Northern Winds [NC-17] (IC)

[Cogidubnus]

"...bags?"

The wolf took the crumpled notes gingerly, looking at them distantly for a moment, one eyebrow raised, before putting them in an inside pocket of his jacket. He tiled his head just slightly at the bat before nodding, and looking around lamely.
"I'll just...go find some...bags then, shall I?"

Although certainly not the wolf's forte, he was certain that he was up to the task. Thanking Mel for her compliment, he began walking back towards the merchant arena they'd just left, getting lost in the crowd for just a moment before finding a suitable place.
The doorbell dinged as Cogidubnus entered a building labeled "Surplus Army Supply and Depot and Used Car Sales".

[Aisha deCabre]

Safe to say, Jann's cliff seemed most the most impressive when they first got off the train.  But as they wandered deeper into the city, past more shops and buildings that were the trademark of any large town--crowded as its people--it was easy to get used to things and instead keep eyes focused on the road ahead of them.  Needless, to say, perhaps they were getting into one of the worse districts.

Aisha, looking at the world through the shadow of her sunglasses, simply kept away from the unpleasant cigarette smell the bat had around him, yet she could still keep up and listen...and sighed when it was mentioned that yet more things were needed.

She thought for a moment and looked at what she was carrying.  The cape was in the crook of an arm, with her sword hidden beneath it.  The boomerang she had tied to her belt when they left, so it looked deceptively more like a silver decoration with her outfit than a weapon.  The small pack she usually had with her only for food, water, and medicine was also stuffed with her extra clothes, and was slung over the other shoulder.  Transportation?  She'd have rather walked.  But it wasn't often that she was on the run, either.

The panthress smirked when Cogidubnus was supposedly given the money to take care of the bags.  Maybe a slightly bigger one wouldn't have been bad.  But otherwise...

"I don't need more weapons, or better ones...and I actually doubt that the adventurers here need them.  The non-adventurers, maybe, if you think it's best for their own defense," she informed.  The blade at her hip seemed to glitter at her words.

She added, beneath her breath and as an afterthought, "and I'd rather not hold a gun, anyway."

[SpottedKitty]

Kerya's ears and tail flicked back and forth as she followed Sebastian through the streets of Jann's Cliff: she wasn't sure whether or not to be annoyed at the bat's sharp-tongued remarks. She was distracted, though, mulling over the comments between Mel and Cogidubnus. Her nose might not be as good as a wolf's, but... she sniffed the air surreptitiously as she walked along. I have the scent now, she thought after a little while. I was too busy to notice — last night, her scent was not quite right for vulpine or feline... what in the Lady's name are you, Mel?

Just then, the bat said something that made Kerya perk her ears up. "If you wish to amuse yourself in a cell, Sebastian, I do not think I shall enquire into the particulars," she said with a small quirky grin.

[Stygian]

Idly, Stygian's hand went to his temple, and a little bitter smile lit up on his face. Hopelessly, he chuckled, and then turned to eye Kerya for a bit.
   'And here I was thinking you just the type for fuzzy handcuffs and chains', he said, giving the little mustelid a close-up view of his teeth in a most predatory grin. 'But then again, now that I think about it you might just be more fit for padded walls...' He put on a more serious face, and straightened. 'Guess I'll just have to ask Keaton then instead. Keats!' He snapped around to the jackal, and walked up next to her. 'You're with me. Bookstore up front.' Slapping her on the back a bit, he tramped past in the direction of a two-story building parked under a bridge ahead of them.
   'Stay with the others, Mel!' the bat called back to the ones left behind, over his shoulder. 'I know I can call you at least.'

- -

The shop that Cogidubnus entered had that pressing and utilitarian feeling that is so often common in gun or hunting or fishing equipment stores, and that only an enthusiast or a really manly man derives a comfortable and homely feeling from being inside. There were shelves stacked with equipment, rifles hung from locks on the wall behind the counter, an inflatable raft hanging from the roof in one place, armored vests hanging from a rack that held boxes of flares and ammunition, pocket knives standing on display on a desk, a wall full of rubberware, hoses, paint, polish and solvents, and gasoline canisters standing under it. There was even what looked like a flamethrower, labeled 'Liberal Barbecue Assistant', standing under a rack. Toward the back of the shop, the wolf could hear the unmistakeable sound of a circular cutter, and looking into the back he saw that one corner of the store had been 'chopped off' in a way to give room to a short stairway that led down into a garage or workshop of some kind.
   'Can I help you?' a somewhat monotonous, deep voice intoned from his side, and as Cog turned he saw, under a tire and pieces of a vacuum cleaner, a somewhat burly walrus dressed in a slightly dirty white shirt and a beret, big blond-brownish mustaches down the sides of his face.

[Cogidubnus]

 The red-robed wolf paused and looked down at the walrus for a moment, taking in the sights and smells of the rather utilitarian facility before seeming to tilt his head, and gave a slight grin. He refrained from bowing to the man, recognizing someone who had things to do and little time for eccentricities - even polite ones. The wolf simply nodded.
"That depends. I'm just looking for...ehm. Bags. But." he paused, giving the man an appraising look. "Come to think of it, we need wheels, too. Need something fast, that can take a beating. Cheap is always good." he brushed a bang of hair out of his eyes. "But other than that, canvas bags. Six, I suppose."

[Sunblink]

...Keaton:

At being slapped on the back, Keaton yelped loudly and staggered slightly, caught off-guard by the overly boisterous gesture. She swayed momentarily on the heels of her oversized, exaggerated combat boots until she regained her balance, planting both feet firmly on the dirt and, rubbing her shoulder, staring at Stygian over her shoulder. Before she could remark on the back-slapping, Stygian was trudging ahead, approaching the nearby bookstore. Running her hand through her hair, Keaton sighed and followed suit, jogging at a brisk pace so she could catch up with the bat.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Stygian]

Nodding quickly, the walrus walked over to the counter, then set down his load and brushed his hands against his pants, walking off toward the opened end of the store and the garage.
   'Canvas bags are on the shelf over there', he said, directing the wolf with his hand. 'We've got some other from military stock in the back if those won't do.' Getting on a pair of gloves, and reaching for a tube of something, he put his hands to his mouth and called down into the workshop, where sparks were flying wildly: 'HEY! AIDAM!' The sparks kept flying, and the sound of that saw kept hurting Cog's ears. 'AIDAM!'
   It was only when the walrus at last grabbed a huge wrench and banged it against a metal cabinet that the noise stopped, and some clanking sounds later, a visored head peered out from behind a mutilated car. Flipping the visor up, some kind of red-furred monkey with thick glasses looked up at them.
   'Yeah?' the simian replied.
   'Guy here says he needs some kind of ride. Are those bikes still...?'
   'They're in pieces. Saved the engines off a couple...'
   'What about the Doom Beetle?'
   'Dude, we're not selling the Doom Beetle! I have that thing spotted out for my collection!'
   'Well, all else we have is the Big...'

- -

Pushing the door open, Stygian entered the front of the store, pushing it a bit so that it was left open for Keaton, and immediately noticed that the front of the store was deceptively small, seeing as how it seemed to open up into a much more spacious room in the back. Also, if this was indeed a bookstore, then the term was used a bit liberally. Of course they had pens, writing tools, calendars and all those other things that traditionally go in bookstores, but besides a massive supply of magic books they also seemed to have a good portion of magical tools, ingredients and how-to-manuals...
   Walking inside, the bat gave the nervous receptionist, a skittish lizard of some kind, a quick look, and then smoothly slid in between the shelves and stacks.

[Cogidubnus]

 As Cog watched the two men converse, he began to get a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He'd anticipated something...well, he's figured the place for a chop shop, but he was hoping the car would have been at least made of entirely one thing. The Doom Beetle sounded like some terrifying amalgamation of go-kart and tank. The wolf leaned against the counter, his face a carefully masked, yet all-to-obvious grimace, and he waited for the two to finish their conversation - until something else occurred to him.
"Look, whatever it's got to be has to be able to go off-road." he said suddenly, his eyes masked behind his glasses. "And something that won't fall apart after twenty miles because half the chassis is spot-weld and the other half is screwed on." he paused, considering the two, before going on. "I...look, what the hell is a Doom Beetle?"

The wolf ran a hand through his hair, setting his wide-brimmed hat on the counter.

[Boog]

Richard staggered out of a changing room, disoriented. He remembered a rush of clothing, a zealous young woman, and then being passed into the hands of bored shop assistants who continued Mel's insidious plot after she'd lost interest.
The result was the most menacing he'd ever looked appropriately caffeinated. A black and pinstriped suit made him look even thinner than usual, an almost blatantly corpselike physique clad in a black tie, a yellow shirt, french cuffs, and a glower that should by all rights have set the shop on fire. Yes, he looked sharp and yes, he was going to keep it, but it was the principle of the thing!
Transferring his previous clothes to another bag and his tomahawks to a pocket in the jacket that only MOSTLY concealed them.
Then again, if I'm gonna complete the look...
Richard wandered in the direction of that instrument salesman he saw earlier. He was certain he could catch up with the others later...

[SpottedKitty]

Kerya looked around and counted muzzles. "We seem to have mislaid someone," she said with a flick of her tail that made her cloak swirl. "I have not seen Richard since we were in the tailor's shop — did anyone tell him where we were going?"

[Sunblink]

...Keaton:

Taking advantage of the slightly ajar door, Keaton weaved expertly inside of the bookstore, using an offhanded nudge of her heel to shut the door behind her. A perfunctory rattle sonorously shook the bell hanging above the door for a few seconds, before its quaking ceased and the jingling petered away. Now that she was thoroughly caught up with Stygian, Keaton ambled behind the bat, waving to the receptionist before she allowed her attention to drift aimlessly about the large selection of books. She didn't suppose that they had many books illustrating dark magic, but she kept her eye out for any familiar authors or conspicuous titles as she walked alongside the rows of novels on magic.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Stygian slip away, and curiously tilted her ears.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Gareeku]

Watching the others walk off to get various, Gareeku adjusted his shades slightly and turned to the rest who were also left standing around waiting.
"Is there any else we would need in terms of supplies?" the wolf asked. "If there is, it would be wise to get them now. Personally I just need a bag to put my clothes in, which the others are already getting anyway."

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha had found a wall to lean on as she watched the others walking around the various shops.  While she did so, the panthress did a quick headcount...the only one that seemed to actually be missing was Richard, who was just then pointed out by the diminutive musteline.

"Good question," she blinked and looked around...like if there were an undead in the crowd somewhere, certainly there'd be enough activity to pinpoint him.  "Well, I don't know the guy well, chica, but he seems to like being the one straying from the herd."  She smirked.  "I'm sure we'll find him again.  I don't even know where we're going myself."

Frankly I'm getting tired of surprises, Aisha added silently.  She glanced up when Gareeku addressed the rest of them on gathering supplies if they needed, which was a good idea, she agreed.  She thought a moment...the huntress only really counted on the essentials, while the others were thinking of conveniences...with that in mind, she started on suggestions.  "How's everyone on food and water?  If we're on the run, it's hard to tell how long we'll have the luxury of restaurants.  And..."  Duh, what would Rynkura suggest first...?  "Medical supplies.  I'm good with those, but one cannot rely on healers alone."

As a second thought, Aisha spared a glance to Mel.  "With appreciation to the present ones, of course."

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel looked around at Kerya's comment. Richard wasn't anywhere to be seen. The dragon had excellent distance vision, a necessity when one picked out their prey when flying overhead, but it gave her no benefit in the twisting alleyways of this side of town. When Aisha mentioned food and medical supplies she made a decision. The undead would have to find his own way back. Mel pointed a bit down the street to some stalls with fresh food displayed. "We can start our hunt there."

[Stygian]

For a second, both the walrus and the monkey looked at Cog through their respective glasses, as if he were somehow asking them something which he should already have known the answer to. The next moment, they were both sneers, even the monkey too, despite his earlier protests.
   Stepping past Cog, the walrus motioned for him to follow him. 'It's right here in the back. Come on...' he said, still smirking like crazy. Walking deeper into the workshop, he passed by an assortment of all manner of gadgets and contraptions, some covered for storage, some with mysterious purposes, and others quite blatantly built merely out of sheer insanity. It wasn't the largest workspace in the world though, Jann's Cliff's overall architectural decisions through the ages meaning that most buildings were either cramped or just oddly built, and so Cog soon found himself standing in front of a large, tarp-covered thing about the size of a trailer, though much lower. The tire that poked out where the tarp didn't quite cover it was even larger than for a trailer though.
   'Right...' the walrus said, and then kicked away the pair of bricks holding the ends of the cover down, and then began pulling it back.
   The question soon turned from whether if the thing would hold up for twenty miles, to whether if those twenty miles of road would be brutally mauled.
   Cog wasn't aware of how accurate his earlier guess had been, before the monster buggy was unveiled. There was no way else to describe the hard-framed, rollcaged, dirty black and orange-painted three-ton monster in front of him. A couple of mountings had been taken off at the back, so that a low flatbed and a spoiler could be put on instead of whatever had apparently sat there before, and evidently taken up a great deal of space, enough that the frame had been shaped around it and that the engine was mounted and moved forward a good bit. The wheels were humongous and rough-tracked, and judging from the look of the chassis and suspension, or what the wolf could tell of it through the bodywork of metal plates, it was heavy and all-wheel-drive.
   'Yeah, we used this one back in Dalvis this spring. Don't take Aidam's word for it; we are selling the thing. It's going to cost you though, if you want it.'

- -

Picking up a notepad immediately, Stygian turned to browsing the shelves for a while. There were more new books in the store than those he were already familiar with, which was a relief. He was quite used in walking into some 'antique' shop and finding that nearly everything was something he'd seen or used one time or another long ago.
   Keaton, however, found only mildly interesting examples of literature until she found herself at the edge of the psychology section, and staring at the black and white picture of the face of some grumpy bear with a cigar and round spectacles.

- -

The instrument shop seemed the most pleasant and typical sort of store that Jann's Cliff had to offer; the one with a nice, half-open airy interior and warm colors about, and wares displayed right up front. Guitars laying angled for viewing behind the glass front, which it took a closer look to see was reinforced and double-layered with a space for metal bars between the glasses, called out to the artist in him with their glossy shine and neat and perfect assembly. Unfortunately for him, he only managed to steal a look, before some cloaked figure bumped into him, a lot harder and more unexpectedly than he could have anticipated at that range. His undead numbness made it so that he failed to catch the feeling of a fist to his gut. But, as he toppled back into some passerby and spilled the bag of clothes onto the street, he thought he caught a glimpse of something red, before the offender slipped back into the crowd.

- -

A thump and then the sound of paper rustling and someone yelping suddenly alerted both Kerya and Mel to something going on, perhaps sixty yards further up the street. A man in a black suit was just getting up off the ground from having fallen, it seemed. It took a moment before they recognized the gangly figure and the yellow shirt.
   Curiously, Kerya barely noticed, and didn't give it a moment's attention, when someone just casually walked by and very carefully placed Richard's dropped fedora on her head.

[Sunblink]

...Keaton:

Coming face-to-face with the monochromatic bear emblazoned on the book's cover came as an unpleasant surprise to Keaton. In the sea of absolute uninteresting monotony, locking her eyes with the book's soulless stare was rather... well, shocking and potentially traumatic in her concentrated state. Yelping a little, Keaton stumbled back, her ears flicking upright, using her arms to shield herself as though expecting for the book to become animate and snap at her like a paperback beartrap. Fortunately for her, within a few seconds, she realized she was making an ass out of herself and lowered her arms, peering in bewilderment as she realized the book wasn't attacking her. Instead, Keaton found herself locked with the bear's stare again, reminding her of the picture's petrified inanimateness.

Keaton stared up at the sign hanging over the section she had meandered into. In big, bold letters, the sign read Psychology. Keaton scowled a little, glaring at the bear on the book resolutely, mouthing something which an expert lip-reader could decipher as You're an asshole. However, in spite of her slightly embarrassed state, Keaton snatched the book off of the shelf and started thumbing through its pages, momentarily fascinated with its contents. Psychology wasn't her forte - too much of that stuff translated to absolute gibberish for her - but she needed something to read.

---

...Deirdre:

Ambling in the back of the group, Deirdre loitered aimlessly, her cataract-clad gaze shifting nervously. After her schadenfreude-induced amusement from Keaton's earlier collision had faded, Deirdre was back to her uncharacteristically anxious state, still feeling very out-of-place in the crowded environments and starting to feel very self-conscious about a burgeoning headache stemming at the back of her head. Fingering the slight indentation in the back of her skull from underneath her hair, Deirdre almost offhandedly overheard Gareeku query about a bag he could use to store his clothing.

Deirdre glanced down at the voluminous shopping bag she held in her own hands. Resting at the bottom, folded very neatly among a nest of colorful wrapping paper, was a smart-looking black suit which appeared much more masculine than the one Mel had provided. Not that she didn't appreciate Mel's contribution to her earlier dilemma - she just needed something which looked more masculine. Earlier, Deirdre had decided that since Stygian offered to pay for everything, it would be inconsequential if she were to purchase something as well. Besides, the suit was just... it was nice. Beneath the suit was a sports bra to keep her chest reasonably flat as well, since Deirdre didn't feel comfortable with her cleavage so... well, there. The store didn't have any cosmetics to replace her fake facial hair, but Deirdre was relatively satisfied. She couldn't wait to change clothes.

Holding the bag open slightly, Deirdre gestured slightly to Gareeku. "Uh, excuse me?" she asked. "You can put your clothes in here, if you want."

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Cogidubnus]

 At the Walrus and the Monkey's respective looks, the wolf felt a bead of sweat trickle down his back - he put his hat back on quickly, moving a few bangs of hair away from his glasses. "Sorry. Look, I'm from the West."

They didn't say any more, however, the Walrus simply guiding the wolf to the back of their machine shop and towards a massive, tarped-over object. Cog paused as he looked at it, wondering what might be contained beneath the rough somewhat-waterproofed fabric, before with nary a flourish the walrus revealed the Doom Beetle.

It was a car of dreams and nightmares. You could probably have driven the thing through the walls of the shop and then over a tank and still managed to keep going, crushing the very road beneath your tires. It was a mobile mountain, a living, breathing demon of oil and steel and unleaded gasoline. Although caked with mud and debris, as Cog looked at it, it shone.
The wolf inclined his head. His shades flashed, and his teeth gleamed in a lopsided grin.

"How much?"

[Boog]

With a string of explatives that should by all rights have blistered the remains of Richard's lips from his face, the undead was bowled from his feet onto the sidewalk. He glared up, ready to say some profoundly unkind things about his assailant's parentage, sexual habits, employment, culture and possibly leisure activities and employment. All he ended up really seeing was a flash of red and a rapidly vanishing cloak.
Unfortunately for them, good police officers and troublesome people were like societies terriers. They chased things. Richard stuffed the clothes back into the bag and took off with a snarl. Someone's day was really about to SUCK.

[SpottedKitty]

Kerya blinked and stared for a moment at the tall thin figure scrambling to his feet a short distance along the road. The clothes weren't familar, but the face — or rather the remains of it — was, and so was the voice she could just hear above the noise of the traffic. The little stoat turned and looked up at Mel with a grin.

"That certainly sounds like Richard... what...?" She'd moved her head quickly enough to dislodge something perched on the hood of her cloak, so it slipped forward over her eyes. She reached up and plucked it off. It was a hat, and it had Richard's unmistakeable scent on it: chemicals, and things she didn't like to guess. She remembered a moment ago someone had walked past, almost close enough to bump into her...

"Mel," she said urgently as she turned to face the other way along the street. "Do not let me fall over if I become too closely engaged in this." Sheer annoyance drove out of Kerya's mind whether she'd tried this spell at any time in the last week to make sure it still worked properly. She took hold of the black swan's arm, braced herself firmly, and...

Imperceptibly, a thread of Kerya's awareness lashed out along the street, just over the heads of even the tallest in the crowd. She was looking for someone walking away, wearing... what was it... something red?

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel noticed Richard immediately when he popped up off of the pavement. He looked quite angry and was storming back in the direction of the rest of the group. Now if she could just keep the group somewhat in the same area she'd be set. Just then Kerya grabbed hold of her elbow and asked to be propped upright. Mel grabbed Kerya's arm and did as requested, although she did wonder why Kerya had Richard's hat.

[Gareeku]

Nodding his head in agreement when Aisha spoke of getting medical supplies, Gareeku then looked on as Richard appeared in the street. He wasn't quite sure what all the commotion was about, but the wolf's attention was then brought to Deidre, who had approached him and said that he could could put his clothes in her bag if he wanted to.

"Oh, uh, thanks." Gareeku said, caught slightly offguard at the gryphon's sudden offer, before putting his clothes in the bag. "I can carry it if you want. I don't mind. Thank you again, anyway."

[Stygian]

If Kerya had been looking for something specific, then she was helplessly lost. Disorientation striking her, she found that trying to trace even some shade of red close to what she thought she had seen ended up quite much like looking for a specific straw of hay in a haystack. The place was just too vast and colorful, with too many people walking past, for anything usable to turn up.

- -

A couple of minutes of reading later, and Keaton had already bored herself with the book, and deduced that whoever the author was he had some quite interesting ideas about how to treat people close to oneself, particularly one's mother. She was fortunately interrupted by a tap on her shoulder.
   'Let's go', Stygian said, having found himself one book of interest, a history review by the look of it, and all else he might need, including a new pen, a drawing book, chalk and coal crayons and the original notebook. Passing behind Keaton silently, he walked over to the counter and paid in cash.

[Aisha deCabre]

While trying to tolerate the crowds passing their small, waiting group by, Aisha listened to the others as they also voiced their opinions...or at least tried to.  Before long, another disturbance seemed to suddenly be thrown their way.

Said disturbance turned out to be a very familiar undead.  As fate seemed to have it, no sooner was he mentioned, than Richard appeared among them with his hat tossed unceremoniously onto Kerya.  Nobody had seemed to get a good look at the person or thing behind the anomaly, for it apparently was good at disappearing back into crowds.

The panthress shook her head as she got a look at his expression through her sunglasses.  Apparently very pissed.  At that point in time however, Aisha wouldn't have blamed anyone for feeling so.  But there was bigger business at hand, and at least a bit of a consensus on heading for supplies.  After she saw Gareeku nod his approval, she glanced over to where Mel had pointed, towards a few food stalls just a few yards down the street.

"Alright then..." she said and kicked herself off the wall.  "You all can come with me or stay, chicos y chicas, I won't get lost, don't worry.  I'm stocking up on some sandwiches and things that won't easily be crushed...then I think I remember where there's a pharmacy along the way for the medical supplies too.  Count your coins, I advise everyone who can in fact bleed to get some just in case."

As she counted the coins she had left for that endeavor, perhaps only just enough, Aisha glanced at Mel helping Kerya and endeavoring to help Richard before passing them by and heading for the stalls to barter.  Eh, that was weird, but, I'm only going a small ways off.

[SpottedKitty]

Kerya's disjointed sense of awareness drifted over the crowd, looking for anything that resembled what she'd seen... or what she thoght she'd seen. There! No, there — wait, what about that? This is the right colour, but... no, that's it! Or...

It was too much. The little stoat withdrew her spell, snapping back along the imperceptible trail that led to her body, standing in the street beside Mel. She blinked and shook her head, once more seeing with only her physical eyes. "Well, that was an abject failure," she muttered under her breath.

She turned towards Mel and held up the hat. "Something odd is afoot," she murmured quietly, "someone here knows about us, I think. Did you see who put this on my head? It must be Richard's, it has his scent. Could it be that our pursuers from Haszal are here already, and are playing games with us? Who else would know Richard is connected to us?"

[Mel Dragonkitty]

In answer to Kerya's questions Mel shrugged, "I am afraid I was looking at the fruit stand and not at you. It is certainly possible that our pursuers are here. It was a large train and we were not the last on, even if nearly so. That is why we need to move on quickly and not waste time chasing down wandering party members." She reached out and grabbed Richard's arm as he stormed past. "Here is someone who might be able to explain the hat mystery for you."

[Stygian]

The walrus' face showed a little surprise, and almost consternation for a moment, and he put up his hand behind his head to scratch the back of his neck. Looking at the monstrous vehicle, he nodded.
   'Well, we weren't planning to let it go for less than ninety grand, but we haven't had time to add the finish...' he said, a bit unsure. The bell hung on the door to the shop rang, and he called back to the monkey who was starting up the saw again. 'GET THE DAMN DOOR, AIDAM! Anyway, I think that eighty-seven would be reasonable, considering the work.'

- -

Out in the street, it was no hard task to spot the others. At least not for Stygian, who not only had his augmented hearing but a lot of experience in tracing people through crowds to go on. Turning swiftly and decisively, he began strolling back up the street in the direction of the group, who were all gathering around Richard, it seemed. Odd, that.

[Cogidubnus]

The grin on Cogidubnus's muzzle faded, but not by much. He nodded absently at the Walrus's statement, managing not to sputter and choke at the price tag, and instead began to walk around the vehicle slowly, making notes as to it's appearance, kicking the tires, and muttering to himself slightly. He rubbed his chin, and adjusted his hat, and looked at the Walrus surreptitiously from the corner of his eye.

"I'll give you forty grand." he said, not batting an eye. "Because, for one, while it's impressive, who the hell else is going to buy this from you?"
He turned to look at the walrus. "You can't haul anything with it. It's not a luxury vehicle, doesn't really have enough cargo capacity for any sort of prolonged deep wilderness exploration. You might get a motorhead to buy it, but..." he thunked the side. "No-one but someone with a hard-on for overboard suspension and tires would buy something like this. And if you really think you can sell it to the guy in the back for more, that's what I'd do. But while it's a lot of machine, the applications are...limited. Mudding, a limited amount of off-road driving, maybe rescue operations. But there are vehicles for a lot less than a hundred grand that can do that sort of thing just as well."
"And what, with the price of gas..." the wolf paused, looking back at the vehicle. "Forty grand."

[Stygian]

The walrus blinked, stared, and then Cog was faced with a guffaw that grew to a fairly lengthy and humiliating laugh. Had he not been who he was, he might have blushed at the embarrassment.
   'Yeah, right. You take a look at the engine and the effort we put into the construction, and then you give me a real answer', he said, folding his arms and looking at Cog seriously. 'You could drive that thing through a river and out, and you'd just have to air dry.' He adjusted his stance a bit, and his beret. 'It can carry enough cargo. I'll throw in cans and straps. Power steering too. The point though is that it gets what you want where you want to go, fast. And with a lot in tow.'

- -

'Anyone who watched us at the bar or the inn', was the almost immediate answer, and then Kerya felt her back cool just a little as the bat behind her blocked the sunlight, looming. Curiously, his voice had sounded as if it were just as close the whole time. Then again, maybe that was just him stepping around her, or the way he moved to avoid detection. It was hard to tell. He smiled down at her a bit, oddly, even after getting to know they were probably being followed. Perhaps he had counted on it?
   'So long as no one has a knife in their back though, and we're together and can get out of here within the next hour, we're somewhat fine. Do we have the bags yet?' he said, putting a hand on Kerya's shoulder. 'No? Then let's get the supplies and catch up with Cog.'

[Cogidubnus]

"I don't need to take a look at the engine, or the construction. I trust that your construction is, indeed, surperb." Cog said smoothly, suddenly wishing for a cigarette even though he didn't smoke. "However, I'll pay close to a hundred thousand for a Rolls Royce. Not this." he again gestured the machine and its ragged appearance, looking as though it had won a few monster truck rallies a few nights before.

His expression didn't change, although the wolf tilted his head slightly. "While I'm sure it was very expensive to make, the fact remains it's the most unpractical vehicle I've ever seen, on this side of the ocean or t'other. And if you had a buyer lined up, you wouldn't be showing this to me." his eyes narrowed behind his lenses. "The rear end is too high for a hitch. You can't tow anything with it. And I said it wouldn't be suitable for extended trips. As far as prospective customers, that rules out the oil companies and exploratory teams, who certainly aren't going to pay a hundred thousand for this anyway, when they can get less machine to do the same work for cheaper. Anyone besides large business isn't going to have the money, and it's not pretty enough for rich playboys."

He adjusted his hat, straightening. "But, nonwithstanding, I like you. Not enough to pay you more. But I do like you, and because of that, and the fact that you're going to 'throw in' power steering, which is a low blow I might add, you'd need a ogre to turn those wheels manually, and the straps and cans, I'd be willing to consider fifty thousand."

[Stygian]

Scoffing lightly, the walrus looked away from Cog for a short few moments, thumbing his not unimpressive biceps, then his even less unimpressive moustache, and then his glasses. He seemed less amused with his customer now, and edging onto frustrated and irritated. Never a good sign.
   'Look', he said, making what sounded like a final point. 'The Plenty & Golf engine costs thirty-five grand, and that's without the supercharger. The gearbox is twenty, and the rest of the stuff sort of neatly fills in the rest. Squeeze all you want, but I can't give you a price better than eighty, with the worth of the stuff. Not when it hasn't been on the road for so much as five hundred miles yet.'