[Game Thread] A brief interlude

[Anael]

Okay here is your thread.

[Hotshot lasgun]

charlie wakes with the sun, and will head out to a small barn on the outskirts of lima, to set up a target practice run for his new trainees. he places empty beer bottles on the fenceposts, and will get some man-sized straw targets built and placed on tree stumps and various other places at various ranges, from 10 meters to around 50 meters. all set up he thinks, and waves out his trainees, pointing to a small green duffel bag next to him "alright, maria and leroy, this is the first day of what will be an abbreviated week of training in the way of the gun. i will be hard, but this abbreviated training may save your life in the highlands"

he opens the duffel, and inside are a pair of cut-down double barrel shotguns and boxes of double-O buckshot. "lets start with some simple plinking" he says, and points to the beer bottles on the fenceposts "leroy, if you will attempt to put one of those lovely beer bottles out of commission?" he asks, pointing to leroys 38 special

the twin double-barrel shotguns


target practice

[Arkanis]

Leroy Verner The night had come, and with it came the nightmares. In his mind’s eye, Leroy saw the form of Maria’s father. Fernando’s visage, staring at him. At first it was a sneer that turned into an expression of contempt as the Fernando image regarded him. Reaching his hand, Fernando extended his finger to point at the young archaeologist. “This is because of you. It is your doing that they took me and they put the worm inside of me. You should have come back Leroy, but you didn’t, and now I suffer again and again and again because of your failure.” Voices echoed around him in this swirl of absolute blackness, voices that he did not recognise. They wrapped him up in swathes of inky darkness, and they pierced his skull. Do you watch as the world goes by? Turning your back on those who needed you, And what happens now, as the world slowly bleeds, It bleeds it’s vivid colours, becoming nothing more than a silhouetted tapestry, You watch through shadow-shrouded eyes, and know this, Know you do nothing but persist a falsehood, What do you do Leroy Verner? What do you do when you realise you are here because you are part of the problem. He held his head in his hands as the words lance through him, cutting into him as easily as a knife slices through pink, soft flesh. The image, nay shadow of Fernando Sabatini still stared at him, and as he did so his visage twisted and distorted into something that he no longer recognised or understood. He opened his mouth and it stretched farther, ever farther, impossibly wide. And when it looked like that cavernous maw would consume the broken form of the man he once knew out came a gargantuan, wriggling, white worm. And then another, then another, then another, out of the distended mouth of his mentor. You are part of the problem. The creatures came wriggling straight towards him. You are part of the problem. He tried to move but he could not. His legs were frozen still. YOU are part of the problem. They were upon him and he…. *** Stepping out into the shining sun, Leroy blinked his eyes, turning his head away from the ever so bright rays that felt like they were burning his eyes. Eyes shadowed from the lack of sleep, he walked slowly to the pre-arranged meeting point for his shooting training with Charlie. Stifling a yawn, Leroy nodded to the older soldier, hoping that he wouldn’t notice the rather large bags under his eyes. Yesterday had been tough, both emotionally and mentally, and Leroy didn’t think things were going to get any better based on what had happened. The fact that Fernando was alive was a big enough shock, that he had that whatever that thing was inside him and apparently had tried to kill them was an even bigger shock. Leroy smiled a tight-lipped smile to Maria as he bowed his head in way of greeting and reached for the handpiece Charlie had given him yesterday. “Well, we survived the night,” there was a bitter tone in Leroy’s voice. ”And apparently that’s not a given anymore.” Raising his right hand over his brow to block out the painful sun, Leroy squinted, focussing on the beer bottles that Charlie positioned on the fence post. What had only yesterday seemed unthinkable to Leroy in having to learn how to use firearms had become a painful necessity. And, despite everything, he truly did not want to die. Standing still, he held the gun out. With an unsteady hand, he aimed it in the general direction of the bottles, or at least what he hoped was the right direction. His eyes hurt so much he could barely tell. There was a loud crack as the peaceful stillness was broken with the firing of the weapon, quickly followed by the sound of glass shattering. Watching with disbelief, Leroy stared dumbfounded as he fired straight into the heart of the glass, blowing it into pieces. “Would you believe that?” he said in amazement.   Got an 11 on firearms

[Hotshot lasgun]

charlie claps his hands approvingly, and moves to steady leroys hand. "a steady hand is the difference between life and death" he says. "aim small, miss small. aim for a shirt, miss by two feet. aim for a shirt button, miss by two inches. the first is a miss, the second is still a hit"

charlie will position leroys hands to make a basic new gun-holders grip, and show him how to correctly hold the gun. "as you get more experienced, i may switch you to a police style flashlight and pistol grip"

he will pull a pair of heavy-duty brass flashlights out of the bag, and pass them to maria and leroy. "wrap your weak hand around the light, strong hand around the gun. weak hand under the strong hand, with the backs of your hands touching. in the jungle, where its darker, this grip may save your life"

the heavy duty brass flashlights


the new-gun owners grip


the harries stance

[Mitsubachi]

OOC This is a combined post. I worked on this with Arkanis via PM, and I absolutely must credit Arkanis with his wonderful contribution below mine! @Hotshot it would be great if Charlie walked in and halted the conversation just at the last line...

Flashback... The night before...

MARIA Maria submits as Charlie, Leroy and Jesse march her back to the hotel. She stumbles along, in a kind of trance. What has happened to my father? she keeps repeating the question in her mind. When they reach the lobby and check her in, she regains her senses a little. They each agree to go to their own rooms at first. Maria looks at Leroy. In the bar then, later, we talk, her serious nod communicates silently to the young archaeologist. Maria washes thoroughly in her bathroom and changes clothes, and the effect is transformative. She is regaining her sense of passion and purpose. She sends off her clothes from the day to laundry; they are dirty with the alley trash and proximity to the ooze of that giant worm. She emerges from her room feeling cleansed and determined, and heads for the bar. When Leroy arrives he will see Maria in a scandalously short dress with golden patterning, her hair let free long and flowing. They find a table together and the waiter comes. After Leroy orders, Maria says, “Malbec, por favor.” There is a minute of awkward silence while they wait for their drinks to arrive. Leroy is clearly building up the courage to say something. She sees the conflict and anguish in his eyes. Then her glass of beautiful red wine arrives and she tips it down her throat. She turns to the barman, “Another.” Finally, she takes a deep breath and speaks to the man sitting across from her, that has ignited such fury and passion in her heart. “Leroy, I have to tell you; I do not blame you for the de… For what happened to my father. But you must listen to me now... When I was a young girl and we lost Mama, it was very hard. But, also, in a way, it brought me closer to Papa. Before, he was always away working on his boats, but now he was stuck with me. So he brought me along, and it made me have a relationship with him I perhaps would never have had. He took me to so many different places. I was his pequeña exploradora. His little explorer, and he took me everywhere.” Another wine arrives, Maria takes another gulp. “Then he found that treasure, and it all changed. You know, I sometimes think that pirate hoard was cursed? Like the old stories of Captain Cortez. It started as a hobby, then it became an obsession. Looking back now, I was too young to understand, but I could see he was neglecting the business he had worked so hard to build. I admit it, I was excited by it, too. The legends, pirates, Aztec gold. It was… romantic. It was something we could do together.” She sighs, deeply. “And then he met you. Leroy Verner. You… You were the son he never had. He fell in love with you, not just for your knowledge and skills. You know my grandpa came from Italia? He came to Argentina and was a good fisherman, but he never had the vision to expand beyond the few small boats he had obtained. Papa saw the chance to export back to Europe, he invested, he built the business into shipping just at the right moment. And he knew the sea lanes like no other. He built it all himself. And he saw the same in you; someone self-made, with the passion and endeavour. And you became his partner in the treasure hunting.” Maria grimaces. Another long sip. “I was growing up, and Papa totally changed how he viewed me then. Grow your hair long! he said. Wear dresses like a lady! He sent me to that stupid finishing school. He wanted me to be a little princess and get married. Because he now had his son, for which he had been substituting me for so long.” Tears begin to well at the corners of her eyes. “And the trouble was, I was in love with you too!” She wipes away a tear and tries to continue. “I was seventeen; you were this cool, clever Americano with your big university papers and you know everything. I saw too what Papa saw, and I saw he wanted me to marry you, and I thought: Well maybe that is how I can become part of the big treasure hunt that is the passion of his life again! Then... he talks about Peru, and he wants to leave me behind!” Maria slams her hand down on the table. “He wants to leave me behind and go with you! How is that fair? But, I schemed, I planned; if you would talk to Papa, convince him to take me too. Then he would listen to you.” She shakes her head. “But I don’t think you ever noticed my looks, my attempts to show you how I felt. You just… did not notice me.” She leans back in her chair. Her glass is empty again. “And then you went to Peru. And I lost Papa, forever. So you see, Leroy, you took Papa away from me and broke my heart, but it happened long before you set off on that last voyage.” She looks into her empty glass, her eyes glazed, and whispers. “Now please take me with you, into that jungle. I have to find out what happened.”

Leroy Verner Time. What was time but a fleeting moment in one’s eye. Something so small, so seemingly insignificant that if one were to even try to reach out and grasp it, it would still slip through their fingers forevermore. And yet time was the one thing that Leroy wished he had power over. He stood in his hotel room, naked down to the waist. In front of him was a bowl of water below the glass mirror that he was gazing into. ”When did you get so old-looking Leroy,” his voice was barely a whisper as he cupped a handful of water, splashing it into his face. Eyes bloodshot and red-rimmed stared back out at him. He looked particularly pale and drawn this night, his skin almost pallid in complexion. He noted casually that his hands were trembling, in fact his entire body was. But then, in the space of one night he had seen his past thrown back in his face. A dream from the deepest, darkest recesses of his being appearing, one that he had never had any inclination of……any idea at all that it was even something that would ever happen again. On one hand, a dream, but on the other, a nightmare. A demon cloaked in the form of a man whom he respected and admired with all he was. A man he looked up to like the father he had never had. Running his hands over his face, Leroy donned his shirt, buttoning it up. Looking to himself in the mirror, holding trembling hands to his face, he exhaled deeply. You are not the confident know-it-all academic with the burning will to succeed despite yourself anymore, are you? Painful, stinging words, reverberating around in his mind, all the more agonising because he knew them to be true. Three years in darkness had done that to him. You are the frightened, directionless child you once were. With a deep breath, he straightened his shoulders the best he could, tried to push the demons back to the dark corners lurking at the edge of his consciousness. He turned and strode to the door of his room, opening it as he stepped out into the corridor beyond. Behind him the ghost of Fernando Sabatini watched him leave. *** Maria was there first, of course she was. As he stepped into the bar, his eyes passed over her, standing next to the bar. Moving over to her, he started to speak, but couldn’t. The sight of her, standing there, so tall, in the dress. She is so beautiful. And she was. This was something that Leroy had long grappled with, had fought long and hard over. Seeing her here now, like this, in this place, here where he had never expected to see her again……. There were a million million emotions flickering up inside his heart and soul, thoughts and emotions that no matter how long, how hard he tried to untangle them, he never could. But that wasn’t a new thing. Maria Sabatini had long held that power over him. The two of them moved to a table. They sat. The dining area in the hotel was very posh looking. Paintings adorned the walls showed both the past and present of Peru. There were others in the restaurant of course. Couples and batchelor’s, explorers, entrepreneurs young and old both. The round oaken tables were clothed in white fabric. The carpet was an expensive cream-looking colour. But all of that faded into comparison to her. Over the last three years, Leroy had imagined countless impossible scenarios and imaginings where he was reunited with her after all this time. He had gone over, time and time and time again all of the things he wanted to say to her. All the things he couldn’t say to her last time they had spoken. All of the things he would say and do. All the things he could to make what he had done wrong right again. Here, now it was actually happening, all of it fell away from his mind into the deep, dark hole of oblivion. His eyes clouded. He tried to speak, but he could not. It was if his lips had been sown together, for fear that if he did speak, he would shatter an illusion that his own broken mind had created and that he would be left again with the shadows. So he did not speak. He sat back, and he listened to her speak. He listened to all of it, and as he did, his heart broke. Tears welled in his eyes, and whereas before he held it back, this time they spilled forth. How could they not, listening to her reveal her own heart. Leroy reached out with a trembling hand, taking a long sip with one hand. The other reached out to Maria, holding her hand in his own. When she finished, silence permeated the air between them. It was a silence that stretched from seconds into minutes as Leroy looked down to the table, looking as if he wished for all the world that the ground would open up and swallow him. In truth he was trying to hold onto this moment….hold onto it through an eternity and beyond. Finally he looked back to her and spoke. “Maria…….” How does this begin? How does this end? How can you say these words when in truth you know you are not worthy of her? “……I feel I should start this at the very beginning,” letting go of her hand he took another deep sip, finishing the remainder of his glass. “I never knew my parents. Not really. From a young age they decided that I was too much of a responsibility for them. That they didn’t have the means to look after me, or the capability to keep me fed. So they cast me out.” Sighing deeply, he shook his head, “I won’t bore you with the details of those early days, suffice to say that I was determined to make something of myself. I wouldn’t fall between the cracks, not like many others before me. I think it was this that caught your fathers attention.” Looking to her straight on, as Leroy spoke he tried to sort out the confused jumble in his own mind. “Truth be told, I don’t know why he chose me of all people to sponsor. There were certainly smarter students, richer students, students that had more of a vision than me. This, I don’t know, but what I do know is it changed everything, and there’s not a day that goes by that I am not thankful for what he did. He took me into his home, treated me like I was his own son. And…..I think I saw some of what that caused in you.” Leroy looked away now, almost as if he was ashamed to admit what he was about to admit, knowing in the doing so that he was not the infallible, brilliant archaeologist he always thought he could be but a deeply flawed human being. “I can’t explain to you what that felt like because you would have had to have gone through my own experiences, and this isn’t something that I would wish on someone I hate, let alone somebody I love,” now he kept his eyes down because he didn’t want to look into her eyes, not after that. “Not only was I being treated with respect, but it was like I had a family. Something I never had before and I didn’t know how to deal with it. I didn’t ask him to take you to Peru, and if nothing else…..if you don’t believe another word I say, then know it wasn’t because I hadn’t noticed you…….” Swallowing, now he brought his eyes up to meet hers as he whispered. ”I noticed you Maria. I noticed you because I loved you then……as I do now. But I was beneath you, then and now. I was afraid of you realising the truth and it destroying what we had. That’s why.” Letting go of her hand, Leroy took a moment to compose himself, trying to gather some sense of everything, even where there was none to be found. “It was the first of many mistakes I made. You see Maria, you might say that you don’t blame me for what happened to your father, but I do. I looked for days for him, as long as I could, but it wasn’t enough. I should have pressed harder, demanded more time, pushed it as far as I could. There is always that doubt there that no matter what you do, it is never enough. And I sat there, playing it in my mind over and over again, wondering what I could have done different, what I would have done differently if I could. I took away from you your family Maria, and that I simply cannot forgive myself for. I would go back and change it a million times over, if I could. But I can’t,” he whispered finally. Reaching into his jacket pocket, Leroy drew the journal out. He pushed it across the table towards Maria. ”Not this time though. This time we go after him. And we don’t leave until we get him back. It’s not about whether I take you with me Maria, it never was.” He took a deep breath before adding, ”Its about whether you’ll accept me back after everything I’ve done to you.” Slowly, tentatively, he reached his hands out over the table towards hers……

[Hotshot lasgun]

charlie washes up, splashing some water on his face, and cleaning the muck off his old leather boots. he flips the brass casing in one of his other shirt pockets, and stalks back down to the hotel bar. he spots maria and leroy's hands beginning to meet, and a small flicker of a smile breaks out across his craggy face. he'll walk up behind them and say "well hello lovebirds!" he cracks a mirthful grin. "oh, dont let me interrupt the festivities" he says, ordering something cheap and weak from the menu.

"ive seen the way you looked at each other. this may be your only time to express that devotion, before we march into the highlands" he takes a swig from his beer, and grins. "go on, kiss each other. ill be quiet as a mouse, and youll both forget im even here" he crosses his legs over, and then watches

[Arkanis]

Leroy Verner At the Bar …go on, kiss each other. ill be quiet as a mouse, and you'll both forget I’m even here Well that did it. Leroy drew his hands back reaching up to clench his fist as he coughed into it in what he hoped was a smooth movement and not a “I’m completely guilty as charged and you caught me” way. “Charlie, it’s good to see you,” the young archaeologist began in a slightly flustered manner, plainful eyes darting back to Maria, holding her own eyes for the briefest of seconds. She…..she loves me? W-wait, should I kiss her? Not here, surely not like this. The mere thought of all of it was yet another impossibility on the scale of seeing Fernando tonight. It wasn’t possible that her feelings were the same as his own….was it? Not after what he had done. “Thanks for being there tonight Charlie,” Leroy was sure in a rush to change the subject hastily. “If it wasn’t for you and Jesse tonight would have been far far worse. Especially after my idiocy almost got us killed. I don’t know what I was thinking, risking everyone for the journal like that. I’m glad at least one of us has his head screwed on right.” It was fair to say that his head hadn’t been screwed on right ever since Maria showed up. She loves me? That was something that he would definitely have to ask her about later. If they survived this that was. Reaching out to touch the edge of the journal with almost reverence, Leroy ran his fingers over its tattered surface. “Let’s hope after everything that’s just happened that it has the answers we’re looking for inside it. More than that…..” His eyes did now flicker over to Maria. “Lets hope it tells us how to help him, because I’m not leaving here without him, whatever happens.”. With a deft movement, he pushed the journal further to Maria. “Well, I guess you should do the honours, Maria, if you want to tell us what’s inside?” *** At the Shooting Practice Leroy was still struggling with the revelations inside the journal. He was trying purposefully not to look at Maria, afraid again if what he would see inside her expression. Now he understood the look of anger that Fernando had given him last evening. An anger that further compounded his own failures and guilt. Now he had seen irrefutable prove of his failings and……. Of all, I considered Leroy like a son, to think he’d be apart of this treachery. WHY? I asked myself this countless times in the hours to come. Laid out in writing like that had destroyed the young archaeologist. The nightmares he suffered last night were because of the shock of seeing his own mistakes laid out before him…..something he could not reconcile with. He had searched and searched…..all for nothing. But it wasn’t enough. He should have kept searching. To search until reality itself had become nothing but dust. That was the only way he could ever face her again. Why are you here? Why do you still continue when it is your mistakes that have led everyone to this spot? Indeed. His hand trembled as he clutched the gun. Why was he still here? But even as he spoke the question, Leroy knew the answer as truly as he knew his own heart and soul. He let his gaze fall on Maria for a moment. I can’t fail you again. There was a sneaking suspicion beginning to build in Leroy that he was not going to survive this expedition. Not with death cultists and strange killer worms stalking them. But he was beginning to make peace with this….with all of this. His own life to see Fernando restored and reunited with his daughter seemed a fair trade after all he had done. Taking the flashlight that Charlie gave him, Leroy wrapped it around his right hand, left hand clutching the gun over it. “Understood,” he nodded his assent to Charlie as he held the stance. He didn’t think he would ever be a natural with the gun, but it was a starting point at the very least. Again, his eyes moved to Maria, trying to speak the words to her in expression that he could not in words. I’m sorry.   I figure at the point we’re doing the shooting practice that we’ve all read the journal, hope that’s ok!

[Mitsubachi]

MARIA They have opened their hearts to one another. Leroy takes her hands in his. Maria closes her eyes. He is going to kiss me. She feels like an electric current is surging between them from the touch between their hands. She tries to decide how she feels about that, but her emotions are tossed around like a fishing boat on the high sea. Do I still love him? Of course, you idiot! Why else does the passion rise every time you see him? But, Papa… Love is such a strange thing. Fernando loved Leroy, and Leroy loved Fernando back, that much was now clear to Maria. Fernando loved her daughter, and Maria adored him. And Maria loved Leroy. And he loves me? There is a moment of intense fury at the idea that he has loved her all this time and was just afraid to say so. But, for some reason, fury is not the feeling Maria can maintain toward Leroy at this moment. How can love cause so much pain? How did it all go so wrong? All because of that ill-fated trip to Peru… Leroy is leaning in. He is going to kiss me! What do I do? Is it right, wrong? Maria’s heart pounds like a drum. It feels right! Maria follows her passions, and prepares herself. Then… "Well hello lovebirds!" Charlies suddenly arrives. The old soldier pulls up a chair and even suggests they go on and kiss each other, while he watches. The moment of passion is destroyed, of course, and Leroy snatches his hands away from hers. For her part, Maria is disappointed, but also somehow amused. Sometimes, the crackling tension, the anticipation, is enough to arouse her. And there is a funny side. She flashes a demure smile at Leroy. “Hola, Charlie,” she says with a grin to the older man. It is a moment of tension release. So much emotion has mingled between her and Leroy, it is almost unbearable. The arrival of the eccentric Englishman was almost perfect timing. Maria saw the funny side of it and giggled. But deep down, she also lingered on the thought of what that kiss may have been like. It was a delicious prospect, and one she decided she would prepare for. Another time, another moment. She sends another burning look toward the young architect, hoping he understands. Then Maria spies the journal, and her heart makes yet another somersault. She recognises it instantly. Once the treasure hunting started, Papa always had it about his person, making his little notes. Maria had never read it before. She feels almost queasy as Leroy pushes it across the table to her. Then she takes a deep breath, gives a serious nod to the two men, and reads…

OOC Standby! Next morning gun shooting post following soon!

[Mitsubachi]

Maria Sabatini Maria arrives bright and early the next morning, freshly laundered... and determined. The journal had brought mixed emotions the night before. Maria knows her Papa never speaks like that in person, but it was definitely his way of writing. It was his hand. Yet, there had to be some untruths. Leroy explained how they had searched long and thoroughly, and though she was resentful toward him for many reasons, she knew he was never a liar. And neither was her father. What would be the point of writing lies in a journal someone might never read? So, something else had happened. Something she could not explain. Something unnatural. The reappearance of the man who so looked like her father, after three years, with that monster inside him, strengthened Maria's suspicion that a frightening supernatural darkness was at work here. So will I ever see my father again? Can he be saved? The appearance of Charlie last night had interrupted her heart-to-heart with Leroy. And the reading of the journal, she was sure, would have brought out similar terrible emotions in the archeologist. She stole surreptitious glances at him. For her part, Maria's heart ached every time her father had written her name. Even at the end, he was thinking of me, calling out to me, but I was not there, I could not hear! The thought made her cross with Leroy again. Now that she had slept on the revelation of his admission that he had in fact "noticed" her, it was starting to become more annoying that he had not done anything about it! Maria exhales as Charlie explains how he wants them to shoot. Keep calm. We are in this together now. And after that horrific snake attacked her the night before, she is determined to learn a bit of self-defense. She takes the stance as best she can and closes one eye, targeting the beer bottle. The bang is surprisingly loud, as well as the kick back. Her shot goes wide and high and pings off dangerously beyond the target zone. Leroy, on the other hand, smashes his bottle with a perfect first shot. Maria stamps her foot with annoyance and harrumphs loudly. She compares her tiny weapon with that of the young archeologist, as well as the formidable arsenal belonging to Charlie. She thinks again of the monstrous worm advancing on her the night before. "Señor Finch, I would like something like that," she points to Leroy's revolver. "Something bigger, with the turning part, and more bullets?" Her eyes flash dangerously, daring the old soldier to imply she might not be able to handle it.

Character Sheet

[Hotshot lasgun]

charlie considers. "maria, i have to make sure you're graded on this weapon before you move up to anything bigger"he says. "still, if you think you can handle it" he pulls a large revolver out of the green duffel bag and loads it with big brass bullets. "this is the enfield mk. II, loaded in .476" revolver" he will look maria in the eyes, saying "this baby kicks. sure you wanna fire it?"

when maria looks disappointed, charlie says "gunplay is mostly training and muscle memory. basic takes a few weeks to master, and then it takes lots and lots of experience to be able to put bullet to target. add in the other stuff, like charging people and screams and gunshots, and it takes awhile to get to the point where your able to not tunnel vision"

the enfield mk II