Story Market Day
- Thread starter ComCamGuy
- Start date
CCG, Great comments and insights, and very much how I have been processing this adventure. By my nature, I wa t to have a spreadsheet with major points mapped out. I am finding it is a lot of fun letting the story and characters effect the direction of the story. I will start releasing the first chapters soon.
Thanks for the feedback.
Zoomer
feralferret
Veteran Member
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Doug and Heidi’s Cabin
“You want to slow down a moment?” Doug asked her.
“I’ve been sitting around, screwing off too long! Being selfish! Allyson calling for help, Garen out, Kara down doing shit at the Southern Camp! Bekka’s still laid up and here I am out on vacation! I need to get back to the house!” Angelique said as she crammed her laundry from the dryer into a bag.
It started when they were sitting around the table, eating a late breakfast. Emilia had already left for the Southern Camp and her appointment with Hanna and Dough was telling Heidi what was in the email he got this morning.
When he told her about the thing from Kara about needing to talk to him or Stephen about the lowering system in the elevator shaft, Angelique wanted to know why. This led to questions about what else was going on. As each bit rolled out, Angelique felt worse and worse about not being there, not doing her job.
She was mad. Mad at herself for not checking sooner, mad at herself for this whole selfish week of lounging around, mad she had let Bekka, Garen, Allyson and Kara down. She was still slinging things into the bag when a hand on her forearm stopped her. She jumped back with a sudden jolt of pain as she stared up at her father’s face.
“Damn it!” She said as she cradled her arm.
“Sorry…”
“Not your fault…” Angelique wasn’t sure what she was doing. Heidi stepped up.
“Angelique Let’s go to Emilia’s room. Lydia can finish bagging your laundry. Doug can go make sure you have everything loaded in the buggy. I know you want to get out of here and get to the house, but going so fast you don’t think things through and get hurt isn’t going to help anyone.”
Angelique couldn’t focus right now. Her mind was racing all over the place, then the pain short-circuited everything and now she was stuck in neutral. She felt Heidi take her hands and lead her. She followed.
Once they were in Emilia’s room, Heidi shut the door.
“Ok. Let’s get you shirt off. I can give you another wipe down before you leave. While I do that, you can slow your breathing down, focus and tell me what’s going on.”
“I’m out here screwing off, and they needed me!”
Heidi gave her hands another squeeze before she let go.
“Did they call the emergency frequency?”
“No, but…”
“Did they call us, begging for more help?”
“No, but…”
“Look, I know you want to be there to help everything. I get that. Trust me, I do. I get it. But you needed to reset and recharge. After the last couple months, you and Emilia were cooked to a frazzle and both of you needed time away.”
“But what about you? Didn’t you need it?” Angelique asked.
Heidi smiled. The smile almost made it to her eyes even.
“I’ve got a little more experience at it. I’ve learned how to adjust my throttle a little better after being through it a few times. I’ve also been through the whole ‘I should have been there’s’ a few times, and I know how hard that one can be. Right now, you just need to take a breath, collect yourself and not get nuts trying to drive back to the house at a thousand miles an hour. You need to be calm and fairly rested so you are ready to do whatever Bekka needs. If you need more help, give a shout and we can get some more bodies headed north from the Southern camp too. But if that happens, you need to be rested and clear-headed to work the issues, not frazzled and spastic.”
Angelique didn’t know what to say. She was supposed to be smarter than this. If it was Emilia doing the ‘run around with her hair on fire’ thing, Angelique would have been the first one telling her to chill out.
“I’m sorry. I should know better.”
“Yeah, and you normally do.” Heidi’s grin was infectious. Angelique was smiling now, until.
“You might want to apologize to you dad though. He’s a little concerned he hurt you.”
“Yeah…”
You going to just stand there, or are you going to peel that sweatshirt off so I can dose you one more time before you run out of here?”
Angelique turned her back to Heidi and pulled the sweatshirt up and off. She jumped a little at Heidi’s touch, struck once more at the contrast of the cold gel and her warm hands.
“You should consider showing him where he touched, so he understands better.”
Angelique made a snap decision. Before she could chicken out, she spoke.
“The cuff is too tight. Just call him now.”
“You sure?”
“No, but you can show him the pic Emilia built to make him understand what it will become.”
In the Main Room
Doug and Lydia were just coming back inside from where they had put Angelique’s duffle and pack when he heard Heidi calling for him over at the door to Emilia’s room.
“What’s up?” he asked as he met Heidi’s serious gaze.
“She want’s you to understand why she jumped.”
Doug almost said he knew exactly why, but Heidi’s stare pinned him in place, the intensity conveying so much.
“OK?”
“Come on in.” Heidi said as she took a step back and opened the door for him. He stepped forward and stopped suddenly, his feet refusing to obey.
In the small room, Angelique’s tall frame dominated the space. She was standing next to the bed facing away from him, arms outstretched. The light wasn’t great, the shadows were splotchy, there were lines and shapes, some distinct, others soft. He didn’t care. He was blown away by the sight in front of him. It was like the first time he saw Heidi’s wings, but different.
When he first saw Heidi’s, it was something where it completed a puzzle he didn’t know existed. This was something completely different. His brain stuttered and went to it’s default baseline settings for understanding.
When he saw Heidi’s wings, she was an adult, fully formed, a powerful raptor ready for flight.
These wings on Angelique, well they looked right for her, but, with all the things her body was doing to accept them and heal them into being, he thought of watching the fledgling red-tails, their adult feathers pushing out the soft fuzzy bits and becoming an adult. He knew it was a bunch of sappy ‘parent watching their child grow up’ sort of trope, but he could see the fully formed feathers in the design under the swelling and irritation. He would have Heidi explain the symbolism for the other bits he thought he saw, but right now, he was just taking it in.
He wasn’t sure how long he was standing there when his brain made another connection, well, two actually. Up at the base of Angelique’s neck was a round symbol, he thought would look like Heidi’s amulet. At least he knew the info behind that, sorta.
The thing he wasn’t sure about was the wings. He would have expected Eagle or Hawk or some such raptor. These weren’t. These were Raven’s wings.
He saw them extend from their starting points at her shoulder blades and down her arms, the tips of the feathers coming halfway down her forearms. A little part of him ticked the box of ‘why his hand on her forearm hurt’.
With her arms out, it looked like she was ready to flap. His brain was nudged by Heidi’s elbow to his ribs.
“They are going to be beautiful, once you stop molting.” He would have said more, but Heidi’s backhand to his solar plexus stole his wind. By the time he could speak again, she had her arms back down.
“Rarely does a parent approve of something so radical of a change in their child, but they look right on you. The buggy is loaded. Your grab bag stuff is still on the couch along with your subgun and belt. I know you need to leave so I’ll let Heidi finish up. That will give me more time to come up with bird references.”
“Dad!”
Doug ducked out of the room, pulling the door shut before Heidi could connect with another swat.
“You want to slow down a moment?” Doug asked her.
“I’ve been sitting around, screwing off too long! Being selfish! Allyson calling for help, Garen out, Kara down doing shit at the Southern Camp! Bekka’s still laid up and here I am out on vacation! I need to get back to the house!” Angelique said as she crammed her laundry from the dryer into a bag.
It started when they were sitting around the table, eating a late breakfast. Emilia had already left for the Southern Camp and her appointment with Hanna and Dough was telling Heidi what was in the email he got this morning.
When he told her about the thing from Kara about needing to talk to him or Stephen about the lowering system in the elevator shaft, Angelique wanted to know why. This led to questions about what else was going on. As each bit rolled out, Angelique felt worse and worse about not being there, not doing her job.
She was mad. Mad at herself for not checking sooner, mad at herself for this whole selfish week of lounging around, mad she had let Bekka, Garen, Allyson and Kara down. She was still slinging things into the bag when a hand on her forearm stopped her. She jumped back with a sudden jolt of pain as she stared up at her father’s face.
“Damn it!” She said as she cradled her arm.
“Sorry…”
“Not your fault…” Angelique wasn’t sure what she was doing. Heidi stepped up.
“Angelique Let’s go to Emilia’s room. Lydia can finish bagging your laundry. Doug can go make sure you have everything loaded in the buggy. I know you want to get out of here and get to the house, but going so fast you don’t think things through and get hurt isn’t going to help anyone.”
Angelique couldn’t focus right now. Her mind was racing all over the place, then the pain short-circuited everything and now she was stuck in neutral. She felt Heidi take her hands and lead her. She followed.
Once they were in Emilia’s room, Heidi shut the door.
“Ok. Let’s get you shirt off. I can give you another wipe down before you leave. While I do that, you can slow your breathing down, focus and tell me what’s going on.”
“I’m out here screwing off, and they needed me!”
Heidi gave her hands another squeeze before she let go.
“Did they call the emergency frequency?”
“No, but…”
“Did they call us, begging for more help?”
“No, but…”
“Look, I know you want to be there to help everything. I get that. Trust me, I do. I get it. But you needed to reset and recharge. After the last couple months, you and Emilia were cooked to a frazzle and both of you needed time away.”
“But what about you? Didn’t you need it?” Angelique asked.
Heidi smiled. The smile almost made it to her eyes even.
“I’ve got a little more experience at it. I’ve learned how to adjust my throttle a little better after being through it a few times. I’ve also been through the whole ‘I should have been there’s’ a few times, and I know how hard that one can be. Right now, you just need to take a breath, collect yourself and not get nuts trying to drive back to the house at a thousand miles an hour. You need to be calm and fairly rested so you are ready to do whatever Bekka needs. If you need more help, give a shout and we can get some more bodies headed north from the Southern camp too. But if that happens, you need to be rested and clear-headed to work the issues, not frazzled and spastic.”
Angelique didn’t know what to say. She was supposed to be smarter than this. If it was Emilia doing the ‘run around with her hair on fire’ thing, Angelique would have been the first one telling her to chill out.
“I’m sorry. I should know better.”
“Yeah, and you normally do.” Heidi’s grin was infectious. Angelique was smiling now, until.
“You might want to apologize to you dad though. He’s a little concerned he hurt you.”
“Yeah…”
You going to just stand there, or are you going to peel that sweatshirt off so I can dose you one more time before you run out of here?”
Angelique turned her back to Heidi and pulled the sweatshirt up and off. She jumped a little at Heidi’s touch, struck once more at the contrast of the cold gel and her warm hands.
“You should consider showing him where he touched, so he understands better.”
Angelique made a snap decision. Before she could chicken out, she spoke.
“The cuff is too tight. Just call him now.”
“You sure?”
“No, but you can show him the pic Emilia built to make him understand what it will become.”
In the Main Room
Doug and Lydia were just coming back inside from where they had put Angelique’s duffle and pack when he heard Heidi calling for him over at the door to Emilia’s room.
“What’s up?” he asked as he met Heidi’s serious gaze.
“She want’s you to understand why she jumped.”
Doug almost said he knew exactly why, but Heidi’s stare pinned him in place, the intensity conveying so much.
“OK?”
“Come on in.” Heidi said as she took a step back and opened the door for him. He stepped forward and stopped suddenly, his feet refusing to obey.
In the small room, Angelique’s tall frame dominated the space. She was standing next to the bed facing away from him, arms outstretched. The light wasn’t great, the shadows were splotchy, there were lines and shapes, some distinct, others soft. He didn’t care. He was blown away by the sight in front of him. It was like the first time he saw Heidi’s wings, but different.
When he first saw Heidi’s, it was something where it completed a puzzle he didn’t know existed. This was something completely different. His brain stuttered and went to it’s default baseline settings for understanding.
When he saw Heidi’s wings, she was an adult, fully formed, a powerful raptor ready for flight.
These wings on Angelique, well they looked right for her, but, with all the things her body was doing to accept them and heal them into being, he thought of watching the fledgling red-tails, their adult feathers pushing out the soft fuzzy bits and becoming an adult. He knew it was a bunch of sappy ‘parent watching their child grow up’ sort of trope, but he could see the fully formed feathers in the design under the swelling and irritation. He would have Heidi explain the symbolism for the other bits he thought he saw, but right now, he was just taking it in.
He wasn’t sure how long he was standing there when his brain made another connection, well, two actually. Up at the base of Angelique’s neck was a round symbol, he thought would look like Heidi’s amulet. At least he knew the info behind that, sorta.
The thing he wasn’t sure about was the wings. He would have expected Eagle or Hawk or some such raptor. These weren’t. These were Raven’s wings.
He saw them extend from their starting points at her shoulder blades and down her arms, the tips of the feathers coming halfway down her forearms. A little part of him ticked the box of ‘why his hand on her forearm hurt’.
With her arms out, it looked like she was ready to flap. His brain was nudged by Heidi’s elbow to his ribs.
“They are going to be beautiful, once you stop molting.” He would have said more, but Heidi’s backhand to his solar plexus stole his wind. By the time he could speak again, she had her arms back down.
“Rarely does a parent approve of something so radical of a change in their child, but they look right on you. The buggy is loaded. Your grab bag stuff is still on the couch along with your subgun and belt. I know you need to leave so I’ll let Heidi finish up. That will give me more time to come up with bird references.”
“Dad!”
Doug ducked out of the room, pulling the door shut before Heidi could connect with another swat.
feralferret
Veteran Member
I enjoy seeing your examples. At the same time, I cannot understand why someone would in essence graffiti their own body. And don't get me started on nose rings! 
223shootersc
Veteran Member
Thanks,CCG!
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
I enjoy seeing your examples. At the same time, I cannot understand why someone would in essence graffiti their own body. And don't get me started on nose rings!
In this case, physical manifestations of spiritual elements. I agree about the graffiti effect I have seen on people, but I know a few people who have something very personal and profound put in place. It is settling and a point of focus and reflection for those individuals, symbols they can’t be separated from
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Later
Lydia was spending time in her room practicing her guitar for a while before dinner. Doug and Heidi took this opportunity to talk.
“Wings I understand. I’m not sure why Raven wings.” Doug said.
“I don’t know for sure either, but Ravens are special to Odin.” Heidi said.
“The vegvísir I assume matches yours. I couldn’t tell for sure with it’s condition right now, but it looked like there was more around it.”
“There were more runes rimming it. I’ll have to get a better look at them later.” Heidi said quickly. She had gotten a good look at them in Emilia’s imagery. She didn’t know if they came from Angelique or from Emilia, and honestly, she was afraid to ask either one. She could trace them. They were burned on her brain. She saw them only a couple times, one of those times was on a coffin.
ᚷᚢᚨᚱᛞᛁᚨᚾ ᚨᚾᚷᛖᛚ ᛒᛟᚱᚾ ᛟᚠ ᚡᛁᛟᛚᛖᚾᚲᛖ
It fit Angelique to a ‘T’, but could also apply to the person Emilia has become as well.
Guardian Angel Born of Violence.
“And what of the rest?” Doug asked.
“The points trailing down her spine invoke the Valkyrie. The crossbars at the end help symbolize the sword.”
Lydia was spending time in her room practicing her guitar for a while before dinner. Doug and Heidi took this opportunity to talk.
“Wings I understand. I’m not sure why Raven wings.” Doug said.
“I don’t know for sure either, but Ravens are special to Odin.” Heidi said.
“The vegvísir I assume matches yours. I couldn’t tell for sure with it’s condition right now, but it looked like there was more around it.”
“There were more runes rimming it. I’ll have to get a better look at them later.” Heidi said quickly. She had gotten a good look at them in Emilia’s imagery. She didn’t know if they came from Angelique or from Emilia, and honestly, she was afraid to ask either one. She could trace them. They were burned on her brain. She saw them only a couple times, one of those times was on a coffin.
ᚷᚢᚨᚱᛞᛁᚨᚾ ᚨᚾᚷᛖᛚ ᛒᛟᚱᚾ ᛟᚠ ᚡᛁᛟᛚᛖᚾᚲᛖ
It fit Angelique to a ‘T’, but could also apply to the person Emilia has become as well.
Guardian Angel Born of Violence.
“And what of the rest?” Doug asked.
“The points trailing down her spine invoke the Valkyrie. The crossbars at the end help symbolize the sword.”
Last edited:
223shootersc
Veteran Member
thanks, CCG!
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
The Night Before
Bekka was sitting at the radio desk when she saw the two torties alert and bolt from where they were laying on dining room chair cushions. Moments later, there was a knock at the door.
Her leg protested at quick movements and reminded her as she moved to answer the door. Even as far in the middle of the property as she was, even as one hand was on the doorknob, the other was holding the pistol by her leg.
The oversized angled viewport showed a much friendlier face, one not necessitating gunfire yet. She opened the door.
“What brings you out this way, Ruby?”
“Isadora wanted me to swing by with some dinner for you.” She said holding up a box.
“Come on in.” Bekka said as she stepped aside.
By the time she made it to the table, Ruby already had several containers out. When Ruby looked up, she smiled.
“Isadora sent extra, along with instructions I should have dinner with you to make sure you ate instead of getting lost in work and forgetting.”
Bekka started to object out of habit, then shook her head. ‘No, Isadora was right to do so.’ She just smiled at Ruby.
“So, what are we having?”
“Schwenkbraten, Kartoffelsalat with extra bacon, a little bit of Gurkensalat, and for dessert, mom sent a pint of honey ice cream.”
Bekka looked at the dishes. German wasn’t her strong suit, but food dishes she could recognize, especially with them sitting in front of her. Grilled pork chop, potato salad, and cucumber salad. She knew Isadora was working through some recipes, teaching them to the younger folks. She rotated regions, trying to show what can be done with local stuff.
“It smells wonderful.”
“You sit. I remember where the plates and such are.” Ruby said as she went to the kitchen.
It didn’t take long before the two of them were sitting at the table, good food on their plates. Both bowed their heads in silent prayer and began eating. The conversation started off light, well what could be considered light for around here.
“It’s good to see you up and around. We were worried about you.” Ruby said.
“Shoot, I was worried about me. How’s your mom doing with all the extra people over that way?”
“With all the new people up at Karl and Isadora’s and the couple at the house, it feels like times square around the place sometimes.” Ruby said before going into some of the new things going on, like the teens from Karl’s learning about cows for the first time. To hear her describe Tyler and Erica trying to move the cows was hilarious, especially with the faces she was making while she was imitating them. Bekka almost hurt herself as Ruby described the back and forth between the two teens as they were learning proper milking technique.
Bekka held off on the more serious questions until dessert time. More importantly, it was after Garen’s radio call about arriving safely at Allyson’s location. With a dish of ice cream apiece, they sat back and relaxed a little. Or at least as much as you can with a monstrous twenty pound cat on your lap demanding his share of the ice cream. Ruby was giggling again as Merlin stood in her lap and requested the ‘one spoon for you, one spoon for me’ process.
Bekka thought it was funny. The torties were normally the dairy cats and he was more likely to steal a chunk of meat if you let him. The torties weren’t quite ready to be so bold with Ruby. Yet.
“So, Ruby. I’m sorry I couldn’t get with you when the whole ‘Petra staying’ was explained. From what I understand, Garen tried, but with it not being his plan…”
“It’s ok. Mom was there and made sure to explain the main points.”
“Is it working?”
Bekka noticed a hesitation before Ruby answered.
“Yeah, it’s working. Weird, but working.”
“It started out weird, so no surprise there, but…” Bekka took a breath. She wanted this to come out right. “How is it working for you? It’s just you and me here. You can be honest.”
Ruby seemed to think about her answer.
“It’s working, but…It’s…Sometimes it’s hard for me to know who I’m talking to. I mean I knew it was Petra all along, and I know most of the time she’s not playing a part, but sometimes it’s like she’s still ‘Brittany’ and I love that, but then my brain reminds me she’s Petra and…It’s just all confusing. Even though I knew it was Petra pretending to be ‘Brittany’, THAT Brittany felt like my real girlfriend, and I didn’t even know I wanted a girlfriend like that even. And with Jonas around, well, even though I know he’s not mine, with him around, I’m reminded I’ve definitely not eliminated the male of the species from the shopping list.”
By the time Ruby got this far, her face was almost as red as her hair.
“Well, you do have Tyler around…” Bekka offered.
“Tyler? Not bad looking but dumb as a garden hose step ladder. That boy wouldn’t know the difference between a cow or a bull until after he milked them both!”
“Not his fault he didn’t grow up in the country.”
“Yeah, I know, but he suffers from too many other examples around of the qualities I would want.”
“Don’t forget, most of those ‘good examples’ didn’t start out that way.” Bekka reminded her.
“Got a point. I’ll cut him some slack, but not sure he’s the right one, at least right now. I got enough other things to keep track of.”
“Yeah, like Brittany.” Bekka said with a smile that just got wider with Ruby sputtering and turning red again.
“Yeah…” Ruby squeaked.
“Well, it’s good to know things are doing ok. I know Amber had worries about Petra forgetting to be ‘Petra’ and staying ‘Brittany’, but has that been a problem?”
“No. She just is who she is, I guess. I can tell when she’s in ‘Brittany-Mode’ when there are other people around that aren’t in the inner circle, but it doesn’t seem like she gets stuck in it.”
“How has Jennifer adapted?”
At this Ruby laughed. When she did, Merlin decided she was moving too much and hopped down.
“Jennifer and Ashley are two peas in a pod! Onery little ten-year olds running the place! The only ones able to rein those two in are Olivia and Hera; Hera with her old-world ‘mom-said’ logic and Olivia’s ‘keep it up and I’ll thump you’. Jennifer staying has meant the world to Ashley.”
“Good.”
The two talked a little longer while Ruby cleaned up. The torties even made a brief appearance to clean the ice cream dishes as long as Ruby didn’t move too fast. All five of the cats made an appearance when Bekka taught Ruby the secret summoning spell of ‘kitty treats’.
When Ruby left, Bekka was more relaxed. She went over and sat at the radio desk again, like she knew she would until she heard more from Garen.
Bekka was sitting at the radio desk when she saw the two torties alert and bolt from where they were laying on dining room chair cushions. Moments later, there was a knock at the door.
Her leg protested at quick movements and reminded her as she moved to answer the door. Even as far in the middle of the property as she was, even as one hand was on the doorknob, the other was holding the pistol by her leg.
The oversized angled viewport showed a much friendlier face, one not necessitating gunfire yet. She opened the door.
“What brings you out this way, Ruby?”
“Isadora wanted me to swing by with some dinner for you.” She said holding up a box.
“Come on in.” Bekka said as she stepped aside.
By the time she made it to the table, Ruby already had several containers out. When Ruby looked up, she smiled.
“Isadora sent extra, along with instructions I should have dinner with you to make sure you ate instead of getting lost in work and forgetting.”
Bekka started to object out of habit, then shook her head. ‘No, Isadora was right to do so.’ She just smiled at Ruby.
“So, what are we having?”
“Schwenkbraten, Kartoffelsalat with extra bacon, a little bit of Gurkensalat, and for dessert, mom sent a pint of honey ice cream.”
Bekka looked at the dishes. German wasn’t her strong suit, but food dishes she could recognize, especially with them sitting in front of her. Grilled pork chop, potato salad, and cucumber salad. She knew Isadora was working through some recipes, teaching them to the younger folks. She rotated regions, trying to show what can be done with local stuff.
“It smells wonderful.”
“You sit. I remember where the plates and such are.” Ruby said as she went to the kitchen.
It didn’t take long before the two of them were sitting at the table, good food on their plates. Both bowed their heads in silent prayer and began eating. The conversation started off light, well what could be considered light for around here.
“It’s good to see you up and around. We were worried about you.” Ruby said.
“Shoot, I was worried about me. How’s your mom doing with all the extra people over that way?”
“With all the new people up at Karl and Isadora’s and the couple at the house, it feels like times square around the place sometimes.” Ruby said before going into some of the new things going on, like the teens from Karl’s learning about cows for the first time. To hear her describe Tyler and Erica trying to move the cows was hilarious, especially with the faces she was making while she was imitating them. Bekka almost hurt herself as Ruby described the back and forth between the two teens as they were learning proper milking technique.
Bekka held off on the more serious questions until dessert time. More importantly, it was after Garen’s radio call about arriving safely at Allyson’s location. With a dish of ice cream apiece, they sat back and relaxed a little. Or at least as much as you can with a monstrous twenty pound cat on your lap demanding his share of the ice cream. Ruby was giggling again as Merlin stood in her lap and requested the ‘one spoon for you, one spoon for me’ process.
Bekka thought it was funny. The torties were normally the dairy cats and he was more likely to steal a chunk of meat if you let him. The torties weren’t quite ready to be so bold with Ruby. Yet.
“So, Ruby. I’m sorry I couldn’t get with you when the whole ‘Petra staying’ was explained. From what I understand, Garen tried, but with it not being his plan…”
“It’s ok. Mom was there and made sure to explain the main points.”
“Is it working?”
Bekka noticed a hesitation before Ruby answered.
“Yeah, it’s working. Weird, but working.”
“It started out weird, so no surprise there, but…” Bekka took a breath. She wanted this to come out right. “How is it working for you? It’s just you and me here. You can be honest.”
Ruby seemed to think about her answer.
“It’s working, but…It’s…Sometimes it’s hard for me to know who I’m talking to. I mean I knew it was Petra all along, and I know most of the time she’s not playing a part, but sometimes it’s like she’s still ‘Brittany’ and I love that, but then my brain reminds me she’s Petra and…It’s just all confusing. Even though I knew it was Petra pretending to be ‘Brittany’, THAT Brittany felt like my real girlfriend, and I didn’t even know I wanted a girlfriend like that even. And with Jonas around, well, even though I know he’s not mine, with him around, I’m reminded I’ve definitely not eliminated the male of the species from the shopping list.”
By the time Ruby got this far, her face was almost as red as her hair.
“Well, you do have Tyler around…” Bekka offered.
“Tyler? Not bad looking but dumb as a garden hose step ladder. That boy wouldn’t know the difference between a cow or a bull until after he milked them both!”
“Not his fault he didn’t grow up in the country.”
“Yeah, I know, but he suffers from too many other examples around of the qualities I would want.”
“Don’t forget, most of those ‘good examples’ didn’t start out that way.” Bekka reminded her.
“Got a point. I’ll cut him some slack, but not sure he’s the right one, at least right now. I got enough other things to keep track of.”
“Yeah, like Brittany.” Bekka said with a smile that just got wider with Ruby sputtering and turning red again.
“Yeah…” Ruby squeaked.
“Well, it’s good to know things are doing ok. I know Amber had worries about Petra forgetting to be ‘Petra’ and staying ‘Brittany’, but has that been a problem?”
“No. She just is who she is, I guess. I can tell when she’s in ‘Brittany-Mode’ when there are other people around that aren’t in the inner circle, but it doesn’t seem like she gets stuck in it.”
“How has Jennifer adapted?”
At this Ruby laughed. When she did, Merlin decided she was moving too much and hopped down.
“Jennifer and Ashley are two peas in a pod! Onery little ten-year olds running the place! The only ones able to rein those two in are Olivia and Hera; Hera with her old-world ‘mom-said’ logic and Olivia’s ‘keep it up and I’ll thump you’. Jennifer staying has meant the world to Ashley.”
“Good.”
The two talked a little longer while Ruby cleaned up. The torties even made a brief appearance to clean the ice cream dishes as long as Ruby didn’t move too fast. All five of the cats made an appearance when Bekka taught Ruby the secret summoning spell of ‘kitty treats’.
When Ruby left, Bekka was more relaxed. She went over and sat at the radio desk again, like she knew she would until she heard more from Garen.
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223shootersc
Veteran Member
Thanks, CCG!
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
In Town
The two vehicles rolled through town, down various routes Garen seemed to be taking at random. In reality, he was using this opportunity to survey parts of town they hadn’t spent much time looking at in their earlier trips. With this latest event, he was wondering about things out in the far flung parts of the town that might have been overlooked.
Down through a few residential sections, then over through mixed use sections, then across another block of homes until he got them to the older industrial sector they were going to.
He found the industrial park they were after. He thought it was a little ironic it was less than two blocks from the one he and Kara stayed in that first night. When they pulled up, he keyed his mic on the low power frequency squad radio.
“Hello, hello?”
“Come around to the side. We’ll open the door so we can get the vehicle in.” came Allyson’s voice. Moments later he heard the sound of a roll up door going up through his open driver’s side window.
In the Building
It was a tight fit getting Petra’s big ass truck and Kara’s Suburban into the bay, especially with all the other stuff Allyson and Ren were stacking up. Petra’s truck was the one getting the prime position since it had all the repair and recovery gear she would need to work on things.
Petra knew what she was here for at a glance. She went straight over to the SUVs, looking under the hoods and where the center consoles were half assembled. Garen was standing back with Allyson so she could give them a run down of what was going on.
“Came here for radios, but this place wasn’t a radio shop. It was an upfitters, and they left three presents behind for us if we can get them up and running.” Allyson said, then turned and waved over at them where Petra was already investigating. “Well, actually, if Petra can get them up and running.”
“So, what’s so special about these SUVs compared to some of the others we have found?” Garen asked.
“These aren’t Explorers. They’re Police Interceptor Utilities.” As if that answered his question, which it didn’t.
“And?”
“Made stronger, faster and with a lot more tweaks. Can go one-fifty, oversized brakes, oversized cooling, made to idle forever without shitting the bed, suspension made to drive fast and turns like they are on rails. You guys were talking about needing some more QRF type vehicles for Southern Camp. Well these are exactly that since they even have real back seats and plenty of cargo space.
Bekka and Ivar will love them since they have a shitload of dedicated electrical feeds already plumbed to the center consoles and wiring channels for antennae, plus extra power points in the rear if we need more juice.”
Garen nodded as things started coming together in his head. Allyson sweetened the deal.
“And I just got finished checking. These three came with the door armor. Standard glass, but the door is level III+ or IV from the factory.”
Garen saw the grin and he knew.
“So, you were thinking of two of these go to Southern Camp and one stays up here with us?”
“If you insist.”
“What’s the rest of this pile of shit you are stacking up?”
Allyson began giving them the grand tour.
“Some of it is prioritizing how much goes depending on what vehicles she can get running. I got all the radios and antennae in this stack over here,” she waved her hand at a stack of boxes. “They had the ones they were going to put in these, the ones they took out, plus some older units they took out of older projects. They would normally sell the old stuff after the job was done.”
“Over here is all the extra supplies like spools of wire, boxes of plugs and connectors, wire loom and wrap, and all the other crap to build wiring harnesses and shit.” She pointed to another pile.
“Then in this aisle, we have accessory lights, flood lights and all manor of turning night into day. The front stack is all the useful shit and the back half is all the light bars and colored strobes.”
“Then there’s the bulky shit.” She pointed to a stack of stainless-steel interior partitions, shelves and dividers, brush guards, tow hitches, roof racks and other bits.
“So, as we find out what all Petra is able to get working, we can load things as space opens up. Since the radios were the original target, we should probably go ahead and load them into the Suburban, the connectors and such into my truck, then work our way down.”
“Sounds like you have all this handled. We see what Petra needs, then load the radios and stuff, and so on and so forth. Somewhere in there, we have dinner. Isadora sent food.”
The two vehicles rolled through town, down various routes Garen seemed to be taking at random. In reality, he was using this opportunity to survey parts of town they hadn’t spent much time looking at in their earlier trips. With this latest event, he was wondering about things out in the far flung parts of the town that might have been overlooked.
Down through a few residential sections, then over through mixed use sections, then across another block of homes until he got them to the older industrial sector they were going to.
He found the industrial park they were after. He thought it was a little ironic it was less than two blocks from the one he and Kara stayed in that first night. When they pulled up, he keyed his mic on the low power frequency squad radio.
“Hello, hello?”
“Come around to the side. We’ll open the door so we can get the vehicle in.” came Allyson’s voice. Moments later he heard the sound of a roll up door going up through his open driver’s side window.
In the Building
It was a tight fit getting Petra’s big ass truck and Kara’s Suburban into the bay, especially with all the other stuff Allyson and Ren were stacking up. Petra’s truck was the one getting the prime position since it had all the repair and recovery gear she would need to work on things.
Petra knew what she was here for at a glance. She went straight over to the SUVs, looking under the hoods and where the center consoles were half assembled. Garen was standing back with Allyson so she could give them a run down of what was going on.
“Came here for radios, but this place wasn’t a radio shop. It was an upfitters, and they left three presents behind for us if we can get them up and running.” Allyson said, then turned and waved over at them where Petra was already investigating. “Well, actually, if Petra can get them up and running.”
“So, what’s so special about these SUVs compared to some of the others we have found?” Garen asked.
“These aren’t Explorers. They’re Police Interceptor Utilities.” As if that answered his question, which it didn’t.
“And?”
“Made stronger, faster and with a lot more tweaks. Can go one-fifty, oversized brakes, oversized cooling, made to idle forever without shitting the bed, suspension made to drive fast and turns like they are on rails. You guys were talking about needing some more QRF type vehicles for Southern Camp. Well these are exactly that since they even have real back seats and plenty of cargo space.
Bekka and Ivar will love them since they have a shitload of dedicated electrical feeds already plumbed to the center consoles and wiring channels for antennae, plus extra power points in the rear if we need more juice.”
Garen nodded as things started coming together in his head. Allyson sweetened the deal.
“And I just got finished checking. These three came with the door armor. Standard glass, but the door is level III+ or IV from the factory.”
Garen saw the grin and he knew.
“So, you were thinking of two of these go to Southern Camp and one stays up here with us?”
“If you insist.”
“What’s the rest of this pile of shit you are stacking up?”
Allyson began giving them the grand tour.
“Some of it is prioritizing how much goes depending on what vehicles she can get running. I got all the radios and antennae in this stack over here,” she waved her hand at a stack of boxes. “They had the ones they were going to put in these, the ones they took out, plus some older units they took out of older projects. They would normally sell the old stuff after the job was done.”
“Over here is all the extra supplies like spools of wire, boxes of plugs and connectors, wire loom and wrap, and all the other crap to build wiring harnesses and shit.” She pointed to another pile.
“Then in this aisle, we have accessory lights, flood lights and all manor of turning night into day. The front stack is all the useful shit and the back half is all the light bars and colored strobes.”
“Then there’s the bulky shit.” She pointed to a stack of stainless-steel interior partitions, shelves and dividers, brush guards, tow hitches, roof racks and other bits.
“So, as we find out what all Petra is able to get working, we can load things as space opens up. Since the radios were the original target, we should probably go ahead and load them into the Suburban, the connectors and such into my truck, then work our way down.”
“Sounds like you have all this handled. We see what Petra needs, then load the radios and stuff, and so on and so forth. Somewhere in there, we have dinner. Isadora sent food.”
223shootersc
Veteran Member
Thanks, CCG! Hit the Motherload!
feralferret
Veteran Member
I wouldn't mind one of those vehicles. I have actually looked at similar used vehicles that were selling at auction.
Thank you.
Thank you.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Sitting in our driveway as our backup and trip vehicle
Used and not a bad price. Fire chief vehicle so not run all to hell and lower mileage
Craigslist can still be a good thing
feralferret
Veteran Member
Both of my cars are former police vehicles, but are just regular civilian versions. Neither was a patrol vehicle, so the mileage was low. I would love to pickup one of the police versions of the Ford Taurus.
beaglemama
Senior Member
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Later
With the initial plan laid in, it didn’t take long for the first round of packing to take place. All the radio type gear was loaded into the Suburban. Garen told them to be optimistic and not worry about passengers behind the front row, so there was plenty of room to include most of the extra lights as well. The truck Allyson came here in got the bulky stuff like the brush guards and bins along with all the bulk spools and other supplies. This left the connectors and tools to go into Petra’s truck bed unless they get some of the SUVs running. In that case, they will spread the load as needed.
All of this was going on with the people not directly involved helping Petra work on the SUVs. Each of these needed fluids checked, batteries charged, tires inflated, and fuel added if they needed it.
Garen’s overall theory in packing as much as they could right away was what he called the ‘Raccoon School of Scrounging’.
“Keep going, even if you’re caught, and if you have to run, do it with your mouth full and an extra paw worth of stuff.”
To that end, Garen was infected by Allyson’s ‘I want it all!’ theory. If they got the SUVs working, he was looking at the tool boxes, the work tables, and anything else he could cram in the vehicles he had here. He didn’t think there was enough to risk bringing even more people or vehicles in on this, but he was going to make sure they were all full when they left.
With the initial plan laid in, it didn’t take long for the first round of packing to take place. All the radio type gear was loaded into the Suburban. Garen told them to be optimistic and not worry about passengers behind the front row, so there was plenty of room to include most of the extra lights as well. The truck Allyson came here in got the bulky stuff like the brush guards and bins along with all the bulk spools and other supplies. This left the connectors and tools to go into Petra’s truck bed unless they get some of the SUVs running. In that case, they will spread the load as needed.
All of this was going on with the people not directly involved helping Petra work on the SUVs. Each of these needed fluids checked, batteries charged, tires inflated, and fuel added if they needed it.
Garen’s overall theory in packing as much as they could right away was what he called the ‘Raccoon School of Scrounging’.
“Keep going, even if you’re caught, and if you have to run, do it with your mouth full and an extra paw worth of stuff.”
To that end, Garen was infected by Allyson’s ‘I want it all!’ theory. If they got the SUVs working, he was looking at the tool boxes, the work tables, and anything else he could cram in the vehicles he had here. He didn’t think there was enough to risk bringing even more people or vehicles in on this, but he was going to make sure they were all full when they left.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Once the original vehicles were loaded, Garen’s next task was laying out who would drive what. Once he had drivers set, then it would be shuffle co-pilots if they had enough. He wanted this to be planned and people to be already set on things if it had to happen in a hurry.
They had the one Allyson came in, the Suburban, and Petra’s truck. Well, either way, regardless of what else got added, Petra would be driving her own truck. That was the easy one. He would drive the Suburban, another easy one. Penny. Penny in Allyson’s truck. She had experience driving it already.
Those were the easy ones. Next step. If they got all three SUVs up and going, who were going to drive them? Allyson and Ren had police vehicle driving experience. Who for the third? Alonzo.
That gave him all the drivers. Now who were the co-pilots? He didn’t have enough for everyone to be two-up in the vehicles. Who gets a co-pilot and who flys solo?
Jonas in with Petra was the easy one. He could help her and keep her safe if they had to stop for a mechanical emergency. For medical support, there was himself, Allyson and Mia. None of those should be in the same vehicle. Mia…If he put Mia in with Ren or Alonzo, then they could be ready for trouble without compromising a driver to do medical shit.
Garen kept moving the pieces around. Ian. Ian in with Penny since she can be a little stressy and he’s a calming influence. That left Nadia. Nadia goes in with Allyson. Worst case, if something happens and Allyson has to work other issues, Nadia can drive.
Once Garen had all the chairs in place for the cakewalk, he just had to relax and hoped they would be home before the music stopped.
They had the one Allyson came in, the Suburban, and Petra’s truck. Well, either way, regardless of what else got added, Petra would be driving her own truck. That was the easy one. He would drive the Suburban, another easy one. Penny. Penny in Allyson’s truck. She had experience driving it already.
Those were the easy ones. Next step. If they got all three SUVs up and going, who were going to drive them? Allyson and Ren had police vehicle driving experience. Who for the third? Alonzo.
That gave him all the drivers. Now who were the co-pilots? He didn’t have enough for everyone to be two-up in the vehicles. Who gets a co-pilot and who flys solo?
Jonas in with Petra was the easy one. He could help her and keep her safe if they had to stop for a mechanical emergency. For medical support, there was himself, Allyson and Mia. None of those should be in the same vehicle. Mia…If he put Mia in with Ren or Alonzo, then they could be ready for trouble without compromising a driver to do medical shit.
Garen kept moving the pieces around. Ian. Ian in with Penny since she can be a little stressy and he’s a calming influence. That left Nadia. Nadia goes in with Allyson. Worst case, if something happens and Allyson has to work other issues, Nadia can drive.
Once Garen had all the chairs in place for the cakewalk, he just had to relax and hoped they would be home before the music stopped.
Griz3752
Retired, practising Curmudgeon
If we all subscribe to "no one left behind" then "no asset left behind" isn't much of a stretch and yes, like many here scrounging & hording are in my DNA . . .
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
223shootersc
Veteran Member
Thanks, CCG!
feralferret
Veteran Member
Thanks, CCG!