Steam and Sand Game Thread

[Nigel Wetherby]

"Well, alright."
Conlan erased the diagrams of which vowels made what sound when an E was present and began to write down the letters in his name.
"Now put together what sound each letter makes and make the sound they all make together."
He drew a little picture of a somewhat deformed version of himself with a shield and lance.

[Stella Gaslight]

"Con...lan" Dear broke the word in to small parts and then put it back together. "Con-lan Conlan!  Dear can read it! Dear can read your word."  She hugged Conlan ecstatic in her discovery.  "Someday Dear will know all the words.  Then Dear can read you stories."

[Nigel Wetherby]

Conlan blushed deep pink as Dear hugged him.
"Well, I look foreward to that." Conlan managed to stammer, the knight had very little experience with the opposite sex, and skinner's masculine nature did not exactly help. Though dear seemed to be a perfect combination of sweet and self sustaining that made his insides want to dance.

[Stella Gaslight]

"It is teeth brushing time, then Dear washes her face and puts on Dear's clothes for sleeping in.  Then then Conlan reads a story maybe?"  Dear could dimly remember doing the same things with Mama at bedtime and the soft fuzzy memories made her smile.

[Nigel Wetherby]

"But of course."
Conlan smiled as Dear left to get ready for bed. He placed the astronomy book down, sighing as looked fondly upon the book of astronomy. A detailed sketch of a whole, unbroken moon was on the first page. He ran his fingers across the outline of the perfect sphere and couldn't help but recall the story the head sheildmaiden would tell the young squires. The story of the princess on the moon and the knight who went to great lengths to join her.

[MWBailey]

Malc heard Dear going up the corridor to the washroom, peered into the interior periscope (added by him to take care of watching the interior of the tank, just in case), moved the objective head around until he found the interior of the carriage door, and adjusted and cranked, adjusted and adjusted again until he could see up the corridor, and barely caught the Princess' back as she disappeared into the washroom. He felt a bit like a Peeping Tom, but nobody else seemed to be standing guard, and he was afriad that if he left the turret to ask about the duty, somebody'd manage to sneak up on them, and part of guarding, it seemed to him, was watching the long, empty corridor in case it became non-empty at some point.

He refocused and adjusted the telescopic settings, and waited for Skinner to show up -- but she didn't, and that set him to wondering and worrying. Now, where's Skinner got to? he wondered, 'ow d'you disappear inter thin air with a blue-smoky pipe? he checked the othe rvision blocks to be certain he hadn't missed her or someone else, and saw Trent returning to his rig, and the Knight whom he had nearly attacked and who had escorted him back to the rig toddling about in his steam armor, apparently doing perimeter guard duty. But still no sign of Skinner; he debated whether to wait and see if she showed up, or call out to Royce immediately...

[Stella Gaslight]

Dear was singing a song Mama had taught her along time ago about a blue bird.  In song her voice lost a lot of it's childish tone and sounded more like the young woman she was.  She took a deep drink from the basin before washing her face.  Dear knew she probibly wasn't suposed to do that but it tasted good. Like when she used to fill up cups from the river and filter the dirt out.  Some day she and Conlan would bring all the water back then she could drink as much as she wanted. Dear smiled as she changed clothes, someday they would make everything better.  Her new night gown was a soft and warm flannel with a flower print.  Dear liked the way she looked in the small mirror she felt all grown up dressing herself. "Dear is ready for a story." She said appearing in the door to the cabin.

[Nigel Wetherby]

Conlan nodded, he had made her cot out for her. His armor had been removed, his black night shirt and loose dark pants hung from his somewhat muscular frame.
"I have a very special story tonight. It's not in any book, but it's been passed down among us knights for years."
He thought back to his days in the squire's chambers and let the memories flow back.
"It's called the knight and the Moon."
His tone had become gentle and sweet.

"A long time ago, there was a wandering knight who roamed about the carbon wastes, slaying dragons and righting wrongs of all kinds. One night, he saved the life of a crotchety old woman for a ferocious serpent. The woman peeled back her veil to reveal herself to be the queen of the fae.
'You are indeed a gallant knight good sir, but I have a challenge for you. My most beautiful and kind daughter has been isolated upon the moon by my cruel and selfish husband. If you can free her, then you may have her hand in marraige.'

"Naturally, the knight took the challenge, not to earn the heart of the fae princess, but to liberate her from her prison. However he knew of no way to get to the moon. He tried climbing the tallest mountain, and even tried upon the back of a hundred crows, but these efforts were all for naught.

"And then he had an idea. He plucked from a nearby tree, the ripest most beautiful apple in all of ireland. He ate the fruit of it and planted the seed. And every hour of every day for three years the knight told the sapling the story of the poor princess and how much he wanted to free her, the apple tree grew taller and taller and taller every day until one day, the tree reached up into the moon, its branches reached up into the stars and its apples were as shiny as the stars that they touched. The knight stepped onto the moon and took the hand of the princess. leading her into the safety of its branches.  
Eventually the tree became so tall that its roots let go of the earth and it floated into the stars. The princess and the knight lived comfortably in a house made of its branches and lived on the sweet, delicious apples that never went bad and never tasted the same twice. And when the knight grew old and passed away, the princess took his armor and set it up in the stasrs. And on a clear night you can still see him in the sky, holding up a sweet star apple."

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

"Well, Red." said Royce, looking over him. "What exactly have you been getting up to? I'm a bit miffed you went around mucking with bandits and Royalists. But only a little. Men have their choices. What I'm really quite angered with is that you did it while under a contract of employment with me. We made a deal to work together and you broke it. And out here, deals are the only thing I have to go on."

He paused, sighing.

"Alright, would you care to explain yourself?"

[Stella Gaslight]

Dear could almost see the tree in the stars and wondered what it would be like to live there.  "Dear would like to see a star apple tree someday.  Maybe we will find one when we travel.  Dear is glad Dear doesn't have to live on the moon, it would be lonely up there but it is pretty to look at.  Dear hopes Martha is ok, someday Dear will come back and say Dear is sorry for making the bad people come."

[Titus Wells]

"Well, Red." said Royce, looking over him. "What exactly have you been getting up to? I'm a bit miffed you went around mucking with bandits and Royalists. But only a little. Men have their choices. What I'm really quite angered with is that you did it while under a contract of employment with me. We made a deal to work together and you broke it. And out here, deals are the only thing I have to go on."

He paused, sighing.

"Alright, would you care to explain yourself?"

"Royce, I understand your anger. It's the first time I've ever run out on a party, but I hadn't any time to debate it or let you know and honestly, I never figured I see you again. I'm not asking to be kept on and I'm sorry it appears I inadvertantly lead Boars and Anglians to your doorstep. Next time you stop I'll be off. Incidently, the bag of books Ben asked me to take to the rig are stashed in one of the outisde compartments by the engine running-plate. I couldn't see you head off without your salvage."

[Nigel Wetherby]

"Well I'm sure they will understand. Brizzle is a rather nice place once you get past the occaisonal con man."
Conlan looked up to the broken moon.
"The story was written way back when the moon was whole, and it's only known among knights and princesses. It's supposed to have some sort of special meaning, like a code but I guess whatever it translated into is gone now."
He heaved a sigh.
"But i think that's enough stories for now. It's time for you to get to sleep, Dear."

[Stella Gaslight]

"Conlan should go to sleep too then we can wake up in the morning and see new places.  Dear likes this traveling thing as long as she is with Conlan."  Dear snuggled up on her cot and closed her eyes looking perfectly content.

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

Royce sighed again. "Well, thank you for that at least. You're a damn fool if you think running around with that like will get you anywhere. False promises, my friend."

He stepped into the cabin.

"Best be getting some distance between us and this place. Now, nothing is changing, we have a new job. So we do the job. Start heading northwards."

[Nigel Wetherby]

"And I could say the same about you." Conlan breathed to himself before laying down upon his bed. He stared at the celing, thinking about apples and whole moons and hoping that Brizzle might not hate them when they return.
"Good night dear." He crooned before falling asleep himself.

[Skinner]

In reality, Skinner was stood on the observation deck at the very front of the loco, smoking angrily. Everything she saw, made her temper flare. Brizzle's light flickering in the half light- from here she would have called it a stone's throw, but after her exile, it felt like years away. The Mercian Knights riding off after 'rescuing' them. The light from the window of the cabin she -knew- Conlan and the waif-girl were sharing. All of this made her hackles rise and her blood boil. And in an attempt to take out her frustrations she shot off a round at a passing sand shifter: this was a type of small snake that had evolved from the original English 'slow worms'. While these new Post-Event reptiles were prevalent they were not well documented, and the legends of scavenger crews running into man eating giant Sand Worms were almost as many in number as their smaller cousins.

Distracting herself for a moment from the infuriating sounds of tender conversation coming from Conlan and Dear's direction, Skinner hopped down from the engine, picked up the dead snake, and twisted it's head off. Tossing it aside, she squeezed the blood from it's long body, then carried it with her inside the rig, staying silent and fuming. She went straight to the galley, got out a knife, cut the skin from the body, picked the bones out, then chucked the flakey, chicken-like meat into a pan and started frying. It was a strange delicacy, but it used to be a party trick amongst her father's crew to eat raw snakes. She played, and acquired the taste and began to eat them as snacks.

Besides, she hadn't gotten a chance to eat in Brizzle, and she was starving. She flipped the snake chunks about some more, let them sear on both sides, then slipped the meat into a bowl, and let them cool, carrying the bowl with her into the cabin. She was surprised to find Royce there. She leant against the wall, giving him space, eyeing the controls, and nibbling on the white meat.
"Where to, boss?" she asked, tempering her bad mood.

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

Royce stabbed a piece of snake with his knife, chewing on it thoughtfully.

"This business with the girl is a damn trouble, but I've still got us set on some work. Unfortunately this next job is going to be a little trickier. We're bounty hunting. The Mercian Knights will reward us handsomely if we bring in Shamus the Boar... or just his head. And it conviently removes a thorn in my side so everybody wins, I guess."

He paused, thinking about her question.

"Well... where to go. That's a difficult one. The best stocked Atriums are Mersepolis in Lancashire or York Atrium. Neither suit my tastes. York Atrium doesn't really have much to offer for one not working there - most shops sell stuff by work vouchers. You can convert vouchers for money, but doing it the other way round is ridiculously taxed, so our coin would be worth little. The idea is that you work for what you get. Mersepolis has everything... but, ah... I'd rather avoid Lancashire. I know it's an inconvience, but... well, I have a history there, let's say."

He ended that part of the conversation.

"Our best bet is to drive right through Yorkshire up to the border and go to Hadrian Atrium. It's the last bastion of civilization before Scotland and it can get a bit rough. But it's a sure thing somebody there would know things about Shamus and where he is. It's got people there who run both sides of the border and are well versed in it's politics."

[MWBailey]

Malc suddenly heard a shot, and racked the turret to the forward direction, trying to find Skinner and the shooter, then he saw a shadow up by the front end. Against his better judgement, grabbing his musket from the bracket where it hung from the side of the turret's entry/egress portal,  he popped the turret's hatch, got out, closed it with a clang, and walked to the rear of the tank, and leapt the short distance to the rear carriage of the rig; once on teh rig proper, he rapidly crept forward until he managed to catch sight of Skinner apparently strangling and mutilating a snake; a sand skimmer, by the looks of the remains.

She turned to enter the rig, and Malc crouched down beside the new secondary turret, listening; she didnt appear to have seen him as she re-entered the rig. and began after awhile to smell what smelt like cooking chicken...or was it...snake? He grinned. A woman after me own heart, if not for a cert'n difficulty in 'at area. still, she can apparently cook...Nah... She'd 'ave you skint' an' fryin' like 'at snake in no time, laddie boy,the likes of 'er ain't for the likes o' you, he thought. 'sides, ye've already 'ad your time in th' sun.

He overheard the exchange between Royce and Skinner, and and wondered how he could pitch in. maybe gather the old unit? nah, that'd take weeks, and we en't 'ave 'at long. Maybe, ah, mayb--!

a sudden gust of the night breeze wafted a particle of dust up his nose, and he sneezed, loudly and violently: "WAA - CHOO!"

After he recovered, he shouted, "ITS O.K, ISS JUSS ME, MALC! I 'EARD  A SHOT AND CAME UP FOR'ARD TAE INVEST'GATE!" He paused, and then shouted again, "I"M COMIN" DOWN AN' IN!" and slung the rifled musket over his shoulder and descended to the level of teh door into the Rig an dthe cabin end, and  said, "Sorry 'bout that, I was in me turret 'n' tryin' tae find where yer smoke was (looking at Skinner), and then I 'eard a shot up this way an' sawr a shadow, so I came up t' see what was the matter; somebody oughta stand guard, might 's well be me, I was thinkin'. Didn' mean ta eavesdrop."

[Skinner]

Skinner stiffened a little at the sneeze, and lowly lifted her gaze to the roof of the car.
"Err... Did anyone else?..."
Then Malc came in and started explaining himself, and she patted him on the shoulder.
"No trouble mate. Snake?"
She extended her arm, and the bowl. In her defense, she did not know how to cook, not enough to prepare a meal. She did, however, know how to warm up meat on a skittle. There was no seasoning or tact in the preparation of the snack. She just knew that snake meat tasted better warmed. That, and at least she knew it wouldn't make her ill if it was pan fried. She would have made a poor wife, but she made a grand husband.

[MWBailey]

"Mmm! Dont mind if'n I do. Thanks!" Malc said, pulling his old gunner's stilletto from its sheath beside the Lemat, and sticking two pieces on the end. After pulling one piece off of the point with his teeth, he chewed, savoring the slight bitterness, and the light fish-like undertone that revealed what the reptile's main diet was."This'un's been eatin fish, I reckon. I practically lived off these fings back the firsht year affer I wash *smack* cashiered for me one-man escapade. That an' that beeshwaxsh about the preshident." He swallowed, "thanks, i needed that."

He became serious for a moment. "If'n ye don't moind a bit o' advice, from a former local... it's been ten year, but I hear not too much has changed since then. He paused, as if waiting to be told to shut up, and then continued, "Drivin' straight through York is a good idea, if'n you can manage it. Thing used to be, though, we in the Armored'n Border Guard parts o' the Ridin'  would stop people who tried it. The gover'mint always was lookin' fer tax money, prob'ly still is, and there's always somebody tryin tae sneak stuff tae or from Scotland" He noticed he was gesturing with the ruler-and-tables-inscribed dagger, and self-consciously sheathed it. "The ones we always 'ad trouble catchin' was the ones what crossed the border in Notting'um, and  skirted Sheffield, an' crossed the bed of  the Don at Shearman's Crest, stayin' about ten, fifteen mile from th' old coastline, goin' between York an' Hull. 

If'n we stay on the main cart track after that, we should be able to make it up even wit' Scarbrough's ruins afore we get stopped. But we will get stopped, especially if'n we act like we're in a hurry. We was always paranoid in th' Ridin', and I 'ear its ten times worse now." He stopped both for breath, and to take a swig from his canteen.

[Stella Gaslight]

Dear was a bunny and the world was soft and green.  She hopped along utterly delighted but rather lonely because she was the only one.  Dear was rather sad until she spotted other bunnies in the roots of a big tree.  Dear hopped over there and the other bunnies were happy to see her and play with her until the hunters came.  Then the air was full of fire and screams, the tree burned and the other bunnies were killed.  Dear was left unharmed and in the end when the hunters were leaning over her they told her she had done a good job leading them to the bunny city. 

Dear woke up crying and tugged on Conlan's arm.  "Dear had a very bad dream.  Can Dear sleep with you in your bed?  Dear's mama used to sleep with Dear when Dear was scared." 

[Nigel Wetherby]

Conlan had to think about what she meant by a bad dream, they were mentioned in books and he simply had to recall them. He could not remember the last time such a fate befell him, but Dear looked very upset.
"Well, I do not see any harm in that."
He lifted the thick brown material of his blanket, letting Dear into his hammoc. The natural shape of the bed caused the two to press together in a strangely comforting embrace.
"I have read a little about dreams, I had no idea that they could be bad, you do not seem physically hurt, what has upset you?"

[Stella Gaslight]

"Dear was a lonely bunny and the world was very green.  Dear found friends and was happy but then everything caught on fire and it was Dear's fault."  She sniffled and wiped at the tears with her fist.

[Nigel Wetherby]

"But you aren't a rabbit."
Conlan corrected dear as he wiped away tears which stained her cheeks.
"And your friends from Brizzle are unharmed, we made sure of that, remember?"
He began to wonder if all the stress from their sudden vacating of the atrium had made her delirious and distressed.

[Stella Gaslight]

"But Dear was a bunny.  A brown bunny with floppy ears.  And the Hunters said thank you for leading them to the bunny city but Dear never wanted to hurt anyone.  Dear really doesn't."  She burrowed her face in his shoulder trying to shut out the violent images from the dream.