No doors marked with a 9 here.

[monkeytailed]

The Stranded Meme



You are now stuck somewhere! Your teleporter broke down, you accidentally got rerouted to the wrong airport, you took a wrong turn, your car broke down...whatever it is, you have ended up someplace random, probably with really random company. And you won't be leaving anytime soon. Well, not unless you can come up with a clever plan....

• Post with your character.


• Then tag other people. You two are now STUCK TOGETHER. Somewhere


• If you need a place to be stuck at, then go to Wikipedia and hit the random article link until you get a location. That is where you're stuck at. (For the record, trying just now got me the Igualada Leather Museum.)


• And take chances, make mistakes, and get messy.

Comments

[hornswoggling]

[Closest town. Airship's too theatrical for it. Cab's unlikely to come. Bus just left...wait, allies?]

You're not planning to take out the secret ancient sect of subtle undermining meanies, are you?

[canandhave]

[Of course allies. They can't really do this alone.]

Surely we cannot allow them to persist in their subtle undermining methods of meanness.

[hornswoggling]

...You're right. Best to kick 'em out.

[More business that way. Azure looks down the street. The bus has stopped some 30 feet away, beeps shrilly, lowers and slowly flips the ramp for a wheelchair.]

Follow me!

[His idea's sudden, but he always chases his goal. Azure runs towards the bus, straight towards the end. He doesn't change his course, even ten feet away.]

[canandhave]

[She follows but as they get closer she can't determine what it is they're supposed to be racing towards.]

What...is that?

[She hopes that they're just not making a spectacle of themselves for no purpose, or making themselves easy to catch.]

[hornswoggling]

Our ride to town!

[Azure leaps! Catches the top. Struggles to puuull himself u...tries agaiin. Squeak squeak squer shoes failing to get tractioTHERE WE GO. He pulls himself on top of the bus, rests for a moment, sits.]

Hurry up! It'll roll on in a few moments.

[Yes. That really did just happen. Blink if you need to.]

[canandhave]

[She stands there staring for a second, without blinking, and then she does. Then she pauses and tries to jump again. In her favor is the fact that she's fit and used to doing all sorts of ridiculous things. Against her is the armor she has.

She makes it, although her armor digs into her skin as she clambers up.]

It rolls, then?

[Yes, that's a request for an explanation, Azure.]

[hornswoggling]

No it shifts the space-time continuum. Look, I know its route. Going back and forth like an argument is the purpose of its existence. It'll take us into town.

[On cue, the bus lurches forward, then drives pleasantly down the road. It's possible someone sees them, of course. It's also possible they're trying to think of a way to say "There are people on your roof" without saying "There are people on your roof."]

Should take a half hour or so depending on traffic. So uh...what're these bad dudes like again?

[canandhave]

[Aveline's fairly certain that that explanation doesn't help at all. But if Azure knows the route, then she'll trust him.]

They're not the sort of people you want to give the chance to have a conversation with you. Mostly because they won't bother, they'll go straight for an attack instead. Reasoning with them is pointless.

[hornswoggling]

Great. Mom again. Where do they usually go? Besides slinking in the shadows and bounding from rooftops like crazed assassins, I mean.

[canandhave]

They like isolated areas. That's part of why we need to get into town. If we stick to populated areas we'll be a lot safer.

...What do you mean 'Mom'?

[hornswoggling]

[The bus chugs on, its rusty breaks screeching. Azure has half a mind to crawl to the front and antagonize the driver because shit does that sound grind your soul, but doesn't because he shifts, fights a swell of loathing and guilt. Why did he even say that?]

Less chance they can over hear us too. As for...just...reminds me of her.

[He clamps his jaw shut. Azure pointedly looks away, narrows his eyes. Hunches his shoulders, though he doesn't realize.]

[canandhave]

It's fine, right?

[They can not talk about it if he doesn't want to. Or can if he wishes to. It's his choice, since it doesn't affect their current strategy.]

She's not here.

[hornswoggling]

No. It's not.

[He looks at the changing scenery. More buildings, closer together. The occasional tree.]

We'll reach our stop in a couple minutes.

[canandhave]

[Right.

Aveline studies the scenery with far more interest, because it's not focusing on the strange apparatus that they're moving on.]

I'll be ready when we're there.

[hornswoggling]

[And shrieeeEk, they're there! Azure jumps off the bus and rolls to standing because he's a show off. He looks around as he waits for Aveline. There're a few people around. Someone in a red coat stands in the shade of a building, but other than that, no one seems suspicious. A few people ride bikes, others laugh over ice cream. Overall, pretty pleasant day.]

[canandhave]

[True to her word, she quickly joins him, less flashy but still plenty effective. She tries not to gawk too much at all that she sees that is unfamiliar, because 1) it won't do any good and 2) it's better not to seem to stand out at all when possible.]

Should we start by finding out who is in a position of authority to report grievances to, or by looking for signs of a resistance?

[She knows what she would prefer, but she wants to give him the chance to put in his opinion.]

[hornswoggling]

I've got the first covered. So, signs. They have a uniform?

[Normally Azure'd suggest something other than what was given to choose, but he likes throwing wrenches in his own habits.]

[canandhave]

They tend not to, it makes it rather too easy for the authorities to find them.

They do tend to hang out in inns.

[hornswoggling]

[Finally someone with a modicum of smart.]

All right. Let's go. There's fucking nothing going on in this stupid town.

[Lo, there's an inn twenty feet away! There is music playing and clatters of checkers and the door's open. Just before Azure steps into the doorway, someone's hurtled from the inn, slams into the pavement and rolls around on the sidewalk pathetically. He is also bleeding and has an ink pen impaling his wrist. Azure masterfully evades potential witness classification by turning west and heading up the street.]

You know, I could really go for some cocoa. Think that coffee shop serve it this time of day?

[You're gonna have to be quick to drag him back, Aveline.]

[canandhave]

[If he's going to insist on running he can be a damned fool, but she doesn't approve. She'll give him one chance, shouting out--]

Stop now.

[Otherwise she'll track him down later, and he won't be happy with the result. Her main attention is for the bleeding person, bending down to examine how deep the pen goes and whether it's better to leave it in until they can get a healer or pull it out.]

[hornswoggling]

[He stops. Not because of Aveline's shout. But Azure thinks about her weapons. How he doesn't really know her. He walks backwards, turns, and continues his way towards what he just left.

The man mostly stills when he sees Aveline's intent to help, and blubbers out thanks between sobs and snot. The pen isn't deep. He makes a curt gesture with his hand - he wants to leave the pen in. It's more dangerous to take things out, right? It's at this point Azure trots up and frowns at the man.]

You're not worried about ink poisoning?

[The man's eyes widen and he flails, but with all his pain and tears he keeps missing the pen.]

[canandhave]

You're not helping.

[Aveline might be snapping at Azure, but it's still better for him that he came back. Really much better.]

Hey. It's okay. Just count to three for me, okay?

[She counts one with him, then pulls it out, pressing her hand over the wound.]

Keep breathing.

[hornswoggling]

[The man nods, sniffs, then yelps when Aveline pulls the pen out. He moves to cover his wound, but stops when he feels Aveline's beat him to it. He breathes, out, frantic, chokes when he tries to slow down and calm himself. Just inside the inn, music continues to play, checkers still click. There's laughter and plate clatter.]

Yeah. Avoiding potential death: not helpful. Well, we've got to get him off the street. The inn's not an option.

[Azure looks around. Guitar shop, music store, a restaurant. An empty lot, a boarding house...oh, another inn just across the street! It looks kept - especially the red hibiscus flowerbeds - just...it's completely dark.]

That's an invitation to be murdered if I ever saw one. But it may be our only option.

[Because like hell Azure's going to call in his cohorts for this guy.]

[canandhave]

We'll just have to be sure to cover the exits.

[She's marched into more dangerous situations with Hawke, after all. And she's not leaving the man here, in the street.]

This might hurt.

[She bends down beside the man, then, hauling him up by the opposite side as his injury.]

Easy there. Azure, give me a hand?

[hornswoggling]

[The man has mostly quieted, though he's still in pain. Azure closes the door of the inn behind them, then steps up and for once does as asked. The man winces, clamps his mouth shut. Azure glances at Aveline, then takes a slow step forward. They have to coordinate. Azure's kinda slow at reading movements, but he figures Aveline can read his. Hooray for there not being any cars, too.]