Old Craterface's Show (Spice 02)(Husher 02)

Husher, sweating and irritable, you finally see the North Gate appearing on the horizon. It's a good 20 feet tall and it's more of a checkpoint than anything else, a way-marker to let people know they're entering or leaving some semblance of society. It's rickety, scaffolding built from charcoal tree trunks fallen in the north. A sentry sits atop with a hunting rifle. He has it trained on you and waves a tattered black flag, asking you to identify yourself in some way.

Under the rickety arch you can see the recognizable hunch of Old Craterface. He has two guys from the Jackbox Crew with him, but you can't tell whom from this distance. You shift Spice gently from one shoulder to the other, and she moans softly and uncomfortably, but doesn't wake up.

What do you do?

Do me a favor and respond to this post and the one above it separately & in order just to keep things clean.

Sorry, I don't think I was clear about that: you weren't in shouting distance, gate was on the horizon. He can't hear you. I'll just roll with it though. Check over the descriptive tags in the character's crap chapter (p:119 of the pdf). "close" is actually shouting distance. "Far: she can bring it to bear only when she’s pretty far from her target or subject. If she can see the whites of his eyes, they’re too close together."

Shotgun and grenade also have dif ranges, granades are "hand," you'd need a mighty good arm to toss a grenade to the other side of a football field. Ranges are slightly screwy as there's no real middle ground there, I'll assume you're about 20 feet from the gate, which will give you either weapon option.

You set to hollering. The sentry lowers his rifle. He can't hear you, you realize, but you always do that, just yelling into the wind, so he recognizes you. You approach the gate and you can see that Old Craterface is standing with Amy and Barker from the Jackbox Crew. They aren't even armed, just relying on the protection of the sentry, a guy named L8.

Craterface looks distressed. "Fuck, man, what did you do to her?!" He approaches slowly, jabbing his ivory cane ^{1 BARTER} into the sand and dragging his stiff leg. He cranes his neck out trying to get a look at her wound. "She's no use to me like this! Fuck, they're going to be here any minute!"

He looks at the protective little housing and glimpses the flowers, then waves dismissively. "No, those MREs are gone. I've got a crew to feed, boy. I paid you fair and square. I'm a businessman, you understand what that means boy? It means I trade and I keep my shit in order. Now why would I go screwing you over when I might need to call on your bullets later? Does that makes sense boy? You don't like flowers, go trade with one of those filthy gypsies, they go wild for that shit." He motions back toward the Marketplace that lay to the west of Fort Cheeto.

You look back in the direction you came from. The market is well out of sight, but you can see a sizable flock of assorted scavengers, condors, crows, hawks, and the like. They're coming from the north as they do and descending on your recent battle grounds.

Suddenly people start to come in from the Republic to the south, two or three at a time. They're sitting in the sand or on blankets, as if to audience, all facing the North Gate.

Spice, you wake up to see the crowd, about 15 strong and lift your head. Old Craterface hobbles over to you. "You wretched thing." he jeers, "You wanted out? This is your last job. Put on a show for these paying customers and you're done." He yells over to Amy and catches the long-sleeve shirt she pulls off and tosses to the old man. "Fuck's sake, cover yourself up, too." He looks at the oozing bandage. "Nobody paid to see THAT."

You'd be lucky to stay awake through the conversation, let alone an entire performance. If you do much besides say "fuck off" and fall back asleep, you're doing it under fire, but I'd let one under fire roll carry you through the scene.

With a low moan Spice groggily shakes her head. That awful otherspace reality - being torn apart by rabid dogs, fangs dripping with venom, maws coated with pestilent froth while a deluge of acid poured from the blood drenched skies - all of that is gone for now. Now she has an audience. Facade #4 pours onto her face - the eminently sensual performer. Every movement she makes oozes sex appeal. She meets each person's eyes with the confidence of a goddess on high. The look she bestows upon you promises the fulfillment of all your wildest dreams if you but please her. She languidly removes her stained tank top. The pain as it passes over her shoulder is excruciating but her visage never wavers. After a brief, contemptuous glance at the proffered shirt she shrugs. The show must go on. She slides into the garment like a snake into a rathole, her nerves, once again, screeching out in protest; she pays them no heed. 

Husher stares at Craterface and his goons while Spice makes her stand, ready to draw if it comes to more an words. As the cripple hobbles away Husher actually lets a soft single chuckle out.

He draws a cigarette, notes that he's almost out, and puts it back with a scowl. "Ladies got balls. Gotta give her that."

Husher looks around at the people left, reading the crowd, seeing if anyone isnt the proper mood, doesnt fit the scene...

Spice and Husher, You both look over the audience. There are some people from town you recognize. Swell and Trish from Francis' crew have taken shade under the scaffolding of the gate along with Phillis, Grome, and Clarion. Jeanette, who runs Fort Cheeto, is there with her son, Stone. Roark, the Fort's handyman, is polishing his hammer in the back, and there are 5 rag-covered scavengers, anonymous behind tattered veils and blankets, from the east part of town. They have two donkeys ^1-BARTER between the group, all fully loaded and bundled with the scavengers' findings and supplies.

It seems to you, Hush, that these people didn't come here for trouble, but rather to escape it. There's an uneasy and temporary peace among the crowd, past troubles, scrapes, and grudges temporarily shelved like an array of african wildlife sharing a watering hole in the savana, elephants and hyenas tenuously sharing space. The people have come to replenish some sense of hope and beauty, struggling to cling to humanity. Some of these people have been trouble in the past, but for the time being nobody seems to pose a particular threat.

However, Husher, you see Old Crateface whispering something to Amy, and she sneaks behind the Gate and takes off on her quiet little scooter. You don't think anyone else really noticed her leaving, and you're not sure what she's up to, but you think you ought to be on the lookout for her return. (+1 to any rolls made to intercept her return)