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Summary: Star, Cloud and Mike are finding comfort in the Slaughtered Lamb till Kenta hears the wrong thing.
Date: October 12, 2010
Log Title: Potatoes and Warmth
Rating: PG
Tegu-Haaz - The Slaughtered Lamb
Outside the wooden sign displaying a Wolf's Head on a pike along with the name 'The Slaughtered Lamb' swings in the breeze of the run down old pub. Inside the wooden floors creak as extra weight is applied and the smells of lingering alcohol and tabacco smoke permeate the air. Oil lanterns are hung on the walls circling the pub to provide light the patrons while the walls are marked with old tally marks from games long ago played. Behind the bar are old barrels of wine and ale, an hearth for cooking up meals and a layer of dust is caked onto the dishes. Long tables that can sit at least ten people each are still sturdy but some are turned over while the chairs are scattered across the place. A second hearth with ash from long ago still sitting in it is built against one of the sidewalls for light, heat and additional cooking. If one were to search the pub they might find food that is mysteriously still edible..
Kenta hasn't left the Slaughtered Lamb much, instead he's cleaned up the place and got a few tables set up. There's a fire going and the smell of potatoes waffs through the place as he's been keeping a few on the fire for dinner and anyone else who comes down here. He's currently sitting at the bar dressed in a pair of pants and suspenders but no shirt, as he doesn't feel the cold and is smoking some tobacco he found in a pipe. There's a few oil lamps lit and the place is quiet as Kenta just kind of ponders things in this strange world.
The robot kid sitting in the corner is talking to himself. He's using lamp oil for fuel today, since he hasn't been able to find and filter out any frying grease lately.
"Mike's log, day N+10. I think. Again, can't tell how much lag there was between the event and our arrival here. I can't tell from the stars since I don't have an ephemerus in memory but that doesn't mean anything really - this is clearly not home universe or all my systems would be working. I'm certain it's not a dream. My dream timestamp isn't present on my memories of here, except for the ones when I'm in downtime. Waiting for the day's news."
He stands up and walks over to the bark where Kenta waits. "This is a profoundly creepy universe."
Having been brought to the tavern earlier in the day after a very scary run in with a zombie, Star's arm is bandaged from wounds received and she's sitting at a table with her injured head pillowed on her good arm and the other one curled on the table above her head. She appears to be, at least trying, to rest a little; surprisingly, the air around her is devoid of emotions, probably not a good sign for the empath.
Cloud has heard that his sister is at the Slaughtered Lamb after some sort of trouble at the graveyard near the asylem, he also heard she had been hurt, he's dressed in blue jeans, red sneakers, a red and white checkered shirt and his dark roots are beginning to show though his bleached blond hair, getting the the SL as fast as he can, he bangs on the door, "Star, you in there?!"
Looking up at the two, Kenta shrugs. "It is but were here and we gotta make the best of it. I think you're already heard the day's news Mike, if Star's here. Zombie attack up at the graveyard. At least he wound wasn't two bad." He puts down the pipe and goes over to the fire. "Either of you want a potato or some tea or something? It's not real tea but it's some kind of herbal drink that isn't so bad." He says turning as Cloud bangs his way in. "Hey Cloud, she's here. She's resting a bit a the table, don't make so much noise."
For what it's worth, the robot guy is unaware of any deviation in the emotional aura around Star since he can't actually smell and has no pheromone receptors in his mechanical head; he has yet to formally meet her, but he recognized her from a picture that Cloud had, and from the similarity in faces.
"No potato for me thank you, Kenta. Unless you can make it into vodka quickly."
Waving to Cloud, Mike gestures to an empty spot next to him. He doesn't raise his voice. "Over here, Rush."
Her brother's arrival earns a reaction from Star as reisgnation fills the air around her. For a long moment she doesn't move, but she does finally lift her head and look up at the guys, "Yes, Cloud, I'm here." She winces faintly at the mention of what happened earlier in the day, but doesn't comment on what happened. Her stomach growls softly at the mention of food and she nods, "Yes, please, Mr. Gilpatrick." She, unlike Mike, needs actual food and not lamp oil or alcohol, after all.
Cloud gives Kenta a nod in greeting, "Hey Kenta, i heard you were here, hey Mike", then he's straight over to his sister, "What happened?, i heard you got hurt, what were you doing out of the farmhouse?"
Kenta puts a baked potato on a plate he's cleaned along with a fork, knive and a small container with a bit of salt. "I actually found some spices that are a bit safe here so I've been eating a lot of salted potatoes." He says as he looks at Cloud. "You want one too?" He then looks to Mike. "There's some stronger stuff back here, I think David's been drinking it but I haven't had the guts yet to try it." In regards to some alcohol in back. "Cloud, don't go to hard on her, she's your sister yes but she's had a rough day."
"I've tried some …it's like fortified wine, strong but pretty sugary," Mike answers. "It goes pretty well with the lamp oil as diesel fuel though, since that's already burning sticky." He carries the plate over to Star, since Cloud went there first. "Eat, you look hungry," he says in fake Jewish-Mother voice. "Also, Rush, please introduce me to your sister."
Cloud shakes his head at the offer of the potato, "No thanks, i ate a few hours ago", he sighs when told to back off a little by Kenta, Star shares his uncanny ability to always find some kind of trouble, so he worries a lot, "Sorry Mike, Star this is Mike, he's a friend of mine, was a student at our school and was on the same squad as me, Mike this is my sister Star, if she tries to tell you what to do, just ignore her".
There's a shake of his head as Cloud introduces Star the way he does before going back to the bar to light up the pipe again. "Man, there have been an increasing number of attacks lately it seems. Just trying to keep track of everything and look for some kind of knowledge but, there isn't much." He says as he makes a face to Mike. "Yeah, don't think I'll be drinking which is good I found the tobacco."
"So, same thing I do when you tell me what to do?" Mike's done this one before. His tone is almost stereotype blond when he says that back to Cloud. He turns back to Kenta, walking to the bar.
"It works for fuel, but I can't overdo it or I'll end up needing a ring and valve job," Mike agrees. "I can't tell you whether it tastes good or not. If you ever find yourself redesigning your body, Kenta, please remember, sense of smell, ability to eat, and facial expressions are all very useful things. Even if you don't have time."
Star grimaces, "Robyn asked me to go walking with him." That's why she left the farm house. That and she really felt the need to get away from everyone else for a little while and get some fresh air. She sits up a bit when the plate is delivered, giving a little grateful smile to both Kenta and Mike, "Thanks." She cuts into the potato and seasons it, murmering someing about wishing there were butter and sour cream, but not complaining too loudly. She lifts her injured arm and gives Mike a little wiggle of her fingers as they're introduced, "Nice to meet you, Mike." She rolls her eyes when Cloud warns to ignore her when she offers suggestions and huffs, "Yeah, like you ever listen to me, either, little brother. You wouldn't've gotten into so much trouble since you left home if I'd been here to tell you what to do." And if he'd actually listened to her.
Cloud mirrors Star's eye roll when she says he wouldn't have got in any trouble if she'd been there, "So what actually happened to your arm, i didn't get many of the details, just that it happened in that weird graveyard by the asylem".
Kenta is quiet as he watches the kids. He's just making sure everything is okay down here but he doesn't know much about what goes on outside of the Slaughtered Lamb unless people tell him. He should go up and see Emma soon. "Don't worry Mike, I don't plan on redesigning my body again. I had that forced on me once, don't plan on doing it a second time." He says finally getting up and getting himself a potato. He just shakes his head at the sibling banter.
"I'm thinking about it with mine - but this time doing it right, instead of the rush job emergency patch. The hard part is figuring out how much of the superstructure to keep."
That's a serious aside, then back to the entartainment. Mike wants to grin at the two so hard but can't. His voice is 'deadpan snark' though. "Y'know I sometimes wished I wasn't an only child. Then I see things that make me glad."
And that's a sudden reminder. "Hey, Armande isn't here anywhere, is he? I miss the little guy."
Star winces and turns faintly green at Cloud's question, tucking her arm under the table so that it's hidden, "There was this zombie…" She shudders and pushes the potato away instead of eating, suddenly not hungry as she remembers the rotting thing that tried to bite her, "She came up out of a grave with our name on it and tried to bite me." Beat, "She didn't do it, but I did get scratched." Her eyes turn slate gray with a hint of violet while worry and mild fear taint the air around her, though she doesn't speak on what it is that worries her. Mike's comment on being an only child gets another eye roll, "Well, try being the only girl and second youngest out of six…" How's that for fun times?
At the mention of his son, Kenta picks up a glass and throws it against the wall. Mike just mentioned the one thing he's been trying to keep himself calm about. He then walks over to Star and pats on her shoulder. "We'll get out of here, I promise." He says before heading off in the back of the pub the mention of his son just really got to him.
Mike closes his eyes, not actually a blink. Not a reaction he expected, and not one that answers the question either. Either the boy's here, or he's not, that was what Mike was hoping to learn, not that Kenta has a dramatic temper. He doesn't move, and doesn't react at all for a while.
Star jumps when the glass is thrown, her eyes widening as she looks back and forth between Kenta and Mike, though she looks up at the older mutant when he puts his hand on her shoulder and grimace, "Yeah, but will we make it back alive?" She sighs and just shakes her head, running a hand through her hair and just watching as Kenta moves into the back of the building before she looks back over at Mike, "Who's Armande?" And why would mentioning him get a reaction like that out of the Xavier's instructor?
After a moment, Mike answers, voice almost emotionless. "Armande is Kenta's son. I asked if he was here because I was worried that he might be. I can't tell if the tantrum was because he misses his child or because he is here somewhere, helpless and in danger. Anyway. I'll be finding a different place to wait out this mess. I was staying at the farm but I didn't like the crowding, and I thought this was a safe place to be, but apparently it is not."
"Oh…" Star grimaces and shakes her head, "Well, I hope it's just that he misses him. I'd hate to think of a little kid being here with the rest of us." She shudders, "That would totally suck." She nods at the mention of the farm being crowded, "Tell me about it… And I've got to put up with everyone being right on top of each other and scared witless all the time." At least there's safety in numbers, though, right? She shakes her head and looks after Kenta again, "And, really, he's right: We'll get out of this somehow…" There's forced hope in her own voice, though she, obviously, doesn't quite believe it herself.