Human Prologue

[Trombone Geek]

Cameron's grin widened as the rest of the group join him on the ground and began brainstorming on ways to get a second horse. Maybe a certified kleptomaniac--er, treasure hunter--could work some magic in this situation.


"How about I go off and do what I do best, cause some chaos? You get to keep your most important belonging, I get to have a bit more fun, and we all win!" he suggested, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You lot could meet me on the edge of town, wouldn't take long at all." To think it had started with pencils and pens in classrooms and turned into daylight robbery. Literally. 


Cameron had no problem with it.


@SirGrey @DemetrioMachete @Dendyne @That Poppy

 

[Dendyne]

Dani shook her head, whipping brown locks of hair too and fro, after Oswald asked about everyone's transport. She had brought money enough to buy a horse but before she could put the thought into words the other woman, now standing alongside them near the loose end of the rope she had climbed down, spoke up with a gentle, regal quality that piqued Dani's curiousity. Just looking at her, one could tell that she could probably buy all the company she needed, but all the same she held out a beautiful looking head ornament suggesting that it be traded for an extra pair of horses. 


She's either a dolt, or desperate to get away from this place, Dani thought to herself while Cameron proclaimed that he would have the horses we need at the outskirts of town if we started heading that way, and another man worked his way down another rope from the window. He made a point to detach it and wrap it back up before turning to the newly formed group. Dani's eyes widened into saucers when she saw his face.


"So we heading out or what? Oh, see we got another one as well," The man turned his gaze onto Dani as he spoke, one half of his face had been badly burned and looked more like melted wax than actualy flesh. She shot him a toothy grin and curt wave, wondering what that side of his face felt like- both to have and to hold. Her body shuttered gently at the idea.


"Name's Jack,"


"Howdy Jack, i'm Danika.. Or Dani if you like," She spoke first to Jack, then largely to the group, "I'd love to catch all of your names but we really should be going, the guards have already taken their sweet time coming out to break this up and I have no intentions of getting hauled into a sobering tank tonight."


With that, Dani stepped out towards the mouth of the alleyway and began to make her way towards the outskirts of town.


@DemetrioMachete @SirGrey @That Poppy @Trombone Geek

 

[SirGrey]

Jack looked around the group, an old man who might thief, a lost royal-ish woman, fairly loud treasure hunter, a lass with an unspecified reason for going with them and then there was Jack. An agent for a shadowy organisation with a burnt face. What a team. Then again, as Dani said, they should get out here otherwise, they wouldn't be much of group for longer. Following after Dani, Jack says "yeah your right lass if those guys have got the horses we should get out of here and wait for em". As he walks with her he asks "So why you tagging along with our little merely old band?". @DemetrioMachete @Dendyne @That Poppy @Trombone Geek

 

[DemetrioMachete]

Oswald sighed at the mention of guards. Bane of his existence; a threat he needed to avoid but couldn't kill out of fear of what his family would think...


But stealing their horses would allow him to stand out less, wouldn't it? 


Thinking about a plan of action, he whistled, and soon, his own horse came a-trotting. It was a behemoth of equine, towering over the group in height; a good head taller than Oswald. Upon being halted, the horse stood still, barely making a sound.


"All we need is one. Bess here can carry at least three of us." he would mention, keeping an eye out for law enforcement.


@Trombone Geek


@SirGrey


@That Poppy


@Dendyne


((Considering ending the prologue shortly. Maybe after they get another horse. @Danni Blatge you haven't made an introductory post for your character yet. Are you going with the idea you and I worked on?))

 

[Trombone Geek]

Cameron smirked, nodding. "Good, good. One horse it is. You lot get ten minutes to get to the edge of town before I come racing by; be quick about mounting otherwise I am taking off without you, because I am not getting arrested." With a short wave, the thief spun on the balls of his toes and was on his way.

Nine minutes later Cameron was adopting a worried expression and hurriedly approaching a mounted officer.

"Hey, I am so sorry but someone really came and just stole my backpack, I was really hopin' you could use that horse of yours to catch 'im," he said, letting his voice shake just enough to portray nervousness. He liked to think he'd always had a small talent for acting (or maybe it would be considered lying through his teeth?) but either way, the sympathetic face the officer returned was all he needed. 

"Yes, of course, sir. Which way did the thief go?" Deciding to amuse himself a bit, Cameron pointed to the now empty alleyway where the rest of the party had been just earlier. With a nod, the officer tried to start off in that direction, but before he could pick up much speed Cameron was swinging up onto the horse with the ease of a practiced escape artist, yanking the officer back enough to dislodge his feet from the stirrups before shoving him off of the animal and racing away, several shouts following him.

Only a few minutes had passed when Cameron rounded the corner of the last house to find the group, and he caught their attention with a loud "Hey!" He stopped for a moment, gesturing wildly that the one remaining member get onto the horse quick. "They'll catch on before long, but they won't dare follow us to Gahm," he said helpfully. 

@SirGrey @DemetrioMachete @Dendyne @That Poppy

 

[Dendyne]

Dani walked with Jack, slowly at first as to allow the rest of the group to catch up, trying to ignore the unatural glassiness that splayed across half of his face. Her eyes would betray her constantly, she would find herself watching the flesh stretch and quiver as he spoke. Catching herself once again, Dani averted her gaze with a slight start before casting at back to check on the progress of the others. Not far behind them now, she quickened her pace a bit.


" 'Little merely old band', eh? " Dani giggled, watching the road ahead as it broke out from the township and winded out of sight and into thickets of trees; the buildings around here small, squat and looking badly in need of repairs. They stopped and began to wait on the edge of fading light off of the streetlamps.


" Well, Jack, first thing being first; you lot are tagging along with me, " Dani looked over at the man with a playful grin, though when she spoke again her voice took on a steely quality that shone through in her eyes. She pointed at Jack with the pointer on her free hand, bouncing it along with every word, " Second; and only if you promise not to make a mockery of my hobby- my passion! "


Dani held her ground, and finger, for a moment longer before dissolving back into her previous, playful demeanor. Though she didn't say anymore until he spoke the promise,


" Okay, so here's the thing- remember! No mocking! " Dani felt a slight flush come into her cheeks as she spoke, " I write for a journal on all forms of paranormal activity.. I just love the supernatural.. the.. occult, the macabre, the- " she began, but bit her tongue due to the ease with which she found herself speaking; the uninhibited way the words tumbled out troubled her suddenly. Dani realized she could easily say too much if she wasn't careful, figured she probably did already.


" Anyway, I showed you mine.. So show me yours, what's your story? For going to Gaum.. And.. You know, " Dani tapped the side of her face gently.


In what seemed like moments Oswald approached, perched on his steed with the ladylike woman in back. Dani gave them both an amiable grin before motioning for Jack to give her a boost up the side of the horse.


Once she settled herself on the horse, she had little experience riding the beasts herself and held onto the girl in front just a bit tighter than Dani would have liked.


In a sudden burst of noise, Cameron rounded a derelect hovel with a shout.


@DemetrioMachete @Trombone Geek @SirGrey @That Poppy

 

[SirGrey]

Jacked looked back to see the old man get his own horse, seemed like he and the royal would be fine. Looks like he was riding with the thief and the lass he had been walking with. Looking back to her, he could see her eyes everyone once in a while, looking to the burnt section of his face. Most people did that, looking at the wound, wondering how it feels and how it happened, before there gut feeling that he knew that they were staring at them and so looked away. 


As the stopped and waited, Jack pulled a cigarette and match from his pocket. Lighting while Dani talked, he took a puff before responding. "Course we are, around, obviously, " he said in a jokey tone that was unbecoming of his appearance and even his regular tone of voice. As she pointed at him, Jack felt a smile creep on his face.  "Do I look like the kind of guy who around mocking people for what they do, then again ain't many guys who look like me now are there?" he said sardonically before letting he continue.  The stance she took along with the obviously pointed that she did get mocked for this a lot. That and she was defensive of this passion of hers. Listening to her talk about John smiled a little, she was right with the word passion with how fast she was talking, even if it did mean she bit her tongue at one point. Taking another drag of his cigarette Jack responds with "I've heard dumber things with these ears of mine so I wouldn't worry yourself about it" before taking another drag. "Why you want to write something in that journal of yours about the man with the burnt face," he asks sarcastically before taking a more serious tone as he said "I'm just a humble bounty hunter, I got paid to come here and check the reports about strange goings on, don't much believe it myself but I do believe the money they paid so here am I,". Taking a drag he talks in a lower sardonic tone as he says "it got burnt, by someone who didn't like me very much, I'll spare you the gory details you seem like a nice lass". 


Just as he finished talking, the treasure hunter showed up with a horse in tow as did Oswald. Shollowing his pride, he jumped on Cameron's horse saying "Subtle kid real subtle". 


@DemetrioMachete @Trombone Geek @Dendyne @That Poppy

 

[DemetrioMachete]

"Get on!" Oswald shouted to his companions on foot as he halted his horse's run. Everyone needed to get on a horse. Be it Cameron's or his. Once they were all on, the two horses would sprint off, out of Mendala.


"We got a one-way ticket to Gham..."


After everyone posts, end of Human Prologue.


@Trombone Geek


@SirGrey


@That Poppy


@Dendyne


((Considering ending the prologue shortly. Maybe after they get another horse. @Danni Blatge you haven't made an introductory post for your character yet. Are you going with the idea you and I worked on?))

 

[That Poppy]

​

 
​

Mary stood in the background listing although surprised once the team began to split apart. It didn't take Cameron to come back with a horse Mary had already decided on asking Oswald just because he seemed wise, " Oswald? Is it alright is it alright if I ride with you? " ((Sorry for the small post I've been very busy these past few weeks))
​

 

[Dendyne]

Dani clung tightly to cloth and flesh, almost desperately, as Oswald's horse burst into a gallop. She could hear Cameron hooting and hollering, another pair of voices screaming profanities who she assumed were guardsmen that had given chase to the treasure hunter and, by proxy, their entire group now. The hunters, of treasures and bounties, were going full tilt now and with a lighter load passed by Oswald and the women with ease. Dani wanted to look back, as the voices were growing stronger and closer. The thunder of their galloping steeds striking so close struck a previously unknown fear, that she may not get to Gaum- and to furthermore be imprisoned for taking part in a group of thieves( As they know doubt saw it, not that they were entirerly wrong. ). Tears welled up in the corners of Dani's eyes, both from the howling wind whipping by and the frusteration that bubbled hotly at the idea that she would be denied what she considered her most important project to date.


"No.." Dani murmurred low, her voice carried away and drowned out by the wind, "No... no.. no, no, no.."


Her free hand twitched, then slid away from Mary's waist and onto her coat where she worked one of the button midway up free so that she might reach the snub-nosed .38 special she kept in a cheater holster. A slick looking five shot revolver that had barely been used, it was bought new by Dani's father when she began to take these 'vacations' of hers but it had never been proven a necessary precation, although she did enjoy the feel of it in her palm and would set up her own target range of bottles, cans and other trinkets she could find when she was bored and on the road.


Dani was neither bored, nor enjoying the feeling of her inexperienced weapon in her grasp now however. She loosened the gun from it's holster, pulled it clear of her coat and swung her arm backwards with the weapon brandished threateningly.


Dani wouldn't remember if she ever even saw the guards when she looked back; she did remember pulling the trigger, the crack of the gunshot and the sudden lurch as Oswald's horse made a sudden turn to follow the roadway. She remembered trying to hold onto that young royal and letting her slip out her grasp like butter. The last thing she remembered was the despairing knowledge that she was falling, that she would be caught, and that she would be denied so close to the gate.


Luckily for Dani, she had held on long enough to pass into Gaum; If only by a few feet. The guards, if there were truly any that had given chase, left her there. None of them would dare cross into the accursed town by an inch.


Dani regained conciousness within just a couple of minutes and after a moment to gather herself she looked at the damage; her left ankle ached painfully and her right shoulder sang in sharp harmonies of pain, her clothes were splotched with mud and grass stained, her skirt ripped in an awkward angle from one knee up nearly to the waist on the same side but she didn't think she hurt too badly. Her messenger bag still hung across her shoulder somehow but the carrying case had been flung another ten feet intown.


"Fucking hell! I lost a shoe too.." Dani hissed angrily after she got herself sitting up, "Wait, why didn't they take me away? Where am I?"


@DemetrioMachete @SirGrey @That Poppy @Trombone Geek