Post by "Unfettered" on Mar 23, 2012 19:05:38 GMT -8
Welcome To Our New World
It happened a few days ago for the Tai, back when he excavating the remains of the old Militia base... and... salvaging the shit out of everything in a five-mile radius. Pushin bits of debris with his metal pipe, he grunted, cursing as he always did... kicking a few pieces onto the street.
She had made herself a shelter under the debris, not quite ready to emerge into the new world that had been created. So, she stayed there content. Indigo stayed warm in her pocket and Mariska salvaged what she could from the surrounding rubble, unwilling to make the realistic shift into finding permanent shelter and coping with the loss of her previous dwelling.
Some areas had gotten completely bombed out while others were practically untouched. Militia's base... was one of the not-so-fortunate. With Roger waiting in the truck, Tai bent down onto his knees, kicking the small bag he had behind him.---
---He turned around, eyes wide, thinking he heard something. The area south to the ruins of PHS #259 were heavily patrolled by Barker forces... so his vigilance was up the wall.
"WHO THE FUCK'S THERE!?" he'd roar out, with vulgarity pouring out of his person.
She heard the rough voice of a male shouting in the distance, almost like he was unaware of the forces that guarded the location, or if he was aware he was too stupid to care. Still, it was the first voice she had heard in weeks save for the occasionally disapproving squeak by Indigo in regards to his meals. She peered up through one of the vantage points in her shelter, making sure nobody who would like to harm her was in the area. Quickly, but firmly she uttered "Be Quiet." knowing the Boy would have no trouble hearing her.
A voice. He was validated. Glorious validation. He grinned, but as he began striding over, with qiuck steps, quickly throwing the small brown bag into the truck, he would stride over, just as crudely.
"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN 'BE QUIET,' HUH? WHERE ARE YOU, THIS PLACE IS DANGEROUS."
...A very well trained Militia member. That was Tai. Completely giving away his position...
...Or...?
Heavy footsteps and more shouting by the boy was the reply to her comment. She sighed. The footsteps continued until....
With force, and as quickly as the girl could manage, Mariska shot her hand out through the fort's makeshift doorway, grabbed the loud-mouthed fellow by the shirt, and swiftly drug him into safety.
Of course this was met with more slurrs and panic. Mariska shot him a look and said once again " Be. Quiet. " This seemed to have a momentary effect as he looked around.
He looked around, having suddenly been transported into a world of magical unicorns and ponies, all of which involved the back of his head being slammed into the ground. And he laughed harshly at all of this... his ploy had worked. Slowly feeling for the back of his head, he noted that Roger had already gotten the door running. He would look up at this character, noting her yellow eyes and her dark, red hair...
Yellow eyes?
"...Well, if I'd fuckin' stayed quiet, you might not have crept the fuck out and snagged me like a fucking ragdoll."
...His need to cuss every few words, even in plain speech, was becoming quickly apparent.
"Tai. Nice to meet you," he would grin, slowly trying to push himself up---if she wasn't still dragging him.
She let go of his shirt, only to roughly grab him by the hair and check the back of his head for cuts. Her intention wasn't for him to hit the ground as hard as he did, but it was in the past now. His head was clear for cuts and she released him again.
She crept back into her preferred spot in the shelter, always keeping an eye on him. She had been fortunate to find an airpocket around the size of a walk in closet when the debris began piling up. Its ceilings were low, but not so much so that one had to crawl in an effort to move around efficiently in the dwelling. Her sweater hung in archway of the fort in an effort to block out light but allow for easy movement for scavenging, leaving her sitting in a dirty white tank top, and her worn grey pants. The structure also featured several eyeholes for one to peer out of, the biggest one being the one Mariska had used to spot Tai.
She sat in the corner and she looked at him some more. He had a shit-eating grin on his face, and the kind of laugh she didn't quite like the sound of. Even still, she felt that under these circumstances, an introduction was in order.
"Mariska"
"The fuck's a Mariska?---Fuck it, it's pretty damn nice to meet a good fucking soul like yours, around these parts."
...Looking around, he would discover the place rather... habitable. And surprisingly conveniant. It was a wonder that the Barker patrols hadn't found this girl just yet, but with peeking holes like this? The man could only laugh harder... and harsher.
"You have an AMAZING fuckin' setup here, Mari. I gotta say, I'm pretty damn impressed."
He would... lean up and get into a kneeling position, tilting his head at her and looking at whatever supplies she had. There was a makeshift sweater and other various articles of clothing to make this place more "accommodating." It would take his eyes a while to adjust.
"Well, Mari---fuckin'---Mariska? Fuckin' Mariska. How fuckin' long do you intend on hiding in a place like this delightful shithole?"
Tai's face honestly look more composed and nicer in spite of the continously vulgar way he spewed his words out. But...
More vulgarities shot out of the boy's mouth, but already having been in his company for a few minutes she grew more accustomed to Tai's filthy mouth. She raises her eyebrows when he complimented the hideaway and shrugged when he wanted to know if she was making this a permanent place. She had little interest in thinking that far into the future. He continued to process her property, and one corner of her mouth twitched upward, pleased that he thought it so nice. The "smile" immediately fell.
Outside, the sound of men talking in the distance became apparent again. Her eyes widened and she placed a hand over Tai's mouth, and peered out the "window" to his left. There were 2 of them, Barker's patrols. They appeared to be passing through, but her stomach still knotted up in Anxiety
"Umpphfffuckinohhh..." the man would say, his voice quieting to slower than a heartbeat. Immediately, he heard the car drive off---Roger was leaving. It was part of protocol.
Being the most conspicuous target, drivers were charged with returning to their evacuated locations within six hours unless ordered otherwise. In short, Tai was going to be stuck with this girl for a while.
He cursed silently, under his breath.
She heard a car drive away, and Tai muttered something. She wiped her hand on his shirt, disgusted by the saliva that had gotten on her hand during his protests. She continued to peer to the outside world. The patrols turned towards the direction in which the sound of the car came from, and, seeing the vehicle still in sight, hopped into their own cars and drove off after him.
Mariska sighed with relief, noting to herself that the patrols had been coming around increasingly often as of late. This was unsettling, but up until this point there had been no trouble with anyone finding her.
Indigo decided in this silence that it was time for him to emerge from her cargo pocket and climbed steadily onto her shoulder, his tiny rat whiskers twitching with each step.
The man sat in the hole, staring at the girl. And then staring at the---
"You have a fuckin' rat climbing on you, by the way," he would say, pointing rather obviously at it.
She let a real smile happen that time, a smirk if you will. She lovingly pet the rat and said "Indigo" The rat let out a small squeak at the mention of his name and cuddled up close to his Mother's neck. She looked fondly at the rat, but then remembered her surroundings.
She dropped her smile and looked at Tai. "What do you want"
---Tai would have to clamp his other hand over his face, trying not to let his face glower so obviously at the amazing affection the rat gave them.
"...That was... fuckin' adorable."
---Still pointing, the man would lower his other hand down and relax, breathing out, grasping at the dirt on the ground. Afterward, he would look up abruptly and wave.
"I want to find some fuckin' supplies," he would say, not mentioning the other personal organization documents he was also seeking out...
"...And... I'm here to offer you an alternative to this hole, as fucking amazing as it is."
The man would grin with razor sharp teeth...
She stared at the boy and at his demonic smile and at the look in his eyes. He seemed relatively harmless to her, but she would take no chances. Still, after weeks of being buried in the fort it might be time to emerge from the cocoon so to speak, and enter the world in its current state.
She noded, carefully grabbing her sweater from the doorway and putting it on. Along with her she snagged a backpack she had found lying in the rubble and filled it with her remaining water, food and clothes. She carefully placed indigo back in her cargo pocket, and to make sure she had at least one thing protecting her, she picked up the metal baseball bat she brought with her in search of supplies.
She wasn't entirely sure how long she would be gone from her home, implying she would return, but she was curious to see what was out there and what Tai knew. She nodded again at the door and followed Tai out.
...Tai, seeing her readily getting ready to... get out, waited for a few moments as she accumulated her things before he would grab the pipe he had dropped on the ground from being dragged and crawl out, checking the whole area, surveying it rather carefully. He had managed to hold onto his metal pipe throughout this entire deal, which he was thankful for, because... he wasn't nearly as tactical as "Teal" or... "Unfettered" or... Marina... or... everyone in the fuckin' group.
He had to mentally give himself a moment of silence.
When Mariska had followed out after him, she would see the world relatively devasted. Craters in the ground, in the road, in houses, in buildings and the stray body here and there. And over the horizon... the ruins. He would stretch out his arms for a moment, before gesturing with his pipe to an alleyway that still stood, opposite of the street that they were on.
"Air's fuckin' good... but no use getting caught after taking the trouble to fuckin' hide, yeah?
"I'm with Crows, an anti-Barker force in the fuckin' south. Barker being the guy leading all these fuckin' patrols around in 'his' fuckin' territory."
She emerged from the hideout, metal bat in hand. The crisp air hit her hard and being able to stand up straight stretched her body, sore from spending the last however many weeks crouched in the shelter. The World was a mess. The remaining standing homes were littered with shrapnel and decay from the lack of upkeep, its occupants having since fled the grounds.
She nodded at what he had to say, not terribly sure who the Crows were. She was still trying to grasp her surroundings. They had little time before the next patrols came around.
She all at once came to grips with it and looked to Tai. "Where to?"
Tai would reach into his aviator jacket and whip out a crudely drawn map---his own version, so that he could actually navigage it. Pointing ahead, he pointed through the alleyways that had been caved in.
"We're gonna take some fuckin' alternative routes. They'll be coming 'round in three fuckin' minutes, today. Make sure yer fuckin' rat's secure!"
With that, pipe in hand, he would begin to double-time it over there---but would slow down if he noticed her going at a slower pace. At the worst case, mentally timing this all down, he would pick her up by the waist and carry her, bridal-style, into the area, five seconds before time.
Either way...
"Basically, we have some fuckin' territory to the south of here. No fuckin' patrols, no nothing. All we gotta do is keep our borders safe and watch for invasion," he'd say as a basic introductory.---Not even into what Crows was about, but on the simplest form of the immediate benefits of moving.
Mariska nodded once more, this time more geniune. She removed indigo from her pocket and tucket him into the pile of clothing in her bag. This was the safest place she could think of for him at this point in time. She followed Tai swiftly, trailing behind him by a yard at most, and keeping alert the duration of the run.
The trek was more of an obstacle course than anything; a jump over a toppled wall, scaling a pile of rocks, weaving between fallen trashcans and shopping carts and other useless garbage.
They continued on as fast as possible until...
When they got into the old Wendy's, Tai would jump the front counter and walk knowingly towards the little office they had in there for the manager. The swivel chair still hadn't been stolen, so he pushed that out towards the door, breathing in carefully as he leaned against the wall. A place to catch a breather...
A ruined Wendy's. Money on the ground, the person probably realizing that monetary value was completely pointless in this time, the refrigerators not working anymore... But it had good concealment for parties of three or less people. Still taking a breather, he would lean up, the chair offered, shaking his head.
"We'll wait here for a few fuckin' moments. We're going to try to rendevous with Roger---my driver---at the fallback point before he leaves in thirty-five minutes to return back to the fuckin' base."
He would grin that wicked grin in between the heaves...
"I give you a fuckin' ace for trustin' me, Mari. If you have any fuckin' questions, now's the time to ask."
They entered the forgotten fast food place. Trast was strewn on the floor, and the kitchen was scattered with the picked-away remains of food. It was a shame, really. She was very fond of their fries. Ah well, ashes to ashes.
The air smelled stail and seeing the restaurant so abandoned was unsettling for the girl. She looked around while the boy rolled forward in his newly acquired swivel chair. He seemed pleased with this finding. He mentioned his driver, and the possiblity of the group meeting up at a known point. She was fine with this.
It was unnerving seeing that grin though.
...Tai would wait, looking at this Mariska and the way she looked around at the world. ...And realizing that she probably had really had been in that hole for the entirety of this time. It meant to him that this girl, at least, was a survivor and resourceful.
"No fuckin' questions? You're pretty fuckin' silent but your eyes are greedy as shit."
She snorted at that and looked at him. "Who are you and where are we going exactly?" Her voice grew hoarse at the end of her sentence, having not spoken more than a few words at once in months. Her throat hurt and she now cringed when finishing the last word. She waited in anticipation for his response. He thought on her questions for a few moments, during this time his eyes becoming greedy themselves as he gazed around the room.
Greedily. Greedy eyes. Greedy for information, greedy for details and knowledge... Greedy for a burger that simply wouldn't exist. Tai would look up at her, and tilt his head to the side.
"Mari, I already fuckin' told you. My fuckin' name's Tai... and I'm heading back to my fucking territory. Crows has control of a port south from here, but until Roger gets back, we might as well sit our shit tight for now."
He would look up at Mariska for a moment, smiling again... before reaching into his jacket, whisking out a little flask. Unscrewing the attached top off, he'd offer it to her with an extended arm.
"Some fuckin' water," he muttered quietly...
It was uncertain if he had noticed her throat being dry or if he just had a bit of kindness underneath his vulgar-spewing exterior...
Once again Tai provided no insight as to what was going on. She gathered that the Crows was one of the gangs that had graced the areas surrounding 259, but she would have to wait to find out more about them it seemed.
She took the flask from him carefully, smelling its contents to make sure that it was, indeed water. Her mouth curved up at him in appreciation for the gesture and took a small sip before handing the container back to him. She took off her tattered backpack and searched through it briefly before surfacing with a rolled up bag of ceral. She had managed to score this bounty just after the bombings stopped and the occupants fled and the dust had settled.
She opened the bag of food carefully and held it forward to Tai.
" Did you go to 259?" she was able to say, her throat hurting less but the words still coming out raspy.
Tai took back the flask wordlessly, just tilting his head to the side a little and flashing a nonchalant smile. He appraised the bag from afar, reaffirming again how this girl seemed to be getting on by.
"...Fuck no. I was one of the fuckin' escaped Experiments from about five years back. Some fuckin' kid took me on and I became his "legal" fuckin' guardian. Incidentally, he's also sorta my original fuckin' boss."
...He chuckled harshly, looking at the girl after he answered. For a rough man like himself, he either wasn't put off or didn't care about Mariska's raspy voice.
Mariska snorted at his response and raised an eyebrow. She went back to her bag and placed Indigo up on her shoulder, him pouting as he would about having to be in the bag so long. She issued an apology in the form of handing him a piece of the breakfast food, and the having a small handful herself, placing the bag on the counter between the humans.
"How long has it been since this thing started? I stopped counting days after the first week." How long HAD she been under her little pile of rock and plaster and dirt? It was odd to her that it have never dawned on her that a lot of time had went by and that people were dead, and so was the city.
Tai cooed softly, half jokingly, half as a way of appreciating the way that Mariska interacted with her Indigo. He shrugged at the snort and would only fold his arms over his chest, laughing to himself.
"It's been quite a few fuckin' months... maybe around four-to-five, now," he would reply, shaking his head. He looked at her like he did with other 259ers---special. Mariska was for sure a 259er, even though he was pretty sure there wasn't many records on her from the school database. He would have to check with "Green" for shit like that, since he didn't really bother to remember all the stupid profiles. Regardless, 259ers were tough motherfuckers. Punching through walls, capable of incredible intelligence, resourcefulness and charisma to make JFK shake in his dead boots. If she was a 259er? Tai wouldn't be surprised.
Stretching his feet out to the side of hers, he would lean onto a side of the wall.
"With 259 fuckin' destroyed and all, us Crows have been working our asses off. Barker's enslaved a fuckin' lot of the shit going on around here. What isn't enslaved around here is probably in fuckin' hiding... like you.
"Crows is a small territory, but it's growing to be militiristic, since we're trying to actually fight against Barker and his fuckers. We're headed off by a guy by some fuckin' name of Kiyoshi Akechi, with my fuckin' boss second in command... 'Unfettered.' Unfortunately, during the fuckin' missile attack, fucker got himself injured, so Kiyoshi's been scaring the populace under our 'protection' by looting shit without explanation... but the fuckin' Crow patrols won't bother with ya' none, unlike up around these parts."
...Volunteering information. Just in case.
She thought for a few moments, the Wendy's was silent and so was Tai. How in god's name could it have been so long? She should have guessed, though. Her hair was now to her shoulder blades, still caked with dirt and plaster and blood. She became aware of how filthy she was, her skin considerably darker due to the filth. She squirmed a little, but figured that there might be a shower or somewhere to bathe whereever they were going. She nodded.
" So...this is a war. And the crows are an army of sorts?" she asked, part of her still left in wonder at the time that had gone by.
"Pretty fuckin' much. Everytime we tune into the radio... no governmental broadcast, not even a squeak from the fucking military."
...Tai clearly wasn't bothered by Mariska's appearance, so he had no reason to be bothered now... But he enjoyed watching the dawning realization bloom on her face. It gave it a sort of life that made it more grounded. Essential for surviving---she was quick to adapt, so far as he saw so far.
"There are probably other groups out there, but so far, all we've had contact with is this group called "The Dragons" that seems to be preventing Barker forces from expanding any further up the coastline from around Westmont. Further up north, in Monica is this 'Hirotaki Shrine' bullshit that wants to stay neutral throughout this entire war...
"...But we've seized control of territory between the fuckin' two of 'em. Gonna be fuckin' good for diplomatics, y'know? Means we're all on the same fuckin' page and we know we aren't alone in this post-apocolyptic world.
"Obviously, girlie, we're looking for people to join us in the fight... but if you aren't into that, as I've stated before, we'll at least get you fuckin' safe."
He would offer the flask again with the same outstretched arm---this time, though, he push it back if Mariska tried to return it---a sign of good will, he wanted to convey.
She again took the flask from him, and took a sip.
"Thanks." she said and made an attempt to hand it back to him. He would not allow this, so instead kept it in her hand, turning it around and around and fidgeting with it.
She was indeed interested in the concept of joining this band of rebels. She had almost no fighting experience, and the only weapon she had used aside from the baseball bat she had acquired was a bow and arrow she had messed with when she was younger. She would need training, and it would have to be soon.
"Okay. I'm not very experienced, though." she informed him.
"You're right fuckin' lucky, then," smiling a little sadistically now... he would slowly shake his hands as he would begin to press himself to lean, standing up, against the wall.
"I'm the fuckin' Drill Sergent."
...In other words, they were training and arming their men, he hoped to convey. After all... going against an entity of men who had the initiative of trainining and preparing such a militiristic attack on the entirety of Southern California would crush any rabble easily. He hefted up his metal pipe, expectantly, looking around the corners as he did so---not yet ready to go, just still making sure their position wasn't compromised.
She raised her eyebrows at this. She wasn't entirely sure if meeting Tai ahead of time would make training better or worse for her. In any case, she was ready and she had no ties to the shack, and no wishes to be left in unsafe territory.
It sounded like the army was organized, though small. Mariska liked this. Tai shifted his weight and began peering around the corner of the counter, metal pipe in hand. She put Indigo back into the bag and grabbed hold of the baseball bat, just in case. They waited some more, and after a few moments, Mariska decided there was nothing to worry about, relaxing her grip on the bat. Tai still looked alert, and maybe even a little uneasy by not being in his territory.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Time would pass... and during this time, Tai would remain vigilant, allowing for Mariska to rest, if she so desired. Occasionally he would pull out his watch, but would remain relatively quiet otherwise, with no further questions asked of him... until it was time.
At that moment, Tai prodded Mariska ever so gently on the shoulder with his pipe. If she was asleep or awake, she would see him with a evil smile ready for her.
"Time to fuckin' go.~"
---Without any further warning, he would dash out of the office and jump over the counter, waiting three beats for her to follow after him. Ahead, about a mile, was a familiar van, with some added holes to its windshield, a new coat of red paint on its front. Rushing out between them, from an alleyway, was a detachment of a patrol, about three Barker soldiers, with their backs turned away from Tai and Mariska---
---It was obvious that the patrols had been gunning for this rogue van for all the while now. Tai would wait for Mariska to catch up to her, patting her on the shoulder briefly.
"...They don't notice us, yet, but they're far away from us. Follow after me directly until we make contact, but don't stop running. The van will stop for you---jump in. I'll be right after you."
His feet were getting antsy, ready to sprint...
He poked her with the pipe, startling her awake. He announced it was time to leave and ran, her scrambling to get off the ground to go after him. He sprinted ahead and after a short bit stopped. Ahead of them were 3 of the policing forces of Barker's, and Tai spouted off a quick set of directions for her to follow in this great escape. She nodded her head in understanding of the situation at hand and waited for him to make his move.
Suddenly sprinting forward, the man would be racing down the street as the van, having locked onto him, kept driving straight ahead. The Barker soldiers between them got their weapons ready, two of them spreading out between them some road spikes---when Tai's pipe came whistling through the air, spinning and slamming itself into the back of the leftmost soldier's head.
He was promptly knocked out and fell, stomach first, onto the spikes. The second one would turn around in time to get the crook of Tai's elbow into his neck, before he was swung like a rag doll into the third's legs. The second one would be spun around, before being thrown towards the van, as Tai stood where he was, getting ready to finish off the third... buying time for Mariska to escape.
The grin returned and he sprang forward. Tai moved faster than most, but Mariska kept up. Tai trailed behind and took care of the first 2 of the guards and she continued forward towards the van, occasionally peering back to make sure Tai was able to handle himself. He was able to take down the first two guard with little issue, but she worried about him having to handle the third. Still, she knew it was best to keep running. If anything happened, this driver would know what to do, and if he didn't, Mariska didn't mind going back for Tai herself.
---The last one, getting up from being knocked to the ground, while still on his knees, dropped his baton, reaching for his belt.---
---Roger, the driver, slowed down enough, with no seatbelt on, as he ran over the second one, the van stumbling on the road for a bit while the passenger got herself on. One to take on physical cues, he looked back with a wave at this person.
"Welcome aboard---Oh, shit, TAI!"
The moment that Mariska got herself in, if she did, Roger would floor it...
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Tai looked over to the truck, only to look back, feeling a sharp pain stabbing into his right thigh. He cursed loudly as he found a knife deep in him. Abruptly stomp-kicking the man in the face, the man would fall back onto the ground, slamming the back of his head as he did so... before the front right wheel crushed in the man's head. Through the window, Roger would shake his head, worried.
"MOTHERFUCKER, THAT WAS MY KILL."
"FUCK, TAI, GET IN!"
Swearing and cursing, the man would slowly stomp his now bleeding pair of pants and situate himself into one of the many seats lined up against the windowless van's walls, belting himself in. He wouldn't bother taking out the knife, instead only keeping a hand clamped onto it. Roger would then begin driving off, as soon as Mariska herself got seated in and begin driving... as fast as he safely could.
"...We should REALLY get that patched up."
"ARE WE BEING FUCKING CHASED?'
"...Yes..."
"THEN KEEP DRIVING."
Mariska pulled herself into the van, and, out of breath, responded to the driver who greeted her with a wave. She assumed this to be Roger. She sat herself down on the left side of the van. Not long afterwards, Tai climbed in as well, looking particularly unhappy about the knife sticking out of his leg. She couldn't blame him, really. He swore some more and made a fuss, as she noticed he did frequently, and after he and Roger exchanged words the van would begin moving.
It had been a very long while since Mariska had been in a vehicle, the last one being the bus that brought her into town. She liked the car, though the lack of windows made her very uneasy. She didn't like the concept of not being able to see where she was going.
"That doesn't look pleasant." she stated, hoping that if he were to yell about it some more it might distract him from any pain.
"IT DOESN'T JUST LOOK FUCKIN' UNPLEASANT, IT IS FUCKIN' UNPLEASANT," a very pained, toothy-smiled Tai would say, as the van roared on... Between the two of them were several bags of salvaged goods, various metals, and other supplies...
Unless interrupted, they would keep driving on for the next seventeen minutes, until they would slow down to a stop, in safe territory...
...And Tai would look more pale than anything, by then having would contributed a rather sizeable portion of his blood to the floor between himself and Mariska.
As the drive continued and the blood pooled on the van floor, Mariska grew worried. She removed Indigo from her bag, and sent him towards Tai, hoping the rat wouldn't still be pouty. In any case, it might distract him while she thought of what to do. She wasn't terribly knowledgable for something as specific as a stab wound, but she was familiar with bleeding wounds.
She removed her tattered sweater, and would use the sleeves of it to tie a tourniquet around Tai's leg in an effort to slow the bleeding. Why she hadn't considered this idea from the get-go bothered her, but it was in the past now. In any case, if she did this, it might by the boy some more time.
During this, Tai had... noticed the rat, and began to poke at its whiskers with a finger, before stroking it, letting it wander where it would, if it climbed onto him... or clung for dear life on the seating. He would only curse as almost a mandatory response expected of himself as he would otherwise allow the girl to tie a sweater to his thigh, even lifting it up with what strength he could muster... while watching his blood inevitably stain the sweater a deep red.
"...I'm... fuckin' sorry 'bout the sweater..." he would say rather... sleepily.
It alleviated some of the pressure he needed to use with his other hand, thankfully. so that by the time they all arrived, the door sliding open, an entourage of Crows would welcome them---only to find Tai slowly climb out. Roger would jump out of the car, not even bothering to close the door behind him, and immediatly go to offer his neck for Tai to grab with his free elbow. The team of Crows would line up into columns, making way for a team of two Crows with a stretcher. There, Tai would, as though this were a well practiced feat, slump backwards onto it, leaving Roger to tend to the van...
...But he would lift up a finger towards Mariska, and finger her to follow her with a slight wag.
"This tough bitch comes with me, fuckers. C'MON, LET'S FUCKIN' MOVE," he would roar out in a final lump of vitality before collapsing onto his stretcher, closing his eyes. The columns saluted him, as the two would begin racing him into the base, allowing Mariska to follow them at their leisure...
...If they went too fast, though, a Crow would come up to her with a salute, silently offering to be a guide to follow after them.
Indigo would carelessly climb onto Tai, nuzzling up to the boy's hand. Mariska enjoyed watching Indigo cuddle up to Tai, and she only smiled and muttered "S'fine. It's old." at his apology. The rat would find himself a place to sleep inide the coat the boy wore.
They arrived on base, and Tai was greeted by a startling number of people. He was helped to a stretcher, and he motioned for her to go with him, whereever they were going. The infirmary, she could only assume. The men carrying him began moving swiftly and she kept up as best she could, having rested enough on the way to the place. She furrowed her brow upon remembering he was in Tai's jacket, and hoped he wouldn't be mistakenly disposed of or crushed in the process of moving the boy off the stretcher.
Tai would coo silently, feeling the rat, Indigo climb into his jacket and the creature would find a rather safe, cozy, warm, and easy ride into the infirmary. The Crows that appeared to be patrolling around the pier base would look over the ocean, some rushing off to report Tai's return, others standing their ground. In truth, this was nothing out of the ordinary aside from Tai being the one to find a person out there in the desolation, much less one of the least populated areas.
Following after Tai through the rather short, salty-aired hallways, they would eventually find themselves in a moderately sized room with curtains separating the beds. The windows were closed but allowed for the rather bright sun to shine on in. By the time Mariska would find Tai on one of these beds, would be about the same time that another woman would begin approaching them, dismissing the two Crows with a wave of her hand.
...This woman... held a different aura about her, wearing a corset, a jean, and a constant scowl. She was not just a Crow. With a scalpel, she'd begin cutting open the side of Tai's jeans and the sweater that was tied onto it...
"...Explain."
"Dora, you're NOT my fuckin' mother."
"Yeah," she would agree, sliding out the knife from his thigh. Tai would suck in a breath of air as he allowed her to. If Tai saw Mariska walk on by, he would limply raise a hand to wave at her, grinning as a layer of sweat covered his forehead.
With his now free hands, he would open up his jacket, in case Indigo wanted to breath. Dora wouldn't take notice...
Mariska would follow behind the men now, taking in her surroundings. The territory was much larger than she expected. She looked out to the ocean and wrinkled her nose, becoming aware of the sea-salt air. The girl had never been fond of the ocean. The seaweed and sand made trips to and from the water unpleasant, and she always had the worst luck with sunburns. She looked down at her feet and wondered if investing in shoes would be best for this new world, having stepped on more sharp rocks than she would have liked during the trek to the Wendy's.
Snapping back into reality, Mariska found herself in the doorway to the infirmary. It was a nice enough room, and it seemed a lot cleaner than she would have expected, but then again, this whole place was a lot more put together than she would have thought. As she entered the room, a woman was pulling the knife out of Tai, and Mariska winced slightly in sympathy.
Indigo popped his head out of the pocket he had found himself in, to take in the new place he found himself in. He lifted his head, sniffed the air, twitched his whiskers. The rat was indifferent to this new place, and so instead went back inside the pocket.
Dora would continue to expertly attend to Tai as Tai would just lean back, gesturing for Mariska to come to his bedside with another wave of his hand. He would attempt to lean his head upward for a moment---before Dora would sharply press down on his forehead without even missing a beat, as she began to apply stitches...
"They avoided an artery. Lucky again. Stop pressing it."
"...Fucking wonderful.---Hey, Mariska. This bitch is Dora. She's one of the fucking senior members, like myself. She's a really hard bitch, but she's---OW, BITCH," he'd say, as Dora would "accidentally" stab his thigh with a scalpel... again. This would also be promptly stitched up, to which Tai would ignore her, resuming undeterred.
"Her and I, we're Militia, the fuckin' advisory sub-group to Crows. If you're fuckin' serious about joining up with us, follow her, because she will take you to a free room, 'til we can get Kiyoshi (our fuckin' boss' boss) to sort you through, WON'T YOU, BITCH?"
"I WILL STAB YOU AGAIN. WHOSE FAMILY DID YOU KIDNAP THIS POOR GIRL FROM!? WE HAVE TO RETURN HER IMMEDIATLY."
"I ACTUALLY FUCKING FOUND HER, YOU CUNT---FUCK."
"YEAH, WHERE!?" she said, her hands ready, already stitching up the new stab wound.
"AROUND FUCKIN' 259, THAT'S WHERE---FUUUUCK."
"THAT DESERTED HELLHOLE? I DON'T BELIEVE YOU. I CAN KEEP DOING THIS ALL DAY," she said, doing it yet again... and stitching him yet again...
Mariska would move to his bedside, opposite Dora so as not to get in her way. She would raise her eyebrows as Dora continue'd to puncture him and he would continue to run his mouth.
She nodded her approval as he volunteered Dora to get Mariska a room, and her mind instantly flashed to the possibility of a shower and a nap on a proper bed being in her future. She luckily had one more change of clothes stowed away in her bag, her sweater now being fairly useless to her as it lay blood-soaked and in pieces. It was probably for the best.
They bickered some more and her eyes darted back and fourth as if she was watching a tennis match. It would appear Tai was losing, her having the upperhand by way of scalpal.
"That is where he found me." she said, hoping this would at least slow Dora's readiness to prod Tai with the sharpened blade.
---And at once, Mariska would have Dora's attention. She would glare up at him, before her gaze softened.
"...Oh."
...
...While she proceeded to stab Tai nonchalantly three more times.
"MOTHERFUCKINGWHY."
"Because."
"BITCH."
...At this, Tai would try to grab for Indigo from within his jacket, attempting to give him back to Mariska for the time. With a spare, shaky finger, he would pet it atop the head as he grasped it. He was in no condition to look after it otherwise, and he knew this.
At this... Dora would smile, silently closing him up, before pulling out a white blanket from underneath and laying it over Tai. Wiping off the scalpel blade on her jean, she'd holster it expertly on one of her front pockets and grant Mariska the attention again.
"Mariska, right?" she recalled from when Tai was calling her over.
"Welcome. Follow me."
Not quite coldly, so much as to the point, the girl would stand herself up straight before strutting out of the otherwise empty infirmary and begin walking through the hallways... fast, but slowing down as needed. From there, she'd lead him along, the passing Crows taking a moment to look at the newcomer, before they would arrive to a blank door. Twisting the knob and pulling it, Dora would wave a hand at Mariska to step on inside...
Brown carpeting, a closed window with a dull orange curtain, a single bunk bed, a closet, and a small doorway to what would probably be the bathroom including a tub, shower, sink, mirror, and some salvaged hygiene samples.
"There was a bit of refitting to be done, but this should do for now. Dinner in the mess hall will be at six, today. I'll see if I can't get Kiyoshi to see you before then."
Mariska made an apologetic face at Tai for her response not having much effect on Dora. She reached out and picked up the rat, placing him on her shoulder where he would hold onto her shirt and a loose lock of hair to keep himself steady.
"Yes." she said, confirming her name to be so and she would hold out a hand for Dora to shake. They left the infirmary and walked through various halls and paths. All the while, she scoped out the other inhabitants of the base and they, too, looked at her with momentary curiosity. They stopped at a blank door, and Mariska walked into the room that Dora had allowed her into.
It was a nice enough room, and it gave off a vibe of being at home. She could not say the same about her shack, or even her previous dwelling. She sighed happily. She had been looking forward to this since the possibility of a more inviting home dawned on her at the Wendy's.
Mariska thanked Dora, and when the woman left, she placed her bag on the bottom bunk and went to inspect what she assumed to be the bathroom. She was happy to find that there was indeed a bathing station. Closing the door, she began to run the water and stepped in with Indigo still on her shoulder.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Mariska feeling cleaner and more comfortable left her room, Indigo on her shoulder and still damp, and made her way to the mess hall.
The food in the mess hall would be... disappointingly simple in normal times. But here, in Crows, at least under that current day's structure by Militia, the ration was up to two bottles of water (bottles being recycled for later use by virtually everyone), a scoop of piping spaghetti, a pinch of mozzarella with a single meatball, and a single slice of garlic bread.
...Many of the people would be looking in on at Mariska, before Dora would... seem to glide her way through the seated crowds and sit next to Mariska, scaring the other Crows away.
Dora would promptly slice her meatball in half and slide that and her noodles onto Mariska's plate, saving only the half of the meatball and the bread for herself, as a sort of a terrible sandwich. If Mariska attempted to balk, Dora would glare at her. Either way, she would explain it simply.
"Tai explained the situation to me. Eat and get your strength back. I put some of my spare clothes in your room, so take what you like. They're all clean."
...She wouldn't even bother to look up as she chewed rather purposefully... strict and severe as Tai was vulgar and reckless. However, she did not emanate any dangerous vibes around Mariska like she did when interacting directly with Tai... Not "unapproachable." Just not really, really sociable.
As Mariska received her meal, she couldn't have been more pleased. The spaghetti was the most appetizing food she had seen in months. She went to the nearest table she could find, it being completely empty, and she sat. Indigo climbed down her arm and onto the table, and she carefully set aside some noodles and ripped off a part of the bread for her companion. She filled a bottlecap filled with water and set it next to Indigo and they both dug in. Not long after, Dora slid into the seat next to her. Mariska greeted her with a nod.
Dora handed off a good chunk of her food to Mariska and while Mariska began to protest, Dora told her what was what. She again nodded, this time in understanding. She appreciated that they were taking care of her, and that the only real reaction to her presense was curiosity. They would sit in silence, the three of them busy eating. After some amount of time, Mariska would speak.
"Why do they keep staring at me?"
"...Because curiosity and perverts," she would reply bluntly and perhaps a little too immediatly. There were some women amongst the ranks of Crows... but either way, her statement was rather to the point.
Mariska accepted this answer and went back to her food.
