|
|
Post by Kazuya Hikari on Sept 30, 2013 19:07:50 GMT -8
Both Shane and Conner would stare blankly at the Grim when he started talking to himself quietly about getting the lighthouse manned and running, Shane once again scratching at his head beneath his cowboy hat while Conner would continue to look up at Marcus wide-eyed.
"The lighthouse is operational sir, we've kept it maintained despite the lack of ships coming into port... Well, more like mah pop making sure we keep it in tip top shape."
Conner grinning happily as he was scooped up and deposited on top of Marcus' shoulder, he could see the top of his brother's hat from here!
"No enemy submarines sighted Mister Grim! If you want Mister, I can take you to the lighthouse after. My poppa says it's safe to go inside, but I shouldn't go too high without him or my brother with me."
"Give 'em folks a bit o' time to come around ma'am. With such a small Crow presence for so long, it's been hard on mostly those that have taken up the duty of defense. But I tell you what, you change my pop's opinion, the others will follow. Here we are ma'am."
Reaching the firehouse, Shane would open the door and let Delilah, Marcus, and company head in first, before following in after.
"Crows, ten hut! The First Crow Delilah A. Black and Grim Marcus Prasad are here!"
|
|
|
|
Post by Delilah A. Black on Oct 1, 2013 0:33:47 GMT -8
"Actually That's going to change." Delilah turned her head to the side, looking sideways at Marcus as he started speaking. She raised an eyebrow as they walked."The Lighthouse. I want it manned. A Crew of five would be the optimal amount. And the Docks.....Is the Lighthouse operational? The Marina will need repair of course. Most of the rotten logs broken down. Downsizing, yes. Use whatever can be salvage to fix..." Marcus seemed to wake up, turning face both her and Shane."Oh Shit sorry, Uuuh, lemme explain." "Of course.""You see, that Lighthouse and the Marina are soon going to be experiencing some traffic in the next....Hmmm, Less than a year for at least one vessel if we rely on salvaging wrecks. Building a boat from scratch, now that takes far longer than is feasible. But soon, yes soon my friend! You shall have Boats off the coast running Crow colors and transporting Manpower, Supplies, whatever you need." Delilah grinned broadly at him as they walked. "Damn good idea, Marcus."
All too soon, they were approaching the front doors of the fire station. Trepidation was building in the pit of her stomach, feeling as though she was walking into a less than idea situation. One that the Crows themselves created."Crows, ten hut! The First Crow Delilah A. Black and Grim Marcus Prasad are here!"Del turned her head slightly to look at Marcus with the faintest of smiles. "Let me handle the first bit. There's something I need to get out of the way."
The First threw her shoulders back and tilted her chin up. Fuck uncertainty. She wasn't here to pansy around wishing things were better. This was the sort of thing you had to make happen for yourself. Delilah strode through the front door, boot heels clicking against the floor as they entered the building.
It's okay, it's cool. Just act like how 'Unfettered' would. You'll be fine.
It wasn't often that the First was decked out in her most formal uniform, but the seriousness of the situation called for it. Her figure was striking, imposing, formidable when accompanied with the displeased expression she wore on her face.
Whether the men or women within just sat around ignoring their new guests, or retaliated with some childish prank, or followed through with the deputy's order and stood at attention, the result was the same. Delilah walked into the center of the room and tossed a glance around herself, clasping her hands behind her back.
"Brothers and sisters of Crows; On behalf of the office of Zero, your leaders, your superiors, I have something to ask of you."
A slight pause after this, as if waiting for attentiveness. The raven haired woman would then bring her hands down from her back to her sides-- and she bowed, low, before them all.
"--I ask for your forgiveness. It is the fault of those you would call 'leader' that our attention has strayed from you, and that is not only inexcusable but also shameful. Even in the light of our recent victory against Barker, this failure hangs over our heads, a reminder of what we have left undone for far too long. Mere words cannot convey how deeply sorry I am-- indeed, those would seem empty. Actions speak far louder than words, as I have always believed."
Delilah would straighten her spine, slowly, looking damn remorseful and, perhaps, a little angry at herself for letting things slip so far. Her expression as well as the slight red hue colouring her cheeks would display the shame she spoke of.
"But before we can begin to make right our mistakes, I must use my words a little more. If you would hear us, we would be very honoured." again, the First bowed before them. |
|
|
|
Post by Marcus Prasad on Oct 1, 2013 19:01:12 GMT -8
Even Marcus was not immune to the dread of facing a crowd who had legitimate reasons not to like you. It was just like being a kid and knowing you were going to get scolded by your parents and dreading the moment they called your name.
"Sounds like a plan little guy. Maybe not right after though, need to see what needs fixing the most first."
He explained to Conner after gently lowering the child to the ground once they arrived.
"Best stick with your big brother for now though. This meeting might go on fo'while, huh."
"Let me handle the first bit. There's something I need to get out of the way."
Marcus simply nodded. Dressed to kill? This was her show. He would say his piece when it was time to roll the sleeves up. He did give her shoulder a reassuring tap with his index knuckle.
"Knock em dead chief."
For every time The First bowed, Marcus found himself compelled to bow with her. A Show of solidarity as he waited to see how the crowd would react.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kazuya Hikari on Oct 1, 2013 20:08:19 GMT -8
"Okay Mister! I can't wait to tell my friends, come play with us after!"At Shane's order, the men and women residing in the firehouse would indeed get up and stand at attention, except for the ones still recovering. The most they could do was sit at attention. If they stood any straighter, Delilah and Marcus could eat off their backs. They were expecting a speech from the two leaders. What they weren't expecting was Delilah and Marcus to bow to them, as many of them were struck speechless. Even Shane was pretty surprised himself at the gesture. After looking around at his fellow Crows, one young man would step forward. "First Crow Delilah A. Black and Grim Marcus Prasad, I speak for everyone when I say we would be honored to hear you speak. We too have failed in our duty... Our duty as Crows to help the citizens of Hermosa. As a simple member of the gang, let me, Elijah Graham, be the first to apologize for my failure."
|
|
|
|
Post by Delilah A. Black on Oct 2, 2013 1:31:48 GMT -8
"Your apology is unnecessary, but accepted," she replied gravely, straightening her back. Marcus' reassurances had bolsterd her confidence significantly. "Thank you for the opportunity to let us speak.
"As you may know, I am First Crow Delilah Black. Myself and Grim Crow Marcus Prasad are here to finish what the late Zero Akechi started when he cultivated this territory so many months ago.
"Due to our negligence, the border of your lands, the function of the Crow forces in the are, relationships with civilians have all deteriorated. My first priority is to rectify these situations immediately. If you have anything else to bring to me that you would like to see changed in the area, please do so with either myself or Grim Prasad.
"I believe the Grim has a few words himself, however," she turned her head to look at him, "If he would like to speak them."
If he would, Delilah would step back to let him have the centre of the room. Once he was done speaking, or if he had nothing to say, she would stand in the centre once again to take questions and suggestions from the members of Crows.
|
|
|
|
Post by Marcus Prasad on Oct 2, 2013 18:41:21 GMT -8
Marcus nodded his head in acknowledgement. She won their hearts. It was his turn to get them pumped up for the task ahead.
"Relax guys."
He commanded with a soft tone and a raised hand after stepping into the center.
"Lemme start by saying I am absolutely fucking proud of each and every one of you. This was a shitty situation, don't get me wrong, you guys pulled the short straw working here. Any other militia force would have broke down after a few months or two, gone rogue or hell, start pushing the locals around. Not you guys. You stuck with it. You did your jobs. You made the best of it and you know what?"
Pause for effect......
"That takes some balls. Brass. Fucking. Balls. I can proudly say I'd sit and have a beer with any one of you. You have ALL here earned not only our admiration, the Firsts and mine, but our most deepest of respect. To be honest I don't think we deserve this level of loyalty and devotion. But I hope, after the week is out and side by side we roll up our sleeves and set what's right, we will have."
"Like the First said, our plan is NOT to just sit around and Bark orders all day. We will be working closely with you guys as we put our heads together and share in the grunt work. Now some of you may have heard some rumors about me and I just want to go on the record and say that yes, I AM capable of manipulating what has been refered to as 'qi' to create explosive force. In short, you all now have a demolitionist in your midst which should help expedite clearing roads and leveling blocks for repurposing and reconstruction. As I said, we intend to get our hands dirty here."
Giving a nod to Delilah to signal he was finished, Marcus bowed to his Audience.
"Thank you for your continuing service."
Before stepping back to allow her to continue.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kazuya Hikari on Oct 2, 2013 21:58:20 GMT -8
"First Crow Delilah A. Black, Grim Marcus Prasad. All of us agree... it would be an honor and a privilege to work alongside the both of you. The biggest concern, as Shane most likely has brought to your attention, is improving the defenses of our base of operations. We've worked to keep it in as good a condition as possible, but well... lack of materials plus reduced members equals little opportunities."
Elijah would gesture behind him to the members of the Crows still recovering from their injuries, bandages wrapped around heads, arms, legs, on faces, everywhere.
"Troops is another large issue ma'am, sir. Our numbers were low to begin with, even more so from the riot. We need to establish and train more troops to help defend Hermosa. You should ask Old Joe about demolitions sir. He's one of the few older men here that is willing to help us out."
|
|
|
|
Post by Delilah A. Black on Oct 3, 2013 20:58:45 GMT -8
Delilah nodded, giving Marcus a small smile before returning to her serious visage as she made her way back to the centre of the room.
...yes. The defenses needed tending. Recruitment as well would certainly bolster the area. Introduction of a trade and barter system would help improve relations with Crows and civilians. But before she could get to that...
"I'm afraid I am somewhat uninformed; which riot are you talking about? What happened?" she added, noting the injured personell.
|
|
|
|
Post by Marcus Prasad on Oct 4, 2013 12:13:09 GMT -8
Marcus figured the Lady in Black had this covered, so turning to his packmates, he whispered quick instructions for them to stick with Del and the tengu until he got back.
She wouldn't need him here yet anyway. Best to make himself useful.
Poking the nearest crow, Marcus would pull his map of the area from his Jackets upper arm pocket.
"Mind pointing the scrapyard that had caused everyone some trouble for me?"
if he was given the info, he would immediatly set out on foot, cutting through the city like a launched missile.
A missile with a rather clever plan......
|
|
|
|
Post by Kazuya Hikari on Oct 4, 2013 16:02:12 GMT -8
"Shane didn't tell you?"Elijah looking over at Shane, Shane would nod his head, yes, he did tell Delilah about the riot, it was the riot involving the citizens gathering in front of the firehouse, they were unhappy about the small presence the Crows had in the area. "The citizens weren't happy about the small presence the Crows had in the area. We weren't a very big group, only about thirteen of us, and they were becoming anxious and irritated that no more Crows were coming in to help. One night, they just grew fed up, and gathered out in front, screaming and yelling at us. We tried to re-assure them, but they weren't listening, and before we knew it, they started punching us. If it wasn't for Shane's dad stopping them... we'd be in far worse shape than we are now."Marcus would poke a guy sitting on one of the beds, his arms wrapped in bandages. Looking at and studying the map Marcus pulled out, the man would slowly raise one arm and gingerly move his finger along the map. "Let's see... The junkyard is located here sir, a little northeast of Hermosa. Head towards and north along Highway 1, then take Exit 259. It'll be roughly around here."Pointing at a spot on the map, he would watch Marcus head out, his brows furrowed slightly, before turning back to the conversation with Delilah and the others. "Most of us weren't injured too badly, a couple cuts, scrapes and bruises, but some of us didn't get off scot-free..."
|
|
|
|
Post by Delilah A. Black on Oct 5, 2013 13:06:59 GMT -8
Delilah nodded thoughtfully; Shane hadn't gone into that much detail, and now she knew more than before.
But there were a couple of things wrong with the picture. Firstly, what made the civilians over react in the first place? Not having enough soldiers was not usually a reason for a full-scale riot, and Delilah thought that maybe there was something more to it that even the Crows didn't know. Secondly, why would the Crows have been injured by civilians? Clearly, they were lacking in training. If they couldn't handle a riot, there was no way the territory would withstand a march from Barker. The more severe injuries proved this; Crow here were ill-equipped.
What also bothered her was the lack of Crows in the area; a mere thirteen? There should be at least twenty to twenty five Crows that were highly trained by Tai before being shipped out to Hermosa. Something didn't add up.
More important, though, was civilian opinion of the Crows. Whatever had caused them to become dissatisfied with the number of soldiers or, even Crow occupation needed to be addressed and rectified.
"I am sorry to hear you all have had a time of it. It is inexcusable of us as leadership to have let this go uncorrected as long as it has.
"What are typical operations of Crows as it stands here in the territory?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Marcus Prasad on Oct 7, 2013 21:50:23 GMT -8
Marcus would begin to slow down the closer he got to the scrapyard.
His first move would be to scope the place out. Alittle bit of recon tended to go a long way after all.
He would stalk around the Perimeter keeping out of sight, Taking note of how many people were in the scrapyard and where.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kazuya Hikari on Oct 8, 2013 12:45:33 GMT -8
"Everyone pitches in to keep the area operating as smoothly as possibly. We work in two shifts, day and night shifts, and maintain the buildings all around Hermosa. Everyone has a task given, based on their age and physical capabilities. Despite the citizens not taking too kindly to us, Shane's father strictly prohibited any of them from lashing out at us again. Granted, he's about as accepting of us as a cactus would be, but he's the least of our worries. Ma'am, it's the gang that former Zero Kiyoshi Akechi defeated. They've..."
Marcus would immediately see a group of five people in the junkyard while simultaneously walking around the perimeter, and just barely visible, another group of five deep in discussion before dispersing, heading off in different directions away from Marcus, towards the other end of the junkyard. Seems like they are all guards. But just before the group dispersed, if Marcus was observant enough, he'd manage to make out two words one of them said. Ken Tanner.
"Taken over the junkyard. The leader, Ken Tanner, after learning that the Zero had died, approached us one night and told us straight up, with Kiyoshi gone, his pledge of loyalty was rendered moot the moment he was killed. He left that same night with some of his most loyal men. Weeks later, he took back the junkyard from our control. We fought back, but even with the eight members that used to be part of Ken's group loyal to the Crows, Ken overpowered and drove us out."
|
|
|
|
Post by Delilah A. Black on Oct 8, 2013 19:55:01 GMT -8
Delilah's upper lip curled at the very idea that someone turned traitor on the Crows. She had noticed some time ago that Marcus had left, but she really hoped he knew what he was getting into. He knew he could call for back-up when needed, if he needed.
"I see. How are food and other supplies necessary for survival doing? Is there an action plan in place to evacuate civilians if there's an attack? Where do the majority of the civilians live, and how many of them are invalids?"
|
|
|
|
Post by Marcus Prasad on Oct 9, 2013 23:25:49 GMT -8
"Ken Tanner huh?"
Marcus muttered to himself. He remembered the name in passing. One of the men under Zero Kiyoshi's command during the Big Ruck at the Crows nest. That peaked his interest. What would he have to do here?
He would need more information. First step, isolate one of the men involved in the little pow wow that had just went on.
Marcus would watch them and observe where they went, hoping to pick out a good target. At the same time, keeping an eye on a point of entry into the scrap yard. Somewhere noone was watching, or at least not at all times were he could slip in unseen.
By GOD this felt good! He was the hunter here. Stalking prey. Felt like the old days again. He knew deep down he should have brought his cubs with him, but he had been suffering from a loss of confidence lately. He needed this. He needed to do this alone.
The alpha had to stay strong.
|
|
