Stojan says, "Well, I thought everyone was dead."
Ashley asks him, "What?"
He says more loudly and slowly, "I thought everyone was dead."
She says, "Yeah, me too. So, if the three of us are all still alive, there have to be more... right?"
Stojan gets behind the wheel and the three of you drive to a welding shop.
Got welding skill?
No, But I have read a lot on the subject.
I'm looking for a oxyacetylene welding set since an ark welder needs electricity.
I'm trying to put a V shaped ram on the front and attach it to the frame.
GE says you find one, 17 says it's good, but not great.
§
You manage to get several pieces welded together and to the front end; it looks like the work of an amateur, but seems functional.
Now, I'm trying to find a megaphone.
I'm asking the other, where they would look for one.
Ashley says, "Maybe a department store?"
Stojan says, "Police department."
Ashley asks him, "Why do you even talk? I can barely understand a word you're saying."
Stojan says something vulgar to her.
"Okay, I understood that."
"Calm down, people.
Can't we be civil in the middle of the Apocalypse?
Let's go to the police department.
It will have fewer ghouls."
When we get to the police department.
"Ok. here's the plan.
You two stay out here to guard the van from ghouls and thieves.
While, I go in to look for what we need.
Now, if there is no objections, I will start searching."
I will have my katana and a fully loaded double barreled shotgun with me
I would have my katana drawn and ready
What accent's do Stojan and Ashley have? And, why is it hard for them to understand each other?
doublepost
Stojan's accent is eastern european; possibly Polish or Macedonian.
Ashley's idiolect makes hard to tell what part of the world she's from, as her pronunciation is very clear.
Stojan's accent isn't too thick for you to understand him, but you can tell how someone who had led a very sheltered life and never met a person with a foreign accent might have difficulty understanding him.
§
You find this place has been wiped mostly clean; you do find a megaphone and a kevlar vest, but the riot gear and weapons have been taken. The place is a shambles.
I put on the kevlar vest and take the megaphone to the van.
I point the megaphone away from the van and test it "testing testing 1 2"
after that I will get into the van and say
"Ok. now we drive around and try to find a place that we can fortify against the ghouls."
I'm looking for a large area that has high brick or stone walls and gates that are easy to reinforce.I will also listen to what the others think.
Ashley asks, "What's wrong with my Dad's place?"
Stojan is driving, and shakes his head. "Too many entrances, too many wild cards. What we really need is a place like... a nuclear fallout shelter. As a matter of fact, there's one not far from here; we can probably get there before nightfall if we leave now, the drive is only a couple hours, maybe three on the back roads."
You've noticed that busier streets are usuall packed with cars
and are almost impossible to navigate.
"Before nightfall would be good," Ashley chimes in with a smile.
Stojan shakes his head. "I said probably, and we won't have time to fortify it or make sure it's uninhabited, at any rate. It would be better to wait until morning."
"Let's head to Ashley's place for now, we'll check out the fallout shelter tomorrow."
You head back to Ashley's.
§
You arrive, and share some food with one another; Stojan brings a couple cans of sterno, so you're able to enjoy a moderately lukewarm can of spam with some rehydrated eggs and crackers. Mmm. Ashley suggests it would be a good idea to bring food when you go tomorrow.
She changes in front of the two of you again without an ounce of moral fiber. Stojan sighs, watching her, and says to you, "Blow my f---in brains out, man."
You draw straws for the first watch; it's yours tonight. You spend it going through the computer system with a fine-toothed comb o be certain you haven't missed anything, keeping the nightvision cameras of the outside on and the audio on as well.
No crickets.
It isn't too much of a suprise in an urban area for there to be few, even in the dead of summer, but it strikes you; you haven't seen a single creature: bird, insect, fish, mammal, other than the other two with you.
As you're feeling the chill from what that may mean (disease carrying mosquitos are no joke), Ashley hugs you from behind, startling you.
"You're really muscular," she says, sounding a little shocked.
"Well... I spent two years on a mountain in the middle of nowhere training.
Ashley, Do you have an idea on why everything besides humans and plants seem to be gone from this area?"
She responds, "Best guess?"
To your nod, "They're all infected."
She doesn't seem as if this prospect is nearly as frightening as it is.
"What mountain? You learned how to use your sword there?"
"But if that is the case , we shoud se infected dogs, cat or whatever walking around...
I have a theory on how they communicate. I just need to test it."
My theory is that they use a psionic party line to organize themselves.
To test if psionics work in this universe. I'm going to attempt to open a connection to Ashley's mind.
I'm using my 1@3 Operate Telepathic Device P1@3 skill as an example.
I'm reasoning that contacting a human mind should be similar to contacting a psionic computer.
My Psi bias is 1@8.
My Psi BRA is 2@4
Oh, so you want to talk to her telepathically, not read her mind. Right.
::rolls a percentile:: you fail.
bump!
and grind
I'll try it one more time.
::rolls a percentile:: you fail.
ps, you're wrong, the psi bias is flatline and telepathy is curved out.
§
She smiles to you, and says, "Strong AND smart. Why couldn't I meet you BEFORE the end of the world?"
Well this is going to get me killed if I continue
"Bad luck, I guess. I wasn't around here when it ended. You are right, I learn how to use the sword there. The mountain was somewhere in Japan"
She responds, "Really? I love Japanese culture! Do you speak it?"
"Yes, it was one of the many things I learned over there.
What parts of Japanese culture do you love?"
She and you have a conversation about Japanese animation and martial arts and cars and cities and clothing and dance. She seems to know a great deal about it, kind of to the extent of being dorky.
During our conversation I inquire about what kind of anime she likes, what are her favorite shows and what does she think about cosplay. I will also ask her what she thinks about tabletop role playing games.
There is nothing wrong with being dorky around other dorks.
She likes the pretty much any anime, according to her; especially, she names a few you also like especially. She was interested in cosplay, but never did it.
She's played electronic role playing games as well as MUs and MMOs, but never table top. She would have loved to have tried, since it sounds fun, but she never really had any friends.
Did she mention Rurouni Kenshin?
I ask her why she didn't really had any friends.
She did mention Rurouni Kenshin.
She explains that her father was extremely protective, though she doesn't word it that way. "My dad never let me do anything. He was always quoting statistics and saying what a terrible place the world is. I was home schooled and had to stay inside with the doors locked whenever he went out. He let me use the internet as a compromise to my argument that social skills require exposure to a social environment."
How much does she know about Rurouni Kenshin?
I ask her if my sword style looks familiar to her.
"... If he thought the world was such a dangerous place, Did he hire someone to teach you martial arts and firearms?"
She's seen the anime in English and Japanese, read the mangas, watched the movies. She's never seen your sword style; there's not a lot of room in here, and Stojan is sleeping.
"No... I've known how to use a gun and fight since I was really young."
She's never mentioned her mother.
"Thats...odd. Do you mean that your father taught you to fight when you were young or do you mean that it comes naturally to you, like breathing?"
"You haven't mentioned your mother. What happened to her?"
She responds, "I was taught before, I guess; I was too young to really remember.
"I never had a mother."
"You can tell me about it, if you want to."
At the end of our conversation
I say this in a concerned tone.
"It was nice talking to you, but you probably should get some sleep.
you still got a watch to do, and we have work to do tomorrow."
She shrugs, and tells you, "Well, there isn't really much to tell. My mother didn't leave or die; I just never had one. Hardcorp was the first corporation to grow a living, breathing baby in a laboratory setting, and my father took custody of me in the ensuing legal battles."
She goes to say something, and Stojan interrupts her. "You kids should both get some sleep. It's time for my watch."
You check the time, and see that he's right; the time has gotten away from you, and the last watch is starting, four in the morning. Stojan sees your concern, and tells you, "Don't worry about it. Just sleep in tomorrow. We'll make good time even if we leave as late as noon."
"Ok, Thank you."
I go to sleep.
As your drifting off, you realize that Ashley has gravitated into a very close proximity to you.
I'm not moving and going to sleep.
You fall asleep.
When you awaken, you feel her body against yours through the two sleeping bags. She's still asleep, her head on her arm and her hair half covering her face. Stojan looks at you when you look around and nods greeting to you, then looks back at the cameras.
You're still a bit woozy.
I try to get up without waking her.
"Did you see anything interesting?"
"No thing besides what's going on in here between you two. Do you like her, Eli?"