[It's early to mid-noon. Hard to tell when you've been under a haunted castle for a while. But you found the bandits! Or some of them! Probably! Calamity Jan's there, as only Jinx recognizes, and is in... a Mexican standoff with him? Oh dear. This bodes poorly.] [There's two more of Them in the room: a beautiful, cultured-looking young woman in tomboy clothing, and a hulking brute of a thug of a man. Any more description and you'll have to look in the previous log, because I ain't doin' it here.] [The room itself - for anyone actually paying attention to that kind of thing (and I wouldn't blame you for not) is well-kept and seems nearly stripped of... well, everything. But it may have once been a treasury. It's plenty large, for sure. Nice, high ceiling. They're on one end. Mikoto, Tairan, Jinx, and Fanfan are at the other. Guns are being aimed, but only from Jan and Jinx, and at each other.] [They've obviously noticed you, and are looking your way, and Jan, at least, doesn't look scared in the least. Whatcha gonna do, punk?] [Session Start.] * Jinx tightens his grip on the trigger, but doesn't fire. "Calamity Jan I presume? Oh, and so there's no confusion, no sudden moves, for those who like living." * Jan grins wildly. "The one an' only. And I should be sayin' that to you." * Tairan levels his gun at the big guy. "No sudden moves, please." * Jinx grins. "Don't think so, unless you often ask other people if they are Calamity Jan." * Mikoto smiles pleasantly. Maybe too pleasantly? "I guess it's a stalemate." * Thug eyes Tairan, then snorts, but does as he says. Or maybe he just doesn't feel like moving. Nah, the no sudden moves part. * Jan laughs. "Stalemate? Hey, Greebo, is this a stalemate?" * Thug grins and shrugs. ( Oh, good grief. c.c; ) (...) ( ... ) ( Okay, John? Shoot him under the table. ) [Fanfan tries a sudden move. It doesn't work very well. The other woman points at her, and yellow-ish mist surrounds Fanfan before she falls over.] (No problem there.) * Jinx flits his eyes towards the other woman. "Do that again and we'll see if you've got a power to stop buckshot." Or plain old ordinary lead, for that matter. * Mikoto shifts the grip on his naginata to his left hand and extends his right arm perpendicular to his torso, but only a little bit. * Jinx concentrates again on Jan. "So, we want you alive, you want to be alive, perhaps there is some sort of arrangement we can reach." * Jan raises an eyebrow. "Stalemate, remember? Thought ya wanted to keep it that way. Yer friend tried to ruin it." She nods at the unconscious Fanfan. Oh, sure. Go away. * Tairan eyes Fanfan out of the corner of his eye. Does she appear to be breathing? * Mikoto keeps on smiling. "Not without the tablet, I'm afraid." [Fanfan is breathing juuuuust fine.] Ideally, you in irons too. But we'll take just the tablet. You can keep an etching if you like. ( I'm certain Millie has paper. I mean, half the work with the Rosetta Stone was done with a rubbing, and that's what we're after here anyway. ) Tablet? Wait, we have a tablet? * Jan looks to the younger woman. "Do we have a tablet?" * Woman shrugs. "No tablet here." ... right. I've been tracking you all the way from back West, where you robbed that train. That move through Hoshimoto territory was very slick, by the way. * Jinx frowns. "So your partners have it. Where are they?" * Jan rubs at her chin. "Can't say I can tell ya. If there's even more in my gang. I'm picky, y'know." Your actions, and your words, don't seem congruent. * Jinx nods, "So I've heard. Which reminds me, I'm curious, for someone with such a reputation for smooth jobs, why do is your moniker Clamity?" * Jan blinks at Jinx, then bursts out laughing. Her revolver, for the record, doesn't waver in the slightest. "Manohman. One 'a the first people to ever ask me that. And tryin' ta take me in, to boot!" * Jinx grins again. "I'm told I'm quite the individual." Yup. He's a character, that one. You could even call him a bit of a card. * Jinx would roll his eyes at that, but they aren't leaving the baddies, not even for horrible puns. My early career had a... streak of bad luck, you could say. I've even been caught! The places where they took me didn't last long. I blame it on faulty structure. * Mikoto laughs. "So, in other words... you're a bit of a Jinx." * Jan grins. "And the people who try ta catch me? Bad luck for them, too. Might even happen again." (>badum ching!<) * Jan winks. "Could say that." * Jinx grins. "Well, I do go by Jinx, and I assure you the bad luck will be shared. Don't suppose you'd let yourself be taken in if we'd give you a cut of the bounty when you escape?" ( ...HA! I like you. ) * Jan whistles. Jinx... that's amoral, dishonest, and dishonorable. I'm impressed. Let myself be captured for the cash, eh? Never really been in on that. Seems unfair, not that fairness gets ya anywhere. (Fortune be that Mary's not there you "men of poor scruples" =) ) * Jinx grins. "It's not like she's known for massacres or anything. She's a thief, we collect stolen property. Practically the same line of work." * Jan does seem to consider it, though. "How much is the cut? And how 'bout these two?" She gestures with her free hand to Greebo and the woman. * Jinx thinks. "Don't suppose they have bounties. I'm afraid I don't recognize them." * Mikoto points his right finger at the tomboy. "She's wanted, alive only." ( Index! INDEX finger. ) ( "See this hand? S'why they call me 'Six-Finger Mikoto'." ) ( Usually falconers lose fingers. I'm so good the birds bring them to ME. ) * Jinx thinks for a moment and then speaks. "Fifty-fifty then, your group can split up your half however you like." Jinx nods at the big guy. "He can stick with us to guarantee the deal. I'll even help you escape, with no killing, if you need us. Won't speak for my compatriats though." Really. * Jan waves her gun to Tairan and Mikoto. "How 'bout the other two? And sword girl?" She smiles. "And how do I know you're tellin' the truth?" * Mikoto considers it briefly. "It's a bit outside of my sphere of interest, but then, I won't be cutting into the profits either." He smiles. "Either way, Jan's not my concern. I doubt a Shomuran national like Fanfan who's never visited the West would care." I dunno if I'd go *that* far... but fifty-fifty sounds fair. Don't know much about your rep, honestly, but if Jinx here says you're not one for massacres... * Jinx nods at the girl. "We'll handle her cut. Won't be the same as for us since she wasn't awake to be part of the incentive, but she won't be your problem." As for my word... * Mikoto eyes Jan. "Of course, this is all dependent on your honor too, isn't it?" His eyes narrow. "Especially in regards to *your* compatriots, and the tablet. I believe in honor among thieves, but only so far." * Jan smirks. "Hey now, the only ones that get hurt are the ones that try ta take me in and hold me down." * Tairan wrinkles his nose. "Can't say I much care for the idea, really... but it'd definately be a whole less messy than just slugging it out." * Jinx thinks for a moment. "Don't suppose you've heard of me? I've done a lot of jobs in my day, and never welshed on a deal or broken a promise. I'm a gambler, if I can't be trusted to pay my debts, I'm out out a livelihood." ( The poor Welsh. ) ( Naw, in this world the Welsh are vicious backstabbing race of giants that kill for giggles. ) * Jan snerks. "Haven't seen ya on any wanted posters. I check them once in a while. Need to make sure they're drawin' me right." ( But what about the RSP world? ) ( That's baaddd Mikoto. :P ) ( Rarr. ) And I think we already said. We don't got no tablet. * Jinx makes an extremely minor shrug gesture. "OK, you've been working with Kojiro, he got it?" * Mikoto raises an eyebrow. "And you don't got no Kojiro either, I'm guessing." ( Great minds. ) * Jan looks around. "Do ya see him here?" * Jinx shakes his head slightly. "No, know where he went?" We split ways before we got here. Don't tell me you're huntin' him. Far as I know, there's no bounty on his head, so you're waistin' your time. * Jinx groans slightly. "Okay, did he take part of the loot from the train robbery with him?" Well, *someone* robbed a train back West and took a tablet. And I've been tracking that someone for a while now, and the trail led us to you. Of course it did. All trails lead to Jan. * Jinx chuckles. And as for if he was even at the train or not... * Jan grins. "Why should I tell you?" Alright, shall we finish the deal first? * Jan shrugs. She glances around again. * Greebo stretches, joints popping. It's pretty disconcerting, but he still doesn't make any threatening moves. Unless you count being there a threatening move, which is entirely possible. * Jinx does *not* fire, so presumably he doesn't consider it threatening. Might wanna see a doctor about that. Your joints are gonna be killing ya when you get old. * Greebo snickers and says in a deep, low voice, "If I get old." * Jinx snickers at that. * Mikoto smiles absently. "A reflective but realistic viewpoint." Yeah, Greebo's our philosopher. Ain'tcha, Greebo? * Greebo shrugs. I have some small skill in medicine, if you'd like me to take a look. I'll pass. * Jinx watches Jan expectently. * Mikoto shrugs and glances at Jan. "This is getting us nowhere. We're not interested in you, we're interested in the tablet. You should tell us what you know because coming to blows would be a waste of resources on both sides." * Jinx comments evenly. "Eventually, sword girls gonna get up, that'll complicate the deal cause she'll want a cut." Don't got no tablet. You deaf or something? * Jinx shrugs. "OK, you tell us what you know of Kojiro and we'll do the turn in and split the reward money trick. Simple enough, let's get this finished." ... okay, how about this. Did your associate on the train job, who may or may not have been Kojiro, take anything from the train? * Mikoto raises an eyebrow. "I didn't say you had it, but you know something about its whereabouts. Kojiro is your lifeline in Shomura; why would you be this deep without him, especially in unstable Ki territory?" * Jan grins wildly. "'Course not! See, we just wanted a quick ride on the train. Didn't take nothin'." * Jinx laughs. "Fair enough, but the information about Kojiro?" What? He's really damn handsome, got long hair, carries a katana. Pretty hung up on the honor deal. ( It's Sakura's pretty yet evil twin. ) * Jinx nods. "All helpful, but I'm more interested in how to find him." * Mikoto sighs. "If you're stalling for help to arrive, I wouldn't place too much faith in it." ( Why not? They're winning :P ) ( But I don't know that, now do I? :P ) * Jinx narrows his eyes for a moment and nods. See, here's the thing. We know someone took a tablet from the train. That someone left a trail, which we followed. That trail led to you. Now, I could have missed a branch-off... but someone traveling with you had something big, stone, and tablet shaped. Who said I was stalling? You're the ones who don't got the balls to fire. The pot, calling the kettle black. * Jinx shrugs. "We have a financial reason to keep you alive." Besides, we're pacifist bounty hunters. Just hate the sight of blood. Really. Absolutely hate it. * Tairan grins. (Yeah, right. :P) (And light does *not* shine off of Tairan's teeth.) Really? Should get into banditry. Ya don't get all *that* much blood, and the pay's better. * Jinx snickers. "Anyways, we're all busy people. We got a deal? If there's something else you need to complete it just say so. And if we haven't got a deal, we may as well comense with the shooting and bleeding." (FIGHT!) Lemme make sure I have this deal straight. You let my friends here go, and you take me in, help me escape, and give me a cut once I'm out. Fifty percent, right? Sixty, if you've got credible information on the tablet. * Mikoto smiles at Jinx. "Consider it my share, for a worthy cause." * Jinx glances at the girl. "If she's in, that's a bigger pie to split, but it works with just you too." * Jinx nods. "Fair enough." * Woman shakes her head. "Uh-uh. I ain't going back." (You guys are *so* credible. So honest, and upstanding, and... Yeah. I'm glad you're on my team.) * Jan nods. "You're not takin' her in." * Jinx shrugs. "Alright. So smaller pie, 35 gees is still no small sum." (They secretly maneuvered the honest ones of the group outside so they could cut a deal ; ) ) (You think so? :P) (Heck, they even got Millie out. And you know how honest *she* is.) ( Until say.. Sakura comes back and starts stabbing people. ) * Jan smirks. "I know. I worked hard for it." (Right =) ) (4:1 odds, I'll take that risk. :P ) (As honest as the day is long, ayup. ) So, deal? (And the game disintegrates into a everyone person for themselves free-for-all! What a climax! =D ) Is the breakout assistance a dealbreaker? I'm having enough fun with people after me on one side of the Salamanders. ( You know? Too bad there's no real synthetic poisons in this game. If I could make some sodium pentathol... ) (*laughs*) I think Jinx alone swore to that provision. (Okay, now that's just wrong. <.<) Ah, okay then. ( *smiles sweetly* Afraid I'm gonna slip you some truth serum right before we reencounter Running Cloud, twinkly? ) * Jinx nods. "He's right. I'll try to find away to hide my involvement, and no killing, but yeah just me." How 'bout the rest? I want some assurance you're tellin' the truth, and won't just shoot me and mine once I let my guard down. (Mikoto: Don't *make* me hurt you.) (Oh, and I was gonna say earlier. Good old Millie, she's as honest as the winter solstice day is long. ^_~ ) ( o/` ) How do we know you won't just shoot us once we let our guards down, for that matter? (That long? Wow. ) (Yeah. I didn't know a day could be measured in TU's. (Trust Units).) Alright, you can keep your guns, knowing your rep you'd be more than capable of killing at least one of us before the first bullet reached you. What sort of assurancees are you looking for? I don't like bein' outnumbered. It makes me itchy. (I'm just waiting for her to say 'no' and cap you all.) (Just shoot'em already - geez ; ) ) (Aww, but I'm a nice bandit! ^_^) (Yeah, right. <.<) (Yeah. She made herself a new years resolution. Only 20 bounty hunters die a day by her gun. She just killed the 20th before you guys got there.) (How'd you know?) * Jinx snickers. "How about two people armed around you, you have two pistols right? I figure that's fair odds." ( Lucky me! I'm not a bounty hunter. ) Maybe. I ain't buyin' it. * Jan shrugs. "Not fond of people takin' me in. Even if it is for fun." * Tairan frowns. "Jinx..." * Mikoto also frowns. "I think that signals the official breakdown of negotiations." * Jinx shrugs. "Alright. I'll stay with you, your two people leave with Tairan and Mikoto. Either of those gents are quite capable of hunting me down if I break the deal, and I'm not for them, so I think that's fair." More I hear about this, the less I like it. * Jan points the pistol at Fanfan. "Sword girl?" I'm all for not getting shot, but... She gets carried out, we can get her the lesser cut she's earned later. Tairan's getting itchy, best to make up your mind. Really? Me too. So. That's everything then, Yes or no? (Sorry. You're gonna fight. :P) Either say yes, or some of us will be hoping for miraculous recoveries. (Co-Gms are just trying to avoid running two combats at the same time by delaying this one =D - bad Co-GMS - get ta shootin' already - Darn Tootin' Yay! =D ) (Darn Tootin' Yay! XD) (And you can run two combats at once. Have Ard run her chars and Brett run his. :P) * Jan gestures with the pistol. "Get her out of here. We leave in twos. One of you's gonna have to drag the sword girl; we ain't doin' it." * Jan fixes her gaze on Jinx. "Him and me last." * Tairan frowns s'more. * Jinx nods. "Alright, let's move people, let's do this fast. Tairan, you pick the order. Whatever you're comfortable with." I'm the one taking the risk here, I can accept that. (Dude, are you guys *nuts*?) * Woman frowns a bit herself. She approches Jan and whispers to her. * Jinx is starting to look rather nervous, and strangely tired, his grip on his gun isn't slipping though. (You guys are nuts) (If John were down there...) (But you aren't Johnny, you aren't down here. :P ) * Jan nods and murmurs something back. * Mikoto shakes his head. "The more consideration I give this, the less I like it. I might be forced to withdraw my support." * Mikoto glances at Jan. "Unless you've taken to offending the Empire, we'd have to drag you over the Salamanders at the very least. Not sleeping so nobody backstabs somebody else, maybe?" He shakes his head. "She's preying on your good nature, Jinx. Think this through." * Tairan blinks at Mikoto, his frown melting into a slight grin as he plunges his sword into the ground in the direction of the three bandits. (*bada bing!) * Jinx mutters. "Shit." 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Tairan (2d6-2) and gets 1. ( Tairan, gimme a ranged defense roll, too, and Jinx, gimme an attack roll. ) ( Then roll init ) ( What specialty, Brett? ) ( one-handed firearms ) 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Tairan (2d6-2) and gets 6. 2d6-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Jinx (2d6-4) and gets 5. d6+7 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Tairan (d6+7) and gets 10. d6+6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Mikoto (d6+6) and gets 12. (made by two) d6+7 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Jinx (d6+7) and gets 13. [Order is: Jan, Jinx, Mikoto, Woman, Greebo, Tairan.] [But before that....] ( Oh, Jinx, you need a defense roll against earth magic ) 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Jinx (2d6) and gets 11. (dr1) 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Jinx (2d6) and gets 11. (dr2) 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Jinx (2d6) and gets 7. [No sooner does Tairan thrust his sword in the ground than he's been shot by Jan. With the gun that was in the holster. He does get the attack off, though, and tears into the bandits nicely. Jinx also fires, hitting Greebo and the Woman, but Jan manages to avoid his attack amongst the carnage.] [Jinx gets hit with the bandits.] [Jan's turn] (Wow, this really made for an exciting end to a mexican stand off. More exciting than the typical every popular everybody shoots) ( Indeed. Especially since only three of the six have guns ready. ) * Jan adjusts her balance, firing at Tairan again, bringing her other gun to aim at Jinx's right hand, and firing at that. A mad grin's appeared on her face. "You wanna take me? Come and try it!" ( Ok, Jinx gimme defense rolls. ) 2d6+2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Jinx (2d6+2) and gets 13. (dr3) 2d6+2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Jinx (2d6+2) and gets 7. (that's another no) [Tairan gets plugged in the chest, but thankfully not the heart, since he's still alive. Jinx... well, his luck ran out. Or maybe Jan's kicked in. Either way, the bullet skims his hand, somehow ricochets off his gun, and shoots him. In the head.] * Jinx glances down with disbelief at his shotgun for a moment and with the parts of his brain that still remain, he manages to get out. "Fucking snake eyes." before he falls backwards. On the ground he mutters, "For gods sake, don't bury or cremate me." After that he's sort of, well, still really. And not so talkative. [It's... Mikoto's turn] * Mikoto just... blinks, but he's a trained killer, and instincts kick in. "You *bitch*," he snarls, planting the naginata and making a vaulting kick right at Jan's face. (Riccochet shot is a nasty nasty thing apparently.) (Apparently. However, I don't know if they'd allow me to do that. :P) 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Mikoto (2d6-2) and gets 4. ('Tis only a flesh wound!) ( *thinks* Interesting. This is the only time Mikoto's swore in the whole game, I think, not counting 'hell' or 'damn'. ) * Jan takes it right in the face. She stumbles back, blood streaming from her nose and lip. "Tell that to your friend!" [It's.... The woman's turn] * Woman raises her hands and thrusts her palms out at Tairan. "Nature's Revenge!" A number of thorny plants appear beneath Tairan's feet and rapidly move to tie around him. Does he notice in time? [Tairan finds himself wrapped in -ow- thorny roots. They don't hurt much if he doesn't move, though. Not that that's a problem: he's too tied up to move much at all.] [Greebo's turn] * Greebo aims the rifle at Mikoto. "Don't move," he rumbles. "One's enough today." ( Under the table, blam, quip. It's his weakness. ) ( I don't have a spare free action to draw my gun. :P ) ( Or a table. Or a Wookie to back me up. ) (Why do you have to keep telling them, Sakura? ;_; What did I ever do to you?) ( You've got Tairan. He'd make a good wookie. And I'm sure Jinx is table-materal at the moment. ) ( Or, following a different tack, eventually the shaman's spell will end and he'll turn back into a cat. ) [Jan's turn] * Tairan is tied up. He tries to get loose, but apparently he can't. He settles for staring at the fallen Jinx, and GLARING at Jan. * Jan aims a six-shooter at Mikoto, too. "Sorry, boys. It was an accident." She actually sounds sincere. "Don't try to stop us, blondie. I don't wanna kill more people than I have to." ( What're the people outside doing, anyway? The backstroke? =P ) (You don't want to know.) (Nope - killing the enemy just like they are killing you all inside) (Tea party, you know how long those eastern tea parties take. :P ) * Mikoto has... an absolutely murderous look in his eyes. Not animal rage murderous, but... clearly, he'd as soon kill these three as look at them. He throws down the naginata, and after a moment's pause kneels next to Jinx, cracking his knuckles first. "He'd have done it, you know? He'd have let you go. He'd have helped you escape. It didn't matter who you were. He just wanted... to enjoy his life the way he saw fit." * Mikoto starts checking Jinx for life signs, something he can *do*, and it's clear he's choking back sobs doing it. "He was the type of man I've always secretly wished I could be. And you took him away from me." There's a pause. "So you're going to help me bring him back. Release Tairan. On Hazel's bags, there's a medical kit in a black bag. Go and bring it here." So do I. People ain't that different, in the end. * Jan holsters her guns and looks down at Jinx and Mikoto. "Medicine won't bring back the dead. Unless you've got a cure for a bullet to the brain." I'm going to damn well try. * Greebo frowns. He moves the rifle to aim at Mikoto, but Jan waves him off, and he shrugs. * Tairan struggles futilly at his bindings. * Mikoto gets a little frantic but keeps checking, but it's clear that he's about yea-shy of breakdown. [Tairan gets cut by thorns. It's probably not a good idea to struggle.] ( Pulse? Breathing? Murmuring "true love"? ANYTHING? ) (Nada.) (You need the bellows to get "true love" or "just one more reroll please") (That's be Divine Relationship - don't leave home without it ; ) ) * Mikoto puts his forehead on Jinx's chest, not saying anything. * Tairan just slumps. * Jan sighs. She glances at her compatriots. "Ellie, Greebo. Grab what we came here for and let's get outta here." * Woman staggers over to Greebo, not looking that great. She picks up the chunk of rock he found earlier and nods to Jan. "Got it." * Mikoto stands up and turns around, eyeing Jan. "You'd be wiser killing me... because the next time we meet, I'll take your life." * Jan eyes Mikoto. What kinda bandit do you think I am, anyway? Why the hell do you think I'm wanted more *alive* than dead? I ain't gonna kill you. * Jan starts to walk out. "You can try all you want." * Mikoto keeps a completely neutral expression. "It's professional pride now." He doesn't turn to watch them go. * Tairan sighs. "Gods I fucked up." [Quick footsteps can be heard.] * Mikoto picks up his naginata and Jinx's shotgun. "You didn't know. We were just doing our job." He looks down at the corpse and is completely unable to keep from crying. "We all know it when we come out here, don't we? Can you move?" * Jan frowns. "Someone's comin'." Not at all. Saw the vines comin', but because I had to get fancy'n use my sword, I couldn't dodge in time... * Mikoto nods and steps over, making as if to cut them with the naginata's blade. "It's alright. We did our best. I wasn't much help either." He doesn't sound convinced on the first point. * Greebo nods, aiming at the door. * Tairan lets his head slump. "If I'd aimed better, not hit Jinx with the edge of my attack... maybe he woulda dodged it. Maybe he woulda been in a different position..." * Mikoto shakes his head. "Don't think about it now." He makes with the vine cutting. "Jan... about Kojiro. Are you telling the truth?" * Jan aims at Tairan's head. "Stop now. I've had a bad day, and I'm not lettin' anyone take me in." She shrugs, not quite working the grin. "As for Kojiro, I told the truth. But you'd be a fool for completely trusting a bandit." [The rest of the crew gets there now. They see Jan aiming at Tairan's head. And they heard her say that.] Anyone who trusts a bandit is a fool. Lookit that. More company. * Sakura gets into a fighting stance. "Bandit, are you prepared to pay for your transgressions?" * Mikoto pauses, but doesn't look like he's going to be completely stopping anytime soon. "Let her go. It's not worth it. Someone get Fanfan." * Jan aims right pistol at whoever came in first. "Step in here, and to the wall away from us." * Millie looks steadily in the doorway, standing in the doorframe, rifle already levelled up * John aims his pistol straight at Jan's. * MaryAnne opens her umbrella as a shield in front of her. No. (Ya think Sakura will yield? You must be nuts GMs ; ) ) * Jan shifts her aim, for between Sakura's eyes. "Don'tcha care about yer friend?" * Tairan stands as soon as Mikoto has cut him free. "Listen to Mikoto. We already lost." * Millie takes in the scene quickly, eyes jetting left to right scanning, and they fall on Jinx, pass him over a second, then double-take on him. "...ah hell." I'm afraid I do not know him. I only joined this group recently. However, he is just another addition to your list of sins. * Millie reslings her rifle and rushes over to Jinx. * John doesn't move his eyes off of Jan either. "I've had a bad day too, and as anyone'll tell ya, I got an itchy trigger-finger. I wasn't talkin' about the Injun. Ain't nothin' you can do for the dead. To the wall. *Now*. No. Sakura... have some respect for the dead. * Mikoto says, oddly hauntedly, "If you die, the clan will despair, Sakura. But Jan, if you shoot a Himoto clan member on this ground... you might not leave alive." * Millie doesn't seem to be listening, getting to Jinx's side kneeling and slinging her pack off her shoulder, frantically. "Dammit, it ain't s'posed ta be like that. Come on, Jinxy.." I do respect the dead. Unless I am mistaken however, she is the one that murdered him. * Mikoto smiles oddly. "You're probably not used to the sounds of the dead, are you?" * John sees Jinx out of the corner of his eye. "Murder, hm? Wow, that is impressive. And you actually *worked* at it." * Jan shifts her weight, eyes still on Sakura. "One move and you're dead, too. Got it?" One move, and you're dead as well. I'll take my chances with Himoto. * Sakura glares at Jan, looking very intimidating. Hell, she's got a 4 in the skill. * Jan is, for the record, aiming at Tairan's head. And Sakura's. ( Jan has Tairan at point blank, too. ) (You know, Sakura *could* probably roll an intimidation check against Jan.) ( Huh. She probably could. GMs? ) * Millie digs one of the potions out of her pack, putting her hand on Jinx's chest, her eyes wide. "Ah ain't...Millie ain't lost a partner yet...not now...not like this.." She pulls the cork out with her teeth. * Mikoto glances at Millie. "DOn't. There's no pulse. The bullet went into his brain... there's no hope now." * John glances around the room. "Hurry up with that Millie." * Tairan stares impassively at the gun at his head. "Going for double today, Jan?" (Go ahead. Mind, modifiers for it making it against Jan when she has your coworker at point-blank is pretty nasty.) Maybe you'll never know. If your friend here's smart. ( Like what? ) ( Jan can make one too, for that matter. ) (She'd get a bonus to defend against it, is all.) ( I think that modifier would probably only apply if Sakura gave a damn. ;) * John readies his action against Jan. ( When it's so totally clear she doesn't. ) (Just so it's clear. :P) 2d6-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Sakura (2d6-4) and gets 2. (Could be a bonus. oO(Ha! She doesn't have both weapons pointed at me, the fool!) ) * Millie glares at Mikoto. She looks like she has solid anger now..it's a lot different from her usual glares. "Like hell there ain't. Didn'tcha even TRY?" Her hand's shaking slightly as she turns back to Jinx. "But we gotta try it...we gotta try it NOW!" * Millie moves up the hand that's on Jinx's chest and looks at him, prying open his mouth. * Mikoto gives Millie the *look*. "I turned my back on three loaded guns to try and *SAVE HIS DAMNED LIFE*. You're going to waste that potion on the dead!" (Odd, I'd think it'd be against Soul in this case.) * Millie ignores the look and goes back to Jinx. "Well, maybe I do, maybe I don't. But ya ain't sayin' Millie Reinhart didn't try too...don'tcha ever think that." She pours some of it in his mouth and tries to coat the rest over his wounds. * Millie silently prays. ^Common Jinxy..please let this work. Ya can't go with a bet unsettled..ya jus' can't...^ [Jinx's wounds start to close.] * Jan doesn't seem impressed. "Give it up. And I know you're gonna try to shoot me, prettyboy. I suggest not botherin'." * John smirks. "Call it a precaution." * Millie closes her eyes, arms on Jinx's chest, hands clasped in a prayer. * Mikoto kneels down again and props Jinx up slightly, muttering in the same sort of tone as Millie. "Come back to me, okay? I want to know... I want to know the secret..." I would advise you surrender. I promise to make your death painless and honorable if you do. * Jan eyes Sakura for a moment, then glances at John, and finally the dead Jinx. "Thanks, but no thanks. Ellie, Greebo, move it." * Ellie chants a spell, and a greenish shine appears over the bandits. * Tairan continues to blankly stare down the barrel of the pistol leveled at his head. * MaryAnne looks in horror at the seemingly dead body of Jinx. * John doesn't shoot. Imagine that. ( Ellie chants awful fast. Must have the Motormouth skill. :P ) * Sakura rushes forward at the green bandits before they like.. teleport or something. * Greebo grunts, lumbering over behind Jan, for the exit. For someone so huge, he's fairly light-footed. * Jan shifts her aim at Sakura and fires. 2d6-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Sakura (2d6-4) and gets 1. * Jan snaps the gun that was just aimed at Tairan around as Sakura keeps running, firing again. * Sakura brings her sword up and deflects the bullet, not stopping her rush. ( 'Nother def roll ) * John fires at Jan's gun, which was aimed at Tairan, on instinct. 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Sakura (2d6) and gets 7. 2d6-4 * Dicesuke throws the bones for John (2d6-4) and gets 3. [Sakura gets shot in the foot and falls.] ( The foot?! Was that a called shot? ) [John's bullet impacts harmlessly on a greenish field.] ( It's late. We might as well just let them go. ) * Sakura falls over apparantly. (Rather than argue rules and such, I guess, of which I am guilty too.) ( That was a called shot, yes ) * Jan just walks out, Greebo trailing behind her. "Ellie, stall 'em." * John walks out of the doorway, not taking his weapon off of the bandits. "Good job. Ya gonna leave now or what?" Yup. Bye. * Ellie heads on out. "So it is." * Tairan no longer has a gun to his head, but makes no move to do anything. He appears rather... blank. * Mikoto continues holding on to Jinx in the vain but present hope that Crazy Feathers stocks phoenix down. [And so the bandits head out, lest you're gonna try something.] (like what? Nuke to get past their forcefield? =) ) * Sakura is crawling after them, but I doubt she can catch up. * Tairan also appears to be oblivious to the fact that he's got two holes in him. Leave them Sakura. We'll get them later. Along with those other two. I promise. * Millie doesn't even seem to notice them, just lays her head slightly down over her arms, resting on Jinx, whispering into her arms. "C'mon, c'mon.." [Jinx's wounds are mostly healed. Even the one in the head. But... he's not breathing.] (Slap him on his forehead and say aloud "Heal!") * Mikoto just buries his face in the back of Jinx's hair, since it's convenient and he's clearly crying *again*. "You can't... no matter how good with medicine, once your mind is gone..." * John holsters his pistol. His right hand is bandaged in cloth. "Dammit!" ( On the plus side, I have Jinx's funeral properly mapped out. ) ( Mikoto, roll melee defense(brains) ) 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Mikoto (2d6-2) and gets 8. (The brains eat you!) ( CURSES. I am covered in cerebrum. ) * Millie looks hopeful for a moment, then her head collapses into her arms. She's perfectly still for a moment before her shoulders heave slightly. * MaryAnne is tearful and gets out her kerchief and dabs at her eyes "This's absolutely terrible." (Sorry about that man. And Jinx's tried so hard to keep his cerebrum clean ) ( Ew. It's always goo. ) (I know, it was practically empty. ^_~) [A low rumbling can be heard, and the ground shakes slightly.] (Well he did have a complete Hoyles rule book in there. If not much else) * John frowns, but doesn't show much emotion other than that. "Ah damn. Let's get out of here." * Millie raises up and pounds his chest. "You're better than this. Your luck can't run out here..it jus' can't." * Mikoto brings up his face. "Someone... get Fanfan, and help Tairan; he's been shot too." Jinxy too... Millie, help me carry him outside? Sakura, please get my naginata and Jinx's shotgun. * Tairan blinks at the mention of his name. "I have?" *looks down at the two bleeding holes in himself* "... so I have." * Millie looks at Mikoto for a moment with water brimming the sides of her eyes then lets out a nod, going towards his legs and picking them up. * Sakura has kinda been shot in the foot. * MaryAnne sniffles. I don't need help... someone give Sakura a hand. I'll get Fanfan. * Mikoto grits his teeth and grabs Jinx under the arms. He struggles a bit but Millie's a big butch chick so he can handle his end. * John walks over to Fanfan and heafts her over his left shoulder. [Amusingly, Fanfan doesn't seem to be injured at all.] ( Well, really, I'm not either. ^_^; ) ( Just, you know... crushed, emotionally. ) (Perception rolls, if you will.) 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for John (2d6) and gets 10. 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Mikoto (2d6-2) and gets 1. * Millie grabs her pack and reslings it before picking them up..almost forgot ^^; (The dice hate my brain!) 2d6 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Millie (2d6) and gets 6. ... or I can go help Sakura. MaryAnne, could you please grab the naginata and the shotgun? ( Mikoto is injured. Just not from this fight. ) ( The dice love my brain. And part of Jinx's brain. I'm wearing *white*. ) 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for Tairan (2d6-2) and gets 1. * MaryAnne sniffles and gather the items as requested of her without comment. 2d6-2 * Dicesuke throws the bones for MaryAnne (2d6-2) and gets 9. * Tairan walks stiffly over to Sakura and offers her help up to her foot. * Millie whispers slightly. "We'll take good care of Lightnin'...I'll make sure she doesn't blow up or anythin'." She lets out a faint smile but it's hard to tell if it's forced or genuine. (Awww... :P ) * Mikoto blushes a little bit, finally regaining some composure. "He said he didn't want to be buried or cremated, so..." He blinks a little. "We can make a raft, let him sail out to the ocean by the river..." * Sakura uses her sword as a makeshift crutch and watches quietly. You need a hand, Sakura? [Mikoto spots a lacquered wooden case, about the size of a briefcase, lying forgotten against a wall. A small scroll, tied with a black ribbon, lies on top of it. Tairan spots a horribly rusty wakizashi: the only weapon left on the rack.] * Mikoto blinks as he and Millie lift Jinx. "John!" He indicates his head toward the wall. "We might as well take it. Maybe Jan forgot it." I am fine. * Tairan nods at Sakura, then walks stiffly over to the wall, grabbing the wakizashi. "A momento..." *shakes his head* * John nods and walks over to the rack, pocketing the scroll. "Sure, or it's just junk. Either way..." * John spies the case, and picks that up as well. "Maybe this is the stone after all..." [When John picks up the case, he spots *another* scroll beneath it, this one tied with a yellow ribbon. There's quite a bit of kanmon, too.] * John puts Fanfan down, and then pockets the Kanmon and the other scroll too. ( "Here, floor. Hold this." *drops Fanfan* ) (No, I don't throw her, like Link does in WW to everything. :P) ( John has special clothes! They can only be seen by the honest. ) (Good, because then you'd have to powerpose every time you got an item and hold it overhead for the world to see!) ("You want some of Grandma Feathers' Elixir soup? Only 500 a bottle.") ( He doesn't? ) [They move on! And get a ways down the corridor before they realize... it's blocked by rubble. Session End.]