Waking the Dead 2.0 || September 23-26, 2063 || MISSION: OMS004

[mordechai]

WHO: Alistair and Kaz
WHAT: OMS004, "Seeking the Chosen"
WHERE: All over South America
WHEN: September 23-26, 2063
SAFE FOR WORK? Yep
OTHER NOTES: Not yet!


[After spending an entire day alternating between long, winding and oftentimes crappy South American roads with its blinding heat and irritating humidity and hoards of People, nothing quite beats the relief that comes with the first good sip one has of perfectly chilled, decent booze.

Alistair lets out a sigh that he hadn't known he was holding in and leans back in his chair. He and Kaz are seated at a table in their first stopover for the next three days: outside of the one halfway decent karaoke bar in a humble little barrio somewhere in the middle of Bumfuck Nowhere, South America. They've been all over the place, and the only good thing about that is that they managed to cover a lot of ground. But that's it.

The waiter's still hovering close by, eyeing him nervously. He asks, in mumbled Spanish, if the señor hunter's young companion would like anything. Alistair tells him to wait in quiet Spanish of his own, and looks at Kaz.]

Want anything to drink? My treat.

[Might as well take care of the boy. It's not like he hasn't been doing that for a while now. Besides, Hikaru will kill him if he doesn't.]

Comments

[ktotheatothez]

[ At that very moment, Kaz has stretched out on the chair in the bar they've found themselves in. He's a little tired, but not incredibly so. After all, it was something to do, and he was happy to do it. The other Hounds were doing the very Hound thing of We Go Where We're Needed™, after all.

He makes out some of the waiter's conversation with Alistair, but doesn't interject. ]

Root beer's good. I haven't been drinking as much of late. Minor on board.

[ He smiles at Alistair, because this is also the first time in a long time he's seen the older man. Hasn't spoken to him as much either, figuring that he wouldn't want to be bothered. ]

[mordechai]

[You're getting a lifted eyebrow for that, before he's turning to the waiter. Another exchange, and then:]

Only thing they've got that comes close to root beer is sarsaparilla. That good?

[ktotheatothez]

[ Kaz only nods, mostly because he's digging his tin out of his coat and lighting a stick up out of it. ]

Long day. Good men and women among them so far.

[mordechai]

A few. I don't think they have the stuff to join the Order, though.

[Lighting up as well.]

[ktotheatothez]

Or the Brotherhood?

[ Leaning forward now, curious. ]

[mordechai]

[Shaking his head.]

They were definitely civilian to the bone. Still, we'll flag them on SERAPH and see what happens from there.

[ktotheatothez]

Lemme work on that, you can kick back.

[ Grins because he's missed you and your gruff assessments. He also pings their location to the Brotherhood, like a good little Vizard. But then, he hasn't had an extended conversation with Alistair in a while, so once he finishes, he's sipping on his drink rather studiously. ]

[mordechai]

[He's about halfway through his beer and already on the way to ordering another one by the time he speaks again.]

I'm surprised you're not with your friends.

['Friends': a deliberate choice. It's clear to him and many others that the Hounds are blademates in all senses of the word.]

[ktotheatothez]

Oh. Well, I woke up and they were... Y'know, gone.

[ There's a playful shrug. He totally doesn't mind, 'cause they go where they're needed. ]

I would've just sat down and twiddled my thumbs waiting for them before. But I saw that there were missions I could help with, so I asked Yue for clearance.

[mordechai]

[Nods.]

Good that he gave it to you, then. You only have so much time down here.

[ktotheatothez]

That's true. Besides, I'm happy to help.

[ Subtext: I was hoping to run into you too, Maistir, it's been too long. ]

[mordechai]

[Of course, he's not... actually wondering why you had asked if he could join you. It had not been difficult for him to agree, at any rate. There were things he was doing on this continent beyond the South America Initiative, and besides: him on the Night Roads pretty much guaranteed that the Riders in the area weren't so strained on their end.]

Good to see that you're making good on your word to get more involved with the Christian end of the Vigil.

[ktotheatothez]

[ This doesn't take him aback. After all, he'd switched his primary conspiracy to the Brotherhood of Violence. ]

I'm not the most religious person, but I believe in doing what I can to help. It happens to be the fact that this is the best way that I can express my belief in the cause.

[ He sips on his drink again, licking the excess off his lips because it's just that good. ]

Still, I'm also quite happy that I got to ride with you. Ride, and not port around. Portal lag can be a real bitch sometimes.

[mordechai]

[Snorts.]

Yeah, no kidding. I always prefer to travel normally even if it takes a while.

[ktotheatothez]

[ He's smiling a little into his drink when you say that, Alistair. Woobie puppy that he is, he's just glad to see you in a non-combat situation. ]

So, same thing for the rest of these people?

[ He's scrolling through a list of names on his phone. ]

[mordechai]

[Nods.]

We've got a long way to go too, based on the addresses that have cropped up in there.

[ S i g h ]

[ktotheatothez]

A few hours' worth of hard riding every day, by the looks of it.

[ Even Kaz heaves a sigh at that. ]

Still, if there's anyone worth training, or pinging the Order about, right?

[mordechai]

Yeah. Their sources down here haven't been very reliable. Not that the good ones could have done much for them anyway, though, given how things have been down here for a while.

[Thank you, Taskforce Valkyrie.]

[ktotheatothez]

[ Kaz rumbles his agreement, unlike your own, his is rather lighter in tone. He also looks around, more curious than cautious. ]

A lead is a lead, and besides... The trip is half the fun. I promise not to sing like Maes does.

[mordechai]

You better not.

[He is so sick and tired of Maes singing.]

[ktotheatothez]

[ He shakes his head. ]

I won't, scout's honor.

[mordechai]

[And he's satisfied with that answer for the moment.]

How have things been for you and your blade down here?

[He hasn't been keeping track, at least not the way that Hikaru has.]

[ktotheatothez]

Different. Sure, there's still the danger, but... Being down here and doing what we're doing feels as close to normal as we've been in the longest time.

[ Another sip of his drink. ]

Like we're just a normal 5th Circle Blade that's helping out.

[mordechai]

[Hum.]

Things have been a little busy, lately. Busier than the past two years have been, at any rate.

[ktotheatothez]

That's true...

[ He gets a little quiet because of all that implies. ]

[mordechai]

Worried?

[Because if Kaz wasn't... well.]

[ktotheatothez]

I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel unsettled after facing[ He drops his voice lower. ]a former Malice King.

[mordechai]

Fair enough. Amadeus, I think, would be the worst of them in my opinion. If they all started coming back, anyway.

[Looking down at his beer now. He has bad memories of that one.]

[ktotheatothez]

A-all of... [ Um. ] Okay. Amadeus was the worst... Who comes after him?

[ Your student is worried now, Maistir. ]

[mordechai]

[Lifting an eyebrow at.]

You're asking me to talk about a lot of Kings, kid.

[ktotheatothez]

Well, I don't need to know about all of them... I mean, there're the books for some right?

[ He looks away for a second. ]

Amadeus was one thing, bowler-hat-guy was another... Did a lot of Kings go bad?

[mordechai]

No. To be blunt, most of them did not live long enough for them to do that. Those who did, however...

[ Well. You saw a bit of that firsthand, didn't you? ]

[ktotheatothez]

[ The idea of Malice Kings going bad... Well, it bothers Kaz a lot, and it shows on his face. ]

They go kind of really bad.

[mordechai]

Mm.

[ Drag, exhale. Also looking down at his drink. ]

It takes a particular breed of crazy to be a King, and a lot of grit to stick to it without losing your mind.

[ktotheatothez]

[ Nodding, lighting up again. ]

Crazy, huh...

[ If he's a little quiet the it's because Bowler-Hat-Guy was the first real glimpse he had of a Sin Eater that had gone into retrograde. It was upsetting. ]

[mordechai]

[ Noting that. ]

What are you thinking?

[ No doubt it's something personal. Something that triggered you based on what you have experienced so far, or who you know. ]

[ktotheatothez]

I'd never seen a Sin-Eater in Retrograde before, up close and personal. It was upsetting. He hurt Yulia.

[ There's a flash of anger in his eyes when he says the last. ]

[mordechai]

[ Ah. ]

Yeah, the Bound can go down the deep end pretty terribly.

[ And yet: ]

I hate to break it to you, but he's probably going to be one of our milder problems.