Another Day, Another Dollar (post-round mingle)

[midpointmods]

PLAYERS: Everyone!
LOCATION: Midpoint, and anywhere else people want to explore
GOAL: Time to relax after some hard-won rounds.
WARNINGS: None
OTHER: The setting post for those who want to explore

The stagecoach reaches the Ranch... and the cargo isn’t with it. A large, feathery dinosaur reaches the Ranch a little later, with only some of their cargo, having been hit mid-route and between transformations by the bandits.

“Well, we’ll take what we can get,” Lee says sourly at what’s left after the bandits’ raiding - maybe half of the empty crates. He hollers at his ranch hands, “Come get 'em, boys!” Between him and the other workers, and any of the remaining driver team able to be pressed into service (which is mostly just Groot), the crates are unloaded and stacked and filled with supplies for the next train out. Looks like they were useful, after all.

At the end of the day, Lee sends the drivers on their way back to Midpoint, and the bandits can do what they will with their portion of the cargo. Got any use for sturdy wooden crates, friends?

In Tycoon Depot, Tiffany Jamesson has spent a(n enjoyable) day and a half in hiding with Inara, Daylight, and Irene, peppering Daylight with questions and flirting demurely with Inara and Irene, presumably out of boredom. The hand-off with her father goes pretty smoothly, with only Fuwa on the outside - he might be furious, but he's not willing to interrupt and risk the target’s life in a firefight.

Exchange made, kidnappers and bodyguards are free to head back to Midpoint.

In the saloon, North has laid out a buffet of everyone’s favorite foods to choose from, with beer and wine on the house for two days only: the traditional post-round congratulations-or-consolations feast. There’s someone on the piano almost all night providing music, and extra hot water for baths whenever people finally retires to their rooms. Most Players make good use of the additional free food and drink for as long as it lasts; whether for enjoyment, self-medication, or to stave off boredom is their own call.

The dead don't remain so for long, and wake up in jail cells - the same ones they started their round at - at the edges of the game arena around the same time as the round ends, ready to be collected by friends - if there’s anyone who wants to come get them.

The next week and a half belong to the Players to do with what they please, be it sleep all day, spend their hard-earned points on more alcohol, ask lots of questions, or explore the arena. There are no events planned, nothing to steal, no one to murder (unless you really want to, anyway), and plenty of things to learn about and try to get to the bottom of, for any Players not too jaded to try and search. Good luck with that, anyway.

Oh - did you want to know if you won, or how badly you lost? Gonna have to ask North or Booker for your points totals, because there’s nobody who actually announces whether you won or lost...

Comments

[worthallthis]

"You make 'em sound like me," Soldat points out with clearer amusement, this time, and comes back to the little fire to tuck the curry comb away and settle down on their own bedroll. "That is one good thing about this place. Plenty of sun. It took me a week to get used to it again. Sunlight. Shoulda seen how pale I was, Jesus. Like a cave troll."

[shadowsran]

Laughter bubbles up, followed quickly by, "That's a good way to think of it! They're all nice fellas, just got some bad rep to work through and a real hankering for the sun." Suddenly contemplative of herself, both arms extend skyward for some lighthearted scrutiny. Pale as she was going on, it would be hard to say she'd somehow gotten even paler without going translucent. No visible veins, and considering how fastidious she is about shading headwear the Midpoint Tan is held barely at bay.

Of course, discerning the current shade is quite a task considering they're washed out at all angles with silvery moonlight or flickering red-gold.

"I'm gonna come out all olive now, you're putting that in my head. Too on top of your hair to ever be a troll, if it's any consolation."

[worthallthis]

"Nothing wrong with that," Soldat says warmly. "Sun-kissed. Unless you burn, that's never fun." They pause, frown. Even now, they're still sometimes getting new memories, and here's one: "Steve used to burn. I remember. Tip of his nose would be one big peel all summer. I never did unless I was really dumb about sun."

[shadowsran]

Her smile is sympathetic for more than the one person, but not downturning anytime soon. "The worst, that. Which is why we're going to stay very smart about sun! I worry too much over little things as it is. This place isn't as cushy, but we'll make do, I'll rig up some kind of sunscreen. Firm grip on our hats, we'll pull through."

A pause, before she suddenly sounds hopeful. "There any kind of real winter here?"

[worthallthis]

Soldat has a hat, Misty, they won't be dumb about the sun. Not unless some asshole decides to chain them out in it, or something. (Did that-- Yeah. Once. Jesus. Where was I for that? No idea, Sarge. Just be glad you missed it.)

They hate to dash her hopes, but: "Not down here, not on most of the arena. Sometimes we'll get snow up in the mountains, and it'll get even colder at night. But we can't go that far up into it, so mostly we just get to look."

IF SHE EVER HEARS ABOUT THAT SUN THING HER BLOOD WILL BOIL

[shadowsran]

She deflates, but at least in a manner played-up rather than sincerely devastated. Of course, this is dreadfully underwhelming. The fuck, game makers. "Clearly I need to learn how to make snow, have our own proper Christmas. Lofty dreams to work at. Just a dusting for you, just enough to look pretty."

at least the gang who did it are gone now? :D

[worthallthis]

It's a desert, Misty, they don't get a whole lot of precipitation, frozen or otherwise. Soldat looks kind of amused at her idea, though. "Bet North would love that," they say. "Not sure really what the date even is anymore. If it matters. Could just decide, okay, tomorrow's Christmas."

They pause, wince a little, and then say, "Please don't decide tomorrow's Christmas. If we're gonna do a Christmas, I'd need time to prep." She surely remembers their several weeks of sneaking around to quietly make gifts in Beacon.

she didn't get to kill them! he didn't get to kill them!!!

[shadowsran]

Well controlled as it is, she's certain game makers could crank the AC if they were so inclined. Lazy bastards. Cruel bastards.

He's funny enough to shake the thought. "Promise on my life I won't decide tomorrow's Christmas. Maybe I'll ask North, if anyone's got a firm clock around that it ought to be him. We'll set a fair date, I'd need time to plan too."

Years apart, after all. She's got a lot of time to make up for.

I promise he killed them multiple times XD

[worthallthis]

"Thanks." They shoot her a little grin, relieved for that at least. "North did do a Christmas once. No warning whatsoever. But I didn't have anyone, by then, so I just kind of. Ignored it." That he been a depressing couple of days. Worse than the usual kind of depressing.

GOOD

[shadowsran]

Ow. There's a physical wince just to think of it, and she has to resist the urge to hug him. It's not a new sensation, at least. "That's sweet of him, at least. Hope he thinks to do one now that I'm here, we could make a thing of it. Not stressful, just - you know, a little spruced up. Rig some decoration, figure out a couple gifts, splurge on a nice dinner. A real one, mind. You and the super soldier stomach, no quitting until you're stuffed."

[worthallthis]

Soldat recognizes that look, but they're all the way across the fire from her, so they can't even offer a wrist (or a hand), so they. Toss their pillow at her, for it, expression dry. Smile, Misty, life is better now.

"Sounds nice. We'll ask him when we get back, see what we can do, yeah?"

[shadowsran]

He's rewarded with a laugh, high and hearty. Lucky she catches it, or he'd be sleeping with dirt in his hair.

"We will. I want one, I'm more of a Thanksgiving girl at heart but I'll take any excuse to dress the room up a little. Get some new...hats, or something."

[worthallthis]

"We'll get one." Wouldn't be the worst pillow they've ever had. A lot of the time out here, they didn't bother with one, just took off their top layer of shirts and rolled that up-- this pillow is kind of a sad little thing, to begin with. "It took coming here to actually get used to hats," Soldat muses, giving theirs over on their saddle a sidelong look. "Couldn't really get by without one."

[shadowsran]

"Hopefully without burns, I know how well kept you like to be."

There's almost a tease there, but she can't go through with it. Too harmlessly endearing a trait, and frankly a shared one. Nice to look nice.

"You picked well, anyway. Really everyone here looks nice, nobody's incapable of making the right cowboy hat look nice." Not a hat person herself, but, hey. What works works.

[worthallthis]

"Well, you know me. I gotta look the best I can." Which varies depending on the day and their level of ability to go without layers or protective gear, but still. It's a thing. "I've been through a lot of those things. There's always a new one, almost exactly the same, in the jail or at Booker's every time I need one."

[shadowsran]

"Clearly taking care of the important needs, the powers that be know you've come round to being a fine enough hat person." Grinning, she tosses the pillow back.

"This is nice, out here. Non-rounds are so much quieter."

[worthallthis]

They catch it deftly, and set it back in place. "Much quieter. I used to hate them. I hated the rounds, too, but in a different way. At least I knew what I was supposed to do, had a mission, even if it was shitty. Between rounds I had to come up with a whole new routine, and it was just. Lonely." Now they're wishing they weren't across the fire from her. "This is better."

[shadowsran]

"Never going back to that, promise." An empty one, of course. Forces beyond their combined control seem to be at work all the time. But to whatever extent she can exert her will on their surroundings, he won't have to tolerate that again. "You're stuck with me for real this time. Gonna have lots of chattery camping company."

maybe wrap on this?

[worthallthis]

Soldat smiles a little, looking down into the fire. "I'm glad." Even if it's terrible for Misty for her to be here rather than anywhere else, anywhere safer than this, they've remembered how to be a little selfish, and they can be happy to have her here. With them.