Blanking the Slate

Pterano · **Reply #680 on:** October 05, 2018, 07:17:06 PM

As rat and vulpine came awake, the ferret offered them a small smile, and a nod. "Think nothing of it... when I heard you guys were in trouble... even if it might've been a trap... I decided what the hell? Get my ass down here and bail you out." He watched as Axel provided his sweater to the naked Emilena... which was good, as his dual-cowl phaeton wasn't exactly the most... private car you could be driving about in, even with the windows up.

"The others?" Tony wrinkled his snout up here. "Uh... I would assume back at the hospital. We're really only missing the hounds." he stated, referring to Marita, Rose, and Marie. "I figured the hospital was as safe a place as any for them... and since I figured we needed to get you three off the streets... I took the decision to drive a few blocks away to this hotel, which I knew had a large underground parking garage... perfect to just sit here unassumingly and wait for you guys to wake up." he explained. Pulling the toothpick out of his mouth, he tossed it aside.

"Anyway, we can head back over there if you want... it's only a few blocks away." he offered, resting his right arm on the back of the front seat so he could look at everyone involved.

f-22 "raptor" ace · **Reply #681 on:** October 05, 2018, 10:09:56 PM

"Would be a good idea to go get them," Awe noted. "They should be awake soon and will be needing transportation."

Serris · **Reply #682 on:** October 06, 2018, 12:24:58 AM

Soren muttered something as he slowly began to stir. He weakly pushed the door open and emptied what little was in his stomach out onto the pavement. He rubbed his head. "Fuck me," he muttered. "Anyone got some aspirin? Feels like my brain got reformatted."

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and spat a few times to get the taste of bile from his mouth. "Ugh, let's hope the others are doing better."

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Anne was indeed doing better as the stage of poisoning wasn't as severe as the others. That and she had an IV line that was giving her plenty of fluids. She pressed the button for the nurse. Hopefully she could simply be discharged and they won't be asking too many questions about how she got poisoned.

Nick22 · **Reply #683 on:** October 06, 2018, 12:28:50 AM

Marita and marie stirred in their hospital rooms, both slowly feeling the after effects of the drugs used to clean out their systems' Marita sat up in her bed and sent a text to anne and soren " Up in bed. Feeling worlds better. will be needing a pickup. Marie will be getting out a couple minutes after me Will be waiting near the hospital enterance- MArita ' Marita sent the text, then grabbed a small mirror that lay on a tray near her and looked into it. Her arms had returned to their normal color, amd size, and Marita felt her normal energy return- the poison had drained her of much of her vitality and spunk.
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marie was up in her hospital bed, looking at some magazines left by a previous patient Hmm. those Met gala dresses must cost a fortune" she said to herself.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #684 on:** October 06, 2018, 12:45:04 AM

Emilena slipped Axel's hoodie on gratefully, but wrinkled her nose at the prospect of returning to the hospital. "Honestly, can we just call them an Uber or something? We have no way of knowing if they didn't blow their cover. The place could be crawling with cops."

Then Soren's phone received the text and they learned the girls were fine. "Objection withdrawn, I guess," Emilena shrugged. "Let's grab them and figure out what to do next. Were we still planning to follow Buller's tip to the Durwent District? We don't really have any other leads."

f-22 "raptor" ace · **Reply #685 on:** October 06, 2018, 02:43:27 AM

"I'm pretty sure they didn't. You guys seem like the type who wouldn't blow their cover from what I've seen of you," Awe noted.
"And besides the cops that are there are busy."

Pterano · **Reply #686 on:** October 06, 2018, 06:07:28 PM

Nodding, Tony winced as Soren's vomit just missed the running board... just. "Ugh... well... at least you're... getting better." He added, wrinkling his snout up at the stench, looking to all three of them. "I have a medical kit in the trunk... might have some aspirin in there." he commented. "Hold on..." Getting out, he moved to the back of the massive car, and undid the clasps on the trunk, throwing up the lid and hmmming as he pulled out the kit and began rooting around inside of it. "Aha!" he exclaimed, yanking out a bottle and replacing the kit, then shutting the trunk before he walked back around towards the front.

"Here you are!" He tossed the aspirin container towards Soren. "Let's get going then. We'll swing back around, pick them up and you said... Durwent District? What's down there?" he asked, sliding back behind the wheel and pulling out the starter button, listening to the straight-eight come back to life with a grumble. No need to choke the engine or advance the spark, as it was a warm start. Pushing it back in, he looked behind him, then shifted into reverse, released the parking brake, and backed the big Duesenberg out into the lane. Shifting down into first, he began rolling, then up shifted into neutral and then second almost immediately.

"So uh... Buller... tipped me off you guys were down here... and he wants us to head to the Durwent District? What are we looking for next?" he asked, spiraling up the ramp and back out into the open air. Pulling out to the main street, he waited before turning left and into traffic, heading back the way he'd come about 30 minutes before. The wind blew his fur back a bit, causing the ferret to smile as he enjoyed the openness of the dual-cowl phaeton. Hospital was only a few blocks away, and it took them less than 5 minutes to cover that distance.

Making another left turn into the hospital parking lot, he cruised down the slight dip and looked for visitor parking, pulling smoothly into a spot and shifting into neutral to leave the engine idling, setting the parking brake once again with multiple clicks as he pulled the lever back. "OK well... someone text or call them and let them know we're out front. Hard to miss red and black Duesenberg Model J." he smirked, tapping a claw on the top of his door. "Durwent... that's uh..." looking up, the ferret thought. "30 minutes or so from here... not too far." he said softly, mostly to himself as he began plotting out their route. "Oh!" he turned around to the three in the back. "There's two jump seats you can unfold back there for them. Should be able to get everyone inside... though one may have to sit on the floor in the back in between the jump seats. Still... should be OK." he nodded.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #687 on:** October 06, 2018, 07:05:47 PM

"I can't remember if you met her, but there was this pink-furred teenager tagging along with us before," Emilena replied, extending her hand to Soren as if requesting some aspirin. "Two weeks ago we sent her and Rose to infiltrate a bar where a person of interest was frequenting. Rose blew their cover and things went to hell. Nobody knows what happened to Rose, but the purifiers had a tracker on Flora and our target has brought her to the Durwent District, at the spot on this map," she handed Tony the tourist pamphlet where Buller had circled a warehouse.

She felt a cold shiver trickle down her spine, remembering Lily's warning. But she repressed it. They'd wasted enough time at the hospital, and Lily might have just been a dream anyway. "The target is connected to whatever group has been framing us and the Purifiers in the papers, and sadly that's all we know about them. We're thinking a visit to pickup Flora might fix that."

Nick22 · **Reply #688 on:** October 09, 2018, 12:28:23 AM

Marita and Marie were soon discharged from their rooms, and they made their way to the parking lot MArota started as she saw the fancy Duesenburg " well, well Tony Stracci. He always loved his fancy cars.' Marita said a she went to the the passenger seat and opened the door, before seeing the others inside ' Hello everyopne. You all look, better" she stopped as she saw the vomit on the flor " well.. MOSTLY better. Is there room for Marie and I?' She asked.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #689 on:** October 09, 2018, 12:31:19 AM

Emilena leaned over the backseat and setup the jump seats Tony had mentioned. "You'll have to share these with Anne," she replied over her shoulder. "Where is she, anyway?"

Nick22 · **Reply #690 on:** October 09, 2018, 01:02:07 AM

shes still inside i'd wager, probably getting released" Marita said " so the good news , is we've escaped the worst that poison could have done to us, and we have a lead on where Flora is. I have no idea where Rose is, maybe Flora knows where she is, maybe not. Cant hurt to ask. The bad news, however is we are basically out of money. I think we're down to a few thousand creds."

Serris · **Reply #691 on:** October 13, 2018, 01:31:32 AM

Anne had opted to discharge herself from the hospital despite, the doctors insisting that she stay for overnight observation. In the end, they made her sign a disclaimer saying that she was doing so against medical advice and Darwin's Hope wouldn't be liable if she died or anything along those lines happened.

A nurse helped her into a wheelchair and a young Dhole slowly wheeled her to the elevator. The young Canine was trying to chat with her but the Shetland Pony's splayed out ears indicated that she wasn't interested.

Soon, she was stationed in the airy reception area of the front of the hospital. Despite the open atrium with the sunlight streaming in, the only attempt at decoration were some potted plants in the corner.

The mare tuned out the volunteer attempting to make small talk and decided to occupy herself by listening to all the phone conversations that buzzed around. While she was listening, she heard the company Brennan Synthetics being mentioned quite often.

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Soren chewed up and swallowed the aspirin as there was no water available. The bitter taste of the bills evoked a long stream of profanities as he swallowed repeatedly in an attempt to get the taste out of his mouth.

Pterano · **Reply #692 on:** October 13, 2018, 04:01:01 PM

Smirking as Marita came out, he nodded. "Well hello yourselves! And yep! Two jump seats in the back." he hooked a claw to the backseat as Emilena got them set up (perfect, as seven passengers was ideal for this car). Reaching around, he took the pamphlet from the vulpine and began looking it over, nodding. "Right... not too far then. I think I remember her... yes. Flora... right?" he asked in reference to the "pink furred teenager." Shifting into reverse, Tony released the parking brake and began pulling out, deciding that the wait was over, as they'd been idling a good 20 minutes, and he didn't want to draw further attention to them than was necessary.

Backing out of the spot, he put the car in first and began heading for the exit of the hospital. "So basically... Flora and Rose vanished... Flora we know at least her location... and our target is holding her... being linked to this group that's responsible for framing us and the Purifiers... got it." he nodded, turning right and heading back the way he'd come, but this time blowing by the hotel as they headed for the Durwent District. He rode along easily in second, sticking to the speed limit for now, not needing to shift the big Duesenberg into high gear.

"So money wise... I can assist with that." he told Marita. "Even if the hospital burned up your funds, wouldn't mind helping you guys out. Hey uh..." he looked into the rear view mirror, trying to catch Emilena's gaze. "Shouldn't we uh... maybe get you some clothes?" he suggested, passing one exit after another as they made their way closer to the Durwent District.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #693 on:** October 13, 2018, 04:44:16 PM

"I would appreciate that..." Emilena tugged Axel's hoodie to keep it as low as possible. "I'll pay you back. Someday."

Ten minutes later they'd pulled into the parking lot of a 24-hour supermarket. "I hope they have my size in black," she told Tony, stepping gingerly out of the car. It was very early morning, the sun wasn't even up yet, so there weren't many other cars in the lot.

Still, Axel's hoodie barely covered her pelvic region, and she needed to do something about the dried blood on her legs. "Before we go inside, I need a quick wash," she muttered to Tony under her breath. Slinking to the back alley, she found a spigot and turned it on to create a flow of frigid water. "Cover me, woulda?" She handed him Axel's hoodie and began washing herself off as quickly as possible.

Pterano · **Reply #694 on:** October 13, 2018, 04:52:46 PM

Nodding, Tony took the next exit, and drove a few blocks to the supermarket, pulling in and shut the engine off as he stepped out with her. "Not sure you exactly need to pay me back." he told her, shaking his head. "Still... it's the thought that counts." he admitted, stepping off the running board and beside his car as he shut the door.

Nodding to her again, he accompanied her to the back alley, noting that indeed she did need a bit of a clean up. As he took the hoodie from her, he turned around, holding the hoodie behind his back and clasping his paws back there as well as he rose and fell a bit on his foot paws, pushing up onto the balls before letting himself sink back to flat feet. "Mind if we talk briefly inside the store?" he asked, looking left and right in slow, sweeping gazes, but not turning around. "Just wanted to get your take on a few things while you pick something out."

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #695 on:** October 13, 2018, 04:58:59 PM

"Yeah, of course." Emilena shivered violently in the drafty alleyway air as she turned the spigot off. "Y-you've been out of all this for a few months, I'm sure you could use some catchup. I bet that was one confusing hell of a reintroduction at that hospital."

She had to fight to keep her teeth from chattering. Luckily, the draft caused her fur to dry relatively fast, and she was able to take her hoodie back and limp into the supermarket.

Pterano · **Reply #696 on:** October 13, 2018, 05:38:09 PM

"Good... and yes." he felt her take the hoodie, and began walking into the store without turning around, letting her draw even first before looking over to her. "So first off..." he began. "I need to know if there's anyone in the group you don't trust... I assume this isn't the case but... thought I'd know, just in case. Second... do you have some sort of... exit strategy against the Purifiers? I know at the moment our causes are kind of united and singular, but I mean... I assume at some point... you'll either strike back at them or just... quietly leave. So I was wondering about that." he explained, not making much eye contact as he was trying to avoid any curious onlookers picking up on them.

"Third... what exactly has been going on lately?" he asked simply, knowing she'd understand what he meant.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #697 on:** October 13, 2018, 06:05:36 PM

"We don't have an endgame, as far as I know," Emilena admitted, leading the way to the clothing aisle. "We honestly just tried it. Two months ago we all split up and went our separate ways, off the grid. Buller rounded us up without another thought. And I haven't had time to devise a new plan since we were racing the clock surviving his poison."

"As for trust...honestly, with the Purifiers gone, the rest of us have been here for the long haul." Emilena grumbled when she couldn't find a turtleneck in her size. "The Lanthae survivors. Awe's the only newcomer, but he had a perfect opportunity to do nothing and watch us die in that hospital..." She looked approvingly at a black long-sleeved shirt. "Of course, that leaves Lily. Which leads into your third question."

She found a pair of black sweatpants and slipped them on without another thought. "The others don't know about this. Well, Axel does but he's too strung out to care. Lily's been...haunting the group, for lack of a better word." Emilena sighed. "She's retained some psionic powers from the Lanthae incident. She can heal or kill someone just by touching them, and she can regenerate from any injury. And I mean any. One time she threw herself into a wood chipper and I watched her reconstruct herself from the pulp."

Emilena shuddered. "I had to strike all these deals with her to stop her from killing everyone. I don't think she sees people as people anymore. I thought I had her under control, but now she's just disappeared. Without a trace. And that...that terrifies me," she confessed. "I can't control her if I can't talk to her. And she's too erratic to control herself. She could show up any minute and do literally anything, there's no telling what her goals are right now." She glanced at the self-checkout stands. She was ready to go, but if Tony wanted anything for himself, this was the time to get it.

Maybe she shouldn't be telling Tony all this...but at this point she didn't care. He was the only one of them with a shot at fleeing the scene and living a peaceful life away from all this. He deserved to know the whole situation he was getting involved in.

Pterano · **Reply #698 on:** October 13, 2018, 08:11:05 PM

Nodding, he pursed his lips. "Hm... perhaps we should devise something." he told her quietly. "Best to have some sort of exit strategy. Buller... he was that aggressive... what was he? A doberman?" he asked now, taking something off the shelf. Why not? This might be the only opportunity to get some food after all.

"All right... all trustworthy... that's good... I just wanted to make sure... just in case." he commented, moving to the self check out and scanning everything, then paying for it. But as Lily was mentioned, he paused, and then outright narrowed his eyes. "Uh... that doesn't sound like she kept 'some' of her powers..." he commented, moving for the exit. "That sounds like... she became a fucking god." He commented. "Perhaps it's best we avoid her... she sounds totally uncontrollable, and extremely dangerous... wrap up the mission, then hunt her down if you want." he suggested, exiting out into the cold morning air. "I just think something like that could severely compromise us or... kill us." he commented.

"And Axel is strung out?" he inquired, raising a brow as he once more got behind the wheel, and started up the Duesey. He didn't mind that the rat was now in earshot. He didn't realize his old pal was... strung out. Backing out of the spot, he got the Duesenberg rolling again as they began to head back down the road. Only about 10 minutes to go now... and they'd be there. The headlights cut through the predawn gloom, and the instrument panel lights gave out a gentle glow so that Tony could see everything on the stately metallic panel, bathing his face in a yellowish light as he drove along.

aabicus (LettuceBacon&Tomato) · **Reply #699 on:** October 13, 2018, 09:28:30 PM

The ink-filled capsules attached to the pants and shirt beeped and detached when the clothes were scanned through the self-checkout.

Before they reached the car, Emilena lowered her voice and explained one last thing about Lily. "We don't need to find her. Lily sent me a message while I was in the hospital," she whispered. "She wants me to visit her in our old hideout. But it's on the complete opposite side of the city, hours out of our way, and we don't have that time at the moment." She gulped. "And, frankly, it's something I should do alone since she's probably going to kill me."

With one last forced smile, she climbed back into the Duesenberg, swapped Axel's hoodie for her new longsleeved black shirt and returned it to its rightful owner. "So," she asked the group, "when we reach Flora's safehouse, who's coming in with me and who's keeping the getaway car warm?"