Around the Folf

Nick22 · **Reply #660 on:** December 24, 2020, 11:21:38 PM

theres a ruin about a half mile west of here/ theres enough intact sections to have a roof over our heads ' Kora said. " The quicker we get there the less sand we have to endure. " she looked up at the clouds which were slowly getting closer and rapidly turning darker. ' and I would suggest we pick up our speed . Sandstorms can be deadly if you get caught in them. "
marita was trying to ride a double humped camel and was currently stuck between the 2 humps. ' I should have gotten a horse' She said. Emma was riding a horse carefully, being inexperienced with riding,m she went at a slow pace.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #661 on:** December 26, 2020, 08:19:16 PM

"The ruin sounds good!" Flora agreed, rapping her reins like a sled dog racer. "Mush!"

The camel ignored her, but the caravan did turn and head for the ruins. At their current rate, they'd arrive just before the sandstorm hit them.

"These ruins don't look like much cover..." Sharal'tar noted as they got closer. "They're more Stonehendge-sized than a full settlement."

"This close to populated cities, anything more than the largest monoliths would have already been stolen or trucked away and repurposed," Kojurro explained, donning his mask as the first flecks of sand started flying into his mouth. "Cover your faces! We'll want to park the caravan so our chosen rock is shielding us from the wind."

Flora squinted her eyes shut and angled her hat to shield her face. "I can't really see!" she confessed, now regretting grabbing one of the two leading beasts of burden. "Yurei, can you guide us?"

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #662 on:** December 26, 2020, 09:00:04 PM

Yurei smirked under the mask he was wearing.
"I can do us one better! Everyone, over here!"
He yelled, pulling a small metal object out of one of his pockets, using a small pin to stick it to one of the stone structures, tapping the mark engraved on it. On the third tap, a bright, glowing rectangle appeared to tear itself into existence, big enough for the caravan to pass through.
"Through here, everyone! C'mon!"

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #663 on:** December 28, 2020, 12:49:24 AM

"Whoa, what is that Yurei?" Flora's eyes widened in awe.

"Keep steering!" Sharal'tar reminded loudly. "Why exactly did we let her take point?" she griped under her breath to Emma on the horse next to her.

Kojurro shielded his eyes; as the one in the wagon, he was the last to pass through Yurei's new portal, and recieved more than a faceful of sand for his placement in line. anything he'd been hoping to say was replaced with spluttering as he tried to clear his windpipe inside the new sacntuary Yurei had created.

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #664 on:** December 28, 2020, 02:19:56 AM

Yurei smirked, riding through the portal after the others as it closed, leaving them in what looked like an underground parking facility. Dusting himself off as he dismounted and walked over to Flora and Sharal'tar, he gestured around a bit.
"Well, guys, welcome to the hideaway of the Sartoric escapees. And, possibly, a new home base for our treasure hunt!"
He said lightly, as a young wolf stepped out from behind a pillar, hands glowing faintly.
"Yu! You didn't tell me you'd be having me open a gate in the middle of a sandstorm! I almost got sand in my eyes!"
The lupine complained, then stopped himself and looked over at the group.
"Ah! Sorry, forgot my manners! My name's Riven, but you can call me Riv!"

Nick22 · **Reply #665 on:** December 28, 2020, 10:33:01 PM

hello riven, I'm kora ' the kioness said with a smile. ' looking around the facvility she saw everything from a stolen Tv broadcasting what lookee like a football game, to a pinball machine suitting near a pillar ' looks lke you refuygeess nicked more than afew things on the way out. I wager we'll be drinking coffee out of stolen ' Sartoric rocks!" coffee mugs."
-
at least its shelter' marita said brushing sand out of her fur. ' Just out of curiosity Yurei, how many of you are there? you didnt exactly do this with just the 2 of you, right ? I mean, you could, but it would take forever."
_
you guys have a fridge!' Marie said making her way towards a glowing fridge sitting between two pillars, opening it with anticipation. Her face fell as she beheld the paltry contents inside: a small collections of salads, submarine sandwiches and root beer. "Soda it is then ' she sighed. , grabbing a bottle.
Emma collapsed into a chair, and wiped sand off of her, creating a decent pile of sand at her feet. . the animals stood in the middle of the lot, just tossing their heads around, and taking the new abode in stride.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #666 on:** December 28, 2020, 11:48:05 PM

"Whoa!" Flora dismounted her camel, looking around in awe. "Yurei, what's the story behind all this? Where did it come from?"

Sharal'tar reached out a hand to Riven, not 100% sure he was allowed to shake hands due to the nature of his powers. "Hey, I'm Sharal'tar. Are you from Sartonic? Sorry if we just never ran into each other, I'm more new to the labs than the rest of our team."

Kojurro looked behind and watched the portal close behind them. "Fascinating..." he breathed. "Sartonic test subjects never cease to amaze..."

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #667 on:** December 29, 2020, 12:50:15 AM

Riven smiled, taking Sharal'tar's hand and shaking it warmly, the glow from his hands fading.
"A real pleasure to meet you! Yu's told me a lot about you, so it's nice to finally meet you in person! And yeah, I'm ex-Sartoric. Ex-Containment ward, to be exact." He said with a shy chuckle. Yurei, meanwhile, smiled over at Kora.
"Oh, there's quite a few of us! Me, Riv, Josef..." Whatever he was about to say was cut off, though, by a gentle, grandmotherly voice from up a flight of stairs.
"Oh! Yurei! Is that you I hear? And Flora, as well? How lovely!"
Somewhat slowly, an old cat made her way into the garage, smiling warmly.
"Welcome to our little home, everyone. It's good to see you all safe!"
She said earnestly, as another voice chimed in from a corner.
"So...Flora, is it? We found this old apartment complex pretty much buried after that storm hit ol' Sartoric. Yurei and Riv helped get us in here, and we've been hiding out since. Turns out, the place is still hooked up to the grid, so we've made ourselves at home."
The speaker said, stepping into the light, and revealing a dark-scaled reptile, though one with hair. He flicked one hand idly dispelling a few crackling arcs of electricity, and ran his hand through his hair.
"And, since Tagaso interrupted before he could finish... my name's Neku. Neku Sakuraba. Nice to meet ya"

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #668 on:** December 30, 2020, 01:36:53 PM

Flora waved excitedly to Taga before addressing the newcomer. "Hi Taga! I'm so glad to see you're all right! And nice to meet you Neku!"

"Neku, is that hair natural? I've never seen a reptile sporting a hairdo before," asked Sharal'tar. As a native desert lizard, she had some experience with this sort of thing, albeit not with Neku's species in particular.

Kojurro looked around for any entrances and exits, just to get a bearing on the layout of their immediate area. "We're back in the starting city? Not that I don't appreciate the new hideout, but will we be able to return to the North-Gondar desert whenever we want to continue our expedition?" He directed his question mostly to Riven, as he was the test subject with the teleportation power.

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #669 on:** December 31, 2020, 12:17:12 AM

Neku looked over at Sharal'tar, grinning a bit and fiddling with the headphones around his neck.
"Well, I've had hair since I was a kid... so... I guess it must be. Might have some weird heritage, but... i dunno. "
He said with a shrug and a chuckle. Riv, meanwhile, had let go of Sharal'tar's hand and made his way over to Kojuuro.
"Ah, don't worry. As long as i've got a marker nearby, I can open up a gate back to wherever you guys are. And thanks to a little quick thinking on Yu's part, we've even figured out how to make them portable AND easy to hide!"
He bragged, giving a cheeky grin.
"I'd show you guys right now, but... y'know... sandstorm." He added a bit sheepishly. Taga, meanwhile, had made her way over to the group, smiling.
"Well now, i'm sure you would like to see the much nicer part of our little home, wouldn't you? There's beds, good running water, and more upstairs!" She said warmly, patting Yurei on the arm affectionately.
"Plus the others are still upstairs, rude as that may be"

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #670 on:** January 01, 2021, 02:23:59 PM

"That's incredible!" Dr. Kojurro breathed after Riven explained his teleportation abilities. "The scientific and technological possiblities of such a power are incalculable!"

"There he goes, sounding like a Sartonic scientist," Sharal'tar politely criticized. "Kojurro, you ever stop to think that such single-minded focus on harnessing and commercializing our powers, with only secondary attention given to the test subjects' personal wants and wishes, is part of the reason so many of us are going rogue and hiding out?"

Kojurro folded his arms. "Is that really a problem for all of you?" he asked the gathered test subjects at large. "Not to be rude, but Sartonic gives you free room and board, asking only to study your powers to further humanity. What more could you want?"

"Taga, please show us more of the base!" Flora, meanwhile, answered excitedly to her older friend. "This is incredible! It reminds me of the sort of hideouts my gang would build during my drug-running years in America."

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #671 on:** January 03, 2021, 08:47:23 PM

Riv smiled a bit and chuckled.
"Admittedly, my power could be useful, I guess. But yeah, honestly wasn't a fan of being stuck in a lab."
He said softly. Meanwhile, Taga smiled at Flora and Yurei.
"Well, then. Come along upstairs. I took the liberty of making sure you've got rooms set up! Oh, and don't mind Josef. He's a bit...odd... but a good sort!" She said warmly...

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #672 on:** January 07, 2021, 08:46:27 PM

"Feels like at least half of us are 'odd but a good sort'," Flora jokingly agreed, following Taga up the stairs.

"How about royalties, Kojurro?" Sharal'tar folded her arms. "How about a salary in addition to room and board? Imagine Sartonic invented some sort of teleporter using Riv's power, the lab would make millions but Riv would be right where he was! You really find that fair, doctor?"

Kojurro decided to change conversation partners over getting grilled by grumpy test subjects. "So, how you holding up?" He asked Emma, Marita, and Rose. "Let me know if you're overwhelmed or you need anything, we could go somewhere quiet and leave all the test subjects to reconnect."

Nick22 · **Reply #673 on:** January 08, 2021, 11:51:00 PM

millions? try trillions. imagine. being able to teleport from LA to new York city in a eyeblink. No more need for cars or planes, just enough cash to use a teleporter." Kora said . ' Riv could make himself extraordinarily wealthy, if he could make a profit from his power. teleportation has virtually limitless possibilities. in archeology, you could teleport finds from the field to the lab for testing in a blink. Imagine what Howard Carter and lord Carnavon could have done with this. it wouldnt have taken them nearly 9 years to find King Tut's tomb."

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #674 on:** January 09, 2021, 12:58:03 AM

"Exactly, thank you Kora," Sharal'tar nodded approvingly.

"Okay, but Riv wouldn't be able to do any of that without us!" Kojurro threw his hands in the air upon disocovering even the non-test subjects were against his stance. "In this hypothetical, Sartonic scientists would be the ones who studied Riv for years, painstakingly learned the ins-and-outs of how his power worked, reverse-engineered it for widespread use, and then manufactured the actual products or technologies being sold to the public! Why, that's 99% of the work!"

Nick22 · **Reply #675 on:** January 11, 2021, 08:06:31 PM

its HIS power kojurro. doesnt matter what they do with testing it, its ultimately derived from something that belongs to someone else. it is essentially an invention - Riv having the power to teleport. if others want to use it- then they have to pay the inventor to use his creation- in this case, his power. now if they patent something that improves on previous work, thats another matter. devices that increase telephone call dustance and clarotry of calls for instance were patented outside the original patent.' Kora said. ' we're dealing with a hypothetical anyway. "

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #676 on:** January 23, 2021, 10:46:30 AM

As Taga lead Yurei and Flora up the stairs into the main level of the base, she smiled warmly at Flora.
"You know, after that storm, Yu spent a great deal of time worried sick about you and Sharal'tar, Flora. Oh, he'd spend hours pacing the building, sometimes. It's good that you're safe."
She teased, making Yurei blush and shyly look away, suddenly interested in something on the ceiling as they reached another door. Taga smiled and patted Yurei's arm teasingly as she opened it, revealing a large, central room set up as a comfortable commons area complete with couches, a TV, and a kitchen, as well as hallways leading off to various rooms.
"Well, here we are. Our little home sweet home!"

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #677 on:** January 27, 2021, 11:20:21 PM

Sharal'tar smirked when Kojurro gave up the argument and slinked off to sulk. "I like this place more every second," she grinned. "So, Neku, you've got electric powers, huh? Are you the reason this place has electricity?"

-------------------

Flora was similarly impressed with the upper floor. "This is awesome! That was my main gripe with Sartonic, they weren't too keen on common areas where we could all gather up. Must have been worried about large-scale psionic mishaps or something."

Squeezing Yurei's hand tighter and flashing him a smile, she quickly hurried further into the common room to pull him excitedly onto a couch. "Were you worried for us?" she teased, kissing him on both cheeks. "Well, I was worried for you too! Next time I flee Sartonic for my life, I'll try to bring my cell phone along for the ride!"

StarfallRaptor · **Reply #678 on:** January 31, 2021, 02:04:55 AM

Neku chuckled at Sharal'tar's question, dancing a spark across his fingers like a coin.
"Me? Nah, i'm nowhere near strong enough for that! Riv and Yurei figured out how to get us hooked back up to an old solar field not far off. My guess is that whoever used to live here left in a hurry, and everything was left hooked up when it got buried. Hell, they even still have TVs that're hooked up. Signal's crap, but hey."
He said with a smirk, absently tossing the spark in the air as Riv nodded.
"Um... thanks for sticking up for me, Sharal'tar. And uh... yeah, I guess I did help with getting the place hooked back up. A little. Mostly just fixing up wires and stuff"
He said, grinning sheepishly.
__________________________________________________________

As he was pulled to the couch, Yurei smiled shyly, kissing Flora back each time.
"Heh, of course I was worried! Knowing that the loves of my life were out there on the run from Sartoric? I mean...I know you guys can take care of yourselves, but still..."
He smiled and hugged Flora close.
"Next time you do that, how about you just bring me along for the ride, instead?"
He smiled, leaning in closer before a calm cough interrupted whatever he was about to say.
"Ah. I see that our guests have arrived then. I presume you must be Flora, yes? Hm... fur color slightly different. Must make corrections to it... regardless, though. I would like to request a small biological sample from you, before you set out again."
From a hallway, an older-looking maned wolf stepped into the common area, wiping his hands on some sort of smock and adjusting his large glasses...

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #679 on:** January 31, 2021, 05:43:25 PM

"No problem," Sharal'tar let a small grin escape her reserved countenance. "Sartonic scientists are all a bit too self-important for their own good. Every so often you gotta deflate them a bit for their own good."

She glanced down the hallway. "I really want to see more of this place. Is there somewhere we can check out other than the common room Yurei just took Flora?"

-----------------------------

"I wanted to find you before escaping Sartonic, believe me!" Flora assured. "But I was pretty much getting captured, being assaulted, or fleeing for my life from the moment the guards dragged me from your room. I was so worried that was the last time you'd ever see me." She sniffed. "It wasn't exactly the most dignified memory to remember me by..."

She looked up and flashed a slightly-nervous smile at the newcomer. "Erm...hi! Pleased to meet you, though it sounds like you already know me. Have we met?" She gulped. "And, uh, what sort of 'biological sample' are we talking here, if you don't mind me asking?"