say was that if we're all going to be sticking here for a while, we oughta work out who's calling the shots... Since, before we get ahead of ourselves with plans and whatnot... Best we know who's going to be the boss."

He coughed.

"Dibs not it, for the record. Since I know you all so badly want me as Crime President."

Stopping for a second, he chuckled.

"How about you, Kentucky? Since you're the man with a plan, right now."