Pancake
“Ah, it’s my vent circuit, don’t touch them else you might risk getting burnt. Tea is nice though, thanks!”
Ralmia steps into the house and finds a place to sit near the table, waiting for Mads’ father to return. Noticeably, however, she purposefully avoids the first question.
“So… do you know what happened to Mads? Heard it’s causing quite a hassle uptown.”

Ao walks into the store, scan around for a bit, before approaching the person.
“Say, did you come across a girl about 20 years old? and mind if you tell me what exactly is a TR6? just curious and all.”
Her gaze continues to sway around, checking if there are any dangers lurking nearby. As a merc you can’t help but be real careful in the middle of any contract, as if you can obtain the news, there’s probably someone else who had done it already.

      Dumb
      “oh, right, right… and yer welcome, the tea is my pleasure, really…”
      He would eventually walk back into the room with two mugs, milk, sugar and a Kettle. He’d set it all down on the table, pouring Ralmia some tea, and then making himself a cuppa.
      “Weeell.. not entirely. I know the she done up ’n left for some reason… Took my grandfather’s old Service Rifle, side-arm and also the old car she was always working on…” He’d sip his tea, then add some more sugar “Might’ve had something to do wit’ her political views… She’s not a big fan of the new government ya see..”
      “is a shame tho… Miss her dearly…”

      “uhh yes mam… why do you ask..? Also, if i’m correct, a TR6 is a type of car. But, those things are old, like, wicked old. Hardly ever see ’em anymore.” The Clerk would eye her carefully. “You alright? you look on edge lady… Oh, also, i’m not even entirely sure if i’m supposed to be telling you about who’s coming in and out of this store. Breach of their privacies or something like that..” the clerk would sigh and lean back into their seat some more. “but, who cares, i’m getting paid minimum wage after all..”

      • Dumb replied to this.

          Pancake
          “Hm…”
          Ralmia blows on her tea, before taking a small sip. Its not that the heat would bother her at all, but rather an “anthropomorphic act”, as Ao had put it, to make her feel more alive and easier to get along with normal beings.
          “Do you have any ideas on where she may be headed? and do you wish to go with her as well?”

          “Hm…final thing then.”
          Ao brings out a gold coin, one of the many things she grabbed in her previous journey, and places it on the counter along with a chocolate bar.
          “Heres some leverage for you to not tell others regarding me and that lass, been nice talking to you.”
          Before even getting a confirmation, Ao grabs the chocolate bar and head outside, deploys her bike, and continues riding down the road.

              Dumb
              “She’s likely trying to get off world by all of my estimates, which then of course means she’s trying to get into Blackpool..” He would set his mug down on the table.
              “and frankly, I just wanna get my kid back… y’know? i don’t feel like tha’s too much to ask for right?” He would reach for his mug again, which had left a ring on the table. “Ballocks…”

              “Holy shit, is this real gold!? I have so many questions!” The clerk would sit for and think for a moment “that i’m not gonna ask because i value my life.. Have a nice night!”
              After Ao got back on her bike and began cruising down the motorway for mile after mile of rolling hills and empty fields, a small town appeared out on the Horizon. The town was very small, only holding a few thousand people at best. A perfect area for someone on the run to hide away and wait for the heat to wash over. Ao would have to take the next exit off in order to stop into town, but, similar to the rest-stop, it could potentially prove as a good spot to ask questions; while also potentially serving as a place to get something to eat worst case scenario.

              • Dumb replied to this.

                  Pancake
                  “……”
                  Ralmia carefully considers her choices, taking a deep breath before setting her cup on the table.
                  “Very well, we shall take your request and promise to return with your daughter. However, I am quite interested in the TR6…whatever it is…”

                  Chomping on the chocolate bar, Ao bargains whether to visit the town. Food and rest are certainly good, but there is no telling if the target also comes here or continues her way, if it is the latter…
                  Ao’s stomach suddenly rumbles, stopping her thoughts.
                  “Yep, food and rest are good.”
                  Muttering to herself, she sway towards the town, and stopped in front of the largest inn. (motel? hostel? not sure which would be better suited for the development status of the town) Like before, she packed her bike into a suitcase, and approach the front counter.
                  “Hey there, want a room with a good view, and grab me some chows if possible. Say, is there a girl in her 20s arriving here just now?”
                  Ao slowly lifts another gold coin, and slowly twirls it around with her finger, waiting for a response.

                      Dumb
                      “Thank you, honestly, I can’t thank you enough..”
                      Mads’ father wipe up the ring of water left behind by his mug and than set the mug back down onto the table, this time using a coaster.
                      “Oh.. and if it helps… i got some old photos of Maddy and that Damn TR6… The uhh, TR6 was an old car that she bought and then started repairing as a project of her’s.. If you’d excuse me for a moment..” Mads’ father would go upstairs, and then return shortly after with a collection of photos of not only the TR6, but also mads.

                      The Motel would seem to be a touch old, and also relatively small but would be perfectly fine for the time being. Before Ao could even get into the Motel, they’d notice a Small Green sport car parked out in front of the Motel, it seemed exceedingly old compared to the much more modern cars parked next to it; Fitting most of the descriptors that the clerk at the Petrol station had told them.

                      The person behind the desk was a nice old lady, seemingly in her 70’s. “oh yes… She came in not too long ago.. about five minutes before you..” the sweet old lady would smile warmly at Ao. “Are you two travelling together? I could instruct you to her room if that’s the case..? I remember a trip i went on with my friends once, I had a great time”

                      • Dumb replied to this.

                          By the order of some mysterious benfactor, the sloop Ghoul would be laying in wait, listening to the radio traffic coming from Kolde’ta.
                          The Ghoul is nothing special to the eye, an older out of service sloop that had managed to dodge the naval shipbreaking yards. Since its years in serivce, the sloop had some major upgrades made to its armour, and its sensor systems.

                          The Ghoul was captained by a man who simply went by Hayes, who was wondering why he had received a message to come to this backwater rim, belonging to a politcal group he had never heard of.

                          As he listened to the radio traffic and heard the issuing of some womans arrest a dozen time, a new message from his employer had come in, find and escort the woman known as “madds” off of the planet.

                          Hayes moved his ship closer to the planet, hoping its governing body would be friendly to his arrival.

                            Darkstar
                            As Hayes pulled his ship towards Kolde’ta, a message requesting his ship go through customs would pop on the ship’s HUD, or whatever it’s equivalent was. Included in this pop-up was a series of directions to the nearest Customs checkpoint, which was luckily within visual range of Ghoul. There was no queue for customs so the Ghoul was free to pull right up to the gate

                            Assuming Hayes would go through the proper procedure expected by him and the ship would go through Customs, he would be asked the same boring old questions that most customs officers had become accustomed to; How long he planned to stay, the purpose of his visit, if he had anything to declare to customs such as heavy weaponry, etc. While the wholly unenthusiastic customs offer asked his questions, a scanner would pass over the ships confirming that the Ghoul wasn’t carrying any contraband, or that Hayes had declared everything of note.

                                Pancake
                                “Ah a car….”
                                Ralmia looks puzzled, perhaps imagining how to allocate enough space for an entire car back in their hideout. After remaining mute for a couple of minutes, she let out a soft sigh.
                                “Anyhow, thanks for the tea and the talk, we will be returning shortly.”
                                Ralmia stands up from her seat and slowly wanders toward the doorway, doing stretches and swinging her arms along the way. Upon leaving the roofed area, she did a little girly jump, and instantly she disappears, leaving only a white smoke trail stretching to the sky.

                                "Mm indeed, ah, grab me an extra portion, i reckon she hasn’t eaten as well, I’ll bring the food upstairs.
                                Ao settles the coin on the desk, and pushes it towards the nice lady.
                                “Here’s the pay for our room and the food, thank you so much.”

                                    Dumb
                                    “Best of luck to you!” Mads’ father would wave goodbye as she rocketed off and clear off the dishes before going back to his daily life. “… And godspeed..”

                                    “oh, you’re so thoughtful.. I’m sure that she’ll appreciate that..” The lady would turn to reach for the second set of keys to the room that Mads was currently staying in. “I’ll have to call the kitchen for your food, it shouldn’t be too long before it’s ready.” She’d reach up and pull a the spare set of keys off of a peg-board, and then start to turn back to face Ao. “Now, dear.. She’s in room Number seven, which is right down the hall and to your l-”
                                    She would stop mid sentence and pick up the coin from the desk, looking at it for a moment. “Oh my, is.. is this real Gold..? Mam… I’m afraid that you’ve over-paid by a large amount… I’m not even sure if we can accept gold like this for payment…”

                                    • Dumb replied to this.

                                        Pancake
                                        (skipping ralmia)

                                        “Ah, just keep it, there’s probably a bigger hassle soon so you might as well treat it as a pre-paid compensation. That said, can you also give me a big drape and keep our arrival a secret? Ya know, teenage stuff”
                                        Ao looks around, seemingly fond of the status of the place.
                                        “Say, how’s business in this week?”

                                            Dumb
                                            The lass would let out a touch of a smile and chuckle. “I’ll go get you a set of bed sheets you nice fellows could use if that makes you feel any better, oh! i’ll make sure not to tell anyone you two stopped through…”
                                            “Business has been moving along in a nice orderly fashion. A bit slow at times, but, then again it picks up from time to time.. Just the other week we had a group of peoples pass on through, there was about 16 or 20 of ’em…”

                                            “booked all the rooms we had all at once. Biggest rush we done had in a while i’ll tell you what..” she’d let out a sigh “Oh! I almost done forgot about those sheets you wanted.. I’ll go and grab those now before i forget. Might as well go check on the food while i’m at it”

                                            She’d return in a little over a minute or two, carrying a set of Beige bedsheets. “The kitchen said your food’s only gonna be a few more minutes before it’s done and that they’d bring it over to your room when it is.”

                                                Pancake (Tbh i originally planned on putting the drape on the car to cover it up…but now it just makes me feel bad if i waste binged sheets on that XD)
                                                “Ah that’s great, Thank you so much.”
                                                Having a stack of bedsheets on her one hand, she reach into her backpack with her another, grabbing a little spherical device, a one-off personal force field to be exact, and tuck it inside the sheets, all while walking down the hallway.
                                                Upon arriving in front of room seven, she gently knocks on the door, holds her breath, and waits outside.

                                                    Dumb
                                                    Mads was laying on her bed staring at the ceiling unable to sleep. Her mind was a mess, constantly running how the fuck she was going to get herself off world, and out of the mess she’d just gotten herself into. She kept thinking about her family, what they’d be thinking of this whole mess. When suddenly, and without warning, there was a knock at the door.

                                                    Suddenly, her thoughts changed gear; who was at the door, and more importantly, why were they at the door.
                                                    Mads fumbled around in the dark for her glasses, and flicked on the lights. Immediately, she regretted doing that, now she had to go answer the door. “Shit… nice going genius..” she put on her glasses and crept up to the door as quietly as she could. Looking through the Door’s peep-hole, she saw Ao, and instantly panicked. “Ah shit… that’s not housekeeping is it..” she thought to herself.

                                                    Mads once again crept away from the door and grabbed her .357 off the nightstand and stuck it into her waistband, she had left her EM-2 in the car and was now wishing she hadn’t. The handle was obscured behind her jacket, but, it was still visible if you looked hard enough. She then meandered back over to the door as if nothing had happened, and opened the door. “Yes..?”

                                                    Unfortunately for Mads, the blinds to the Motel room’s window were wide open the whole time. Mads clearly hadn’t noticed in her panic, but, Ao could see her bumbling around the room and collecting her things like a blithering idiot before she came to the door. Mads stood at about 5′4″ and fitted the initial description given by the bounty. She was wearing what seemed to be an old army jacket that was a plain olive green, with a pair of pants that looked to be at least two sizes too big and were tied off via the drawstring at her waist so they wouldn’t fall off. Her hair was brown and fluffy and curled slightly. Mads looked tired, as if she hadn’t slept properly in a few days.

                                                    • Dumb replied to this.

                                                        Pancake
                                                        Ao let off her breath, she was originally prepared to get immediately shot at, but seeing the current situation, she is still relieved that things can still be eased.
                                                        “Brought you some bedsheets, dinner’s also coming so I suggest you go make some space first.”
                                                        Ao lifts her stack of sheets and slightly tilts her head towards the direction of the front counter.
                                                        “May I come in?"

                                                            Dumb
                                                            “That depends on who you are, and why the bloody hell you’re here..” Mads would study Ao for a moment looking them up and down. “and also if you’re armed.. and you’d better be honest about that.”
                                                            Matilda would look at the sheets, and then reluctantly take them. “and uhhmm… Thanks for the sheets..?”

                                                            Ao would be able to look past Mads and into the motel room to a limited degree. The room was very neat and tidy, with all of her things arranged in a way that they could be grabbed rather quickly, and then hauled out to her car in short order. Worryingly however, there laid a few loose rounds of .357 sitting on the nightstand that Mads had seemingly forgotten to collect, along with a Magazine to her EM-2 rifle.
                                                            Of course her EM-2 was stowed in her car, but Ao didn’t know that.. and it was dead clear that the magazine was for a full sized rifle of some sort, not for the .357 that she had grabbed.

                                                            • Dumb replied to this.

                                                                Pancake
                                                                “Well you know about the bounty already, so guess I don’t need to answer the first two questions.”
                                                                Ao hands over the sheets, revealing the now glowing metal sphere in her palm.
                                                                “As for the third, people in this particular profession are always armed, regardless of how harmless their looks seem to be.”
                                                                She slowly shifts her backpack to the front, bringing up assorted daggers, throwables, and even things that Mads doesn’t seem to recognize, yet clearly made for killing. After showing them like candies from a Halloween basket, Ao put them back into the backpack and slinging it backward again.
                                                                “Now, may I come in?”

                                                                    Dumb
                                                                    Mads’ face would go pale, as she contemplated her next course of action. Ironically enough, she hadn’t actually thought about what to do in scenario that Ao had actually been here to collect her bounty.
                                                                    So, she panicked and acted purely off of instinct. Mads would toss the sheets up into the air, and directly at Ao with a grunt. Quickly, as they were still flying through the air she reached for the .357 Magnum Revolver she had tucked into her waistband, and pointed it square into Ao.

                                                                    Mads’ hands were trembling, it was clear she had never actually pointed a gun at anyone before, and had no intent of actually firing the damn thing, even if she didn’t recognise that. “What you can do is drop that sodding bag to the floor, and then kick it over ’ere.” Mads, in her haste, hadn’t even pulled back the hammer on the single action revolver, though, it would appear that she hadn’t noticed.
                                                                    Despite Ao having quite a powerful revolver pointed square at her, it was evident that she was in no real danger.

                                                                    • Dumb replied to this.

                                                                        Pancake
                                                                        “Sigh…freshly washed sheets, all fluffy and light, and you just gonna defile them like this…”
                                                                        With a twirl of her hand, a stack of sheets reappeared on Ao’s hand once again, albeit way less than before with some getting tossed into the air and landed on the ground.
                                                                        “You still think a gun like that would do anything huh? well pull the trigger, try me.”
                                                                        Ao lowers her stance, with one hand and the stack of sheets in front, while the other hides behind her silhouette.

                                                                        After flying for quite a while, Ralmia notices the TR6 parked outside the motel, and begins slowly descending from the air.

                                                                            Dumb
                                                                            Mads would begin to slowly take a step back. She was terrified; The act of what she could only perceive as magic rattled her to the core. Never before had she seen anything like it, or even remotely similar to it. She looked down at the old six gun in her hand, and then back at Ao. “Y-your hand… move your hand to where I can see it..” Her other hand would grab the revolver in a futile attempt to steady her aim. “i don’t care what hocus-pocus bullshit you’re capable of… Cold hard lead is still cold hard l-lead..” Mads’ breathing would become shallow and irregular. “P-Please..?”

                                                                            As Ralmia descended from sky Mads would move her gaze off of Ao and out of the window. “…”
                                                                            Mads would suddenly turn and bolt for her bag and the loose rounds she had left on the nightstand, then, for the Bathroom, locking the door behind her. Her plan was to climb out of the window and then make a break for her car, but she had left the keys to her TR6 sitting on the bed, and her boots next to the door. In a mix of Foolhardiness, early celebration and a misplaced sense of victory should would shout “HA! TRY GETTING ME NOW MAGIC LADY!”

                                                                            • Dumb replied to this.

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