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 Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 9:36 am
The voices were starting to ebb, and as they did she realized there were still a lot of people she had yet to check up on; and one had a habit of disappearing at a moment's notice. So she tried to find him; first in his room where she tripped over some wires before giving up, and then at his usual hangouts, even some of his unusual ones. She even went to a few long shot places, but she had little faith in finding him there.
Without any where else to turn, the broken Vetala moved downtown instead, drifting into the questionable part of town and, eventually, to the casino she had accidentally broken into once for the same reason she was there today. Roch. This time she ended up at the front door, unable to climb as she used to; doing anything one handed was tough, and she figured that limiting the stress put on the trunk of her body. Thus, no climbing into high windows. Not until she was fixed, anyway.
Alas, the front door was barred by a werewolf that was at least twice her size. Normally she'd been daunted by someone so large in front of a place so shady, but she was done being a spineless ghoul. She was still tired, she was still wounded, and she had a Reaper to throttle one-handed.
"Iiii neeed too get in theeere." Amrita rasped out, her voice both hoarse and wet. Her vocal cords had been severed in the last leg of the Isles trip, and she had yet to get herself completely repaired; the skin on her throat was stitched together to at least not have a gaping hole, but everything underneath it was in ruins. Her voice had a dual tone to it now; half the feminine hint of the body's normal vocal cords that struggled to work despite being broken...the other was androgynous, an echo of her real voice trying to make up for the ruined speech.
The werewolf did nothing.
"Leet mee innn!" She demanded next, widening her stance to the much larger creature, unwilling to move. "Iiii need to find Roochh!"
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 9:42 am
"Boss?" Bruno called over his shoulder, inwardly wincing at how roughed up the ghoul looked. "Boss, we got someone lookin' for the kid!" His voice was loud to be heard over the noise inside. A look of relief crossed his face as he moved out of the way, revealing a large white haired reaper in a white suit. The big reaper was a few feet shorter than the werewolf, but almost as broad through the shoulders. He looked at Amrita for a moment, taking a long drag off of his cigar before blowing out a circle.
"Hello, darklin, I'm afraid Roch isn't here at the moment," Vegas said. "But I can take you to him."
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 9:57 am
Aside for some rouch stitches running vertically up her throat to her chin and the missing right hand, the rest of her still-gaping chest wounds were hidden under a long black shawl with red trim (from her first scarentines dress) that she had wrapped around herself to not alarm anyone more than she needed to.
She didn't need an introduction to the Man who came to the door for her; Vegas was easy to spot now that she knew who he was and what he looked like. But it was the news that made her frown, what was left of her lips pulling into a frown. The assurance that he could be found made her sigh in relief, the pout fading from her cut lips.
"Pleeease?" She was relieved that Vegas would help her out, but that there might be hidden motives never crossed her mind. "Iii waarn yoou thouughh...Iii kiind of waant to straangle hiim...' Amrita informed him flatly; rather, as flat as a wet-sounding dual voice could be.
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 10:03 am
Vegas grinned slightly. "I'll take you," he said. "Ain't the first time the boil's pissed off a female, I'm sure," he said. He looked over his shoulder, motioning to someone. "Take over, would you?" he called. "I'll be back in half an hour or so."
Then he headed up the steps and offered the little vetala his arm. "The place we're going isn't the nicest of neighborhoods, darklin, but you'll be fine with me. My idiot son only bought it cuz the boil painted all over the side of it," he drawled in amusement as he started out.
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 10:13 am
Vegas was given a look; what was so important about pissing off females? Wouldn't boils get frustrated at his constant up and leaving? With a shake of her head and a soft sigh she stepped foward, looking at the offered arm next. Err, well...
"Haalloweeen nooh loonger scaares meee..." She informed Vegas seriously, slipping her good arm into his, the other wrapping around her middle to hide her stump behind a trail of dark shawl. "'iit'?" Amrita repeated, mildly confused.
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 10:28 am
"It's an old abandoned building, a warehouse," he explained, looking at her curiously. "Darklin, you're not sounding too good. You want me to take you to Monica's mad scientist first? She'd get you patched up just perfect," he offered, frowning slightly. Halloween didn't scare her, she seemed to be missing a few parts, and her voice was messed up... what in the hell had happened on the horsemen isles?
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 11:07 am
Ah, a warehouse. Of course! Well, that was nice of Austin to buy a warehouse because Roch drew on it. Interesting!
"Nooh. Nooh thaank yoou." Amrita politely declined his help; she didn't want to see a Mad Scientist. She wanted her mad scientist to fix her; or at least her Igor. But it seemed like he was preoccupied, and so her concern had all too easily shifted to the next thing; finding Roch, and strangling him for leaving without a word. Again. "Juust to Roochh, pleease."
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 11:29 am
The street he led her down seemed darker. Things seemed to be creeping in the shadows, only to disappear when you looked at them fully. Any signs that weren't broken down were painted over or hanging from one bolt. But no one was approaching them. Those that were visible looked at Vegas and quickly looked away again.
"Roch hasn't... quite been himself," Vegas said quietly. "He's jumpy, clingy, and a jackin' basket case pretty much. Hell, for the past week Bruno's been goin' over here for night shift, makin' sure no one broke into the place, even WITH my kid there," he said, shaking his head. "And hell, we woke up one mornin' to find the kid asleep next to our bed. Monica almost stepped on him. But he won't tell me what's happening."
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 12:02 pm
Amrita noticed the way she and Vegas became the equivalent of lepers on this street. Despite her rather brave notion earlier, she had to admit that this place gave her the creeps; and not the good kind. But she kept her chin up and did her best to pretend, but the distraction of Roch's story was a welcome one.
"Aahh...Yeess, Iii understaand." She rubbed her bony cheek with her vine-infested stump, wondering if it was worth anything to tell Vegas. That had been a hard trip on everyone, and the last litle bit was...well, the worst she had experienced to date. "Heee...heee shoould be alriight sooon." She assured Vegas, the hand on his arm giving a little pat. "Ssiide effect oof the triiip...vooices. Soh maany vooices..." Well, at least it was something small to give him, just to back up her hopefully comforting promise. Once the voices left, everything should be okay again, right? RIGHT?
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 12:07 pm
"Voices," he repeated a bit dryly as he pulled to a stop next to a large brick building. There was a gigantic picture of Jack the Pumpkin King painted (and rather well) on the wall. "Look familiar?" he asked the ghoul, a crooked grin pulling at his lips as he took another drag off of his cigar. "Seems the boil started coming out here around the time he started school, just to paint that."
There was amusement in his tone, even as he shook his head. "Never thought a kid would put so much hard work into breakin' the law," he drawled as he admired it.
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 12:19 pm
Amrita nodded, confirming the voices. She heard them too, but they were getting quieter now. As their walk slowed, she got a very good look at the picture on the wall itself. "Ooooh!" She keened out wetly in awe, tilting her head to try and get a full appreciateion of it. "Heee iff veery taleenteed." She agreed, nodding her head. But...if painting on a building wall was so bad, why not just get him a really large canvas? It was something she wanted to ask, but again; her priorities were her priorities.
"Sooh...Roochh iss inssiide?" She was eager to get in and throttle him. Or hug him. Or both. Who knew.
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 12:37 pm
"Yeah," Vegas said, leading her to the barred glass door and swinging it open. "Oye!! It stinks in here!" he bellowed. "When's the last time you two took a shower?"
The first floor of the warehouse building wasn't a home at all. It was a concrete floor and walled room with tables covered in tools and a bike--an actual motorbike-- propped up in the middle of the room. To the right, leaning against one of the tables, was Austin, who was wearing a black wifebeater and some torn up jeans. It seemed a strange outfit for the usually well dressed reaper. He was smoking a cighoullette.
And right behind the bike was a very familiar purple head of hair. "Shuddup, old man," Roch yelled back. "We've been busy!" Then he looked up, seeing Amrita. The "Oh jack" look on his face was quite blatant.
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 12:58 pm
...Two?
Amrita followed Vegas in, wondering if she should be thankful her sense of smell was dead. She took a look around, curiously at the bike, then up at Austin, and finally---
"Yoou!" Her dual voice hissed out wetly, untangling her arm from Vegas' to storm over to the much taller Reaper. She looked like she wanted to hit him and hit him hard, and her good hand even drew back a little bit as she mulled over her choices on her way over.
She wanted to hit him, and yet and ended up hugging him. A hug out of relief that he was alive and well (aside from apparently smelly). On the plus side, she didn't hit him. On the downside, her hug was practically bone crushing. Another good side; it was a short hug, for the most part.
And when she let go of him, that was then she jammed her index finger against his chest. "Yoou haave GOOT TO SSTOOP DOOING THAAT!" She hissed out, her vine-infested stump resting on her hip.
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 1:39 pm
"But--" Roch said, still looking guilty, "I was going jackin' insane," he told her. "Best for everyone if I forced these guys to deal with it instead of you! If I wound up freakin' out completely and turned--" Then he stopped, looking away for a moment as he thought of Riley. "Nutters," he said after a second of thought. "Then let them deal with it!" he finished.
"He's got a point," Austin said, blowing out a stream of smoke. "It's only this morning that he started acting normal again."
"What the jack happened to your hand?" Roch demanded, his attention changing. "And your voice! Jackdammit, Amrita, what are you doin' running around like this? Do we need to go to Mal--" And he stopped, remembering that Malodore was Riley's lover.
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 1:54 pm
"Yoou weere noot the oonly onne!" She frowned at his excuse, shooting a glance at Austin who had decided to come to Roch's rescue. "Fiine, buut---hee coould have saaid ssomethiing!" That was her issue; you needed time? That was fine. "Aa note, oor aa teext! Doon't juust disssappeear! Whaat iff---" What was left of her nose wrinkled, staring hard at Roch and once more glancing to the older gentlemen. She didn't know what Roch had told them, and she didn't want to be the one mentioning Hunters and school-wide kidnappings.
The subject turned to her, and her immediate response was to tuck her handless arm behind her back, her actual hand coming up to curl lightly above the shawl, giving her a rather shy look. "Iii felll." She said simply as if it wasn't important; but was there a small sense of sarcasm in her two-toned voice?! Hmm. "Nooh. Veegass offeered aalreeadyy." And she refused him, too.
"Whaat aare yoouu dooing?" Her only eye drifted towards the bike; If he could change the subject, so could she.
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