#6 Main St.

[Sally]

"Mad-ri-gus, ya got a point there," Sally says, turning back from the door. "Command can git all sortsa ruffled when iss handed off like that. Ship's only got one cap'n after all, less they get all mangled up by grapeshot n' cutlasses an' such."

He reaches to scratch his chin, but finds his left hand somewhat inhibited due to the fact that it supported Leo's weight. With his glee still full-on, Sally unhooks from the man so he may stand on his own again, and then claps him on the shoulder, "So less give this a go wit' you runnin' quarter-back!"

With his other hand, he thumbs towards Madrigus and says, "Mothman ov'er here, flappin' on hissown wings, me and this here Chickadee ken do as we told." He rotates his thumb to point to Alice, finds that anatomically impossible without a broken wrist, and thus, he does the most sensical thing he can think of- he uses his other hand to thumb her way.

"So, we'll follow the Lionheart here's lead, but t'aint' a bad idear ta pick us a scout n' somebody ta watch our six-side, jus' in case Ms. Blue here gets the idea ta circle back on us..." Sally trails off for a moment, his head tilting, "... orr if anythin' else gets that same idear."

The glee leaks away from him in that moment, his brows knitting together and his teeth gritting, but then he notices Alice squirm, and glances to Leo and Madrigus.

And the glee is back.

"An' if summthin's dumb e-nough to try and get ta creepin' on tha four of us," he grins, "Then, well, I'd say that is a bad fuckin' day it's fixin' to creep up-on." He sets Alice down and pats at the KA-BAR knife holstered on his leg, his fingers twitching around the grip for a moment. He glances at Alice and Leo again, and steadies his hand.

"So, top a tha hour, an' we get gone." He says this like a man in great neat of doing some chasing, rather than being chased.

[kimp]

:: Liberty cocks her head and looks off into space, then rights herself and focuses on Leo ::
I think the idea of assessing tactical strengths is sound. But, I also agree that there should be a clear chain of command. We can run multiple scenarios; a few tonight as, since Sally pointed out, it does get dark later now. A few some other time with someone else leading.
:: She shrugs ::
If everyone is willing and enjoys it.

I realize Alice :: she shifts her attention to Alice :: you say you follow and don't lead. It's good to know what position you are comfortable filling. But, I think anyone who wants to lead should have the chance to do so. There are many other exercises besides Fox and Hounds for practicing tactics, although I do find it one of my favorites.
:: There is a wealth of meaning and no little relish in her voice as she adds :: Nothing gets the blood flowing like a good chase.

:: Her voice loses its intonation as she slips back into her 'training' voice ::
There are situations or challenges that might call for Leo's leadership style :: she nods to him :: Others that might fit Sally better. Or me. Or Madrigus. Or someone else. Different challenges, different quarry, require different approaches. Also, you might find yourself in a role, using skills, you have never tried and discover you excel at it.
:: Her gaze skims the group ::
If we take the opportunity through training exercises to assess each other, then when a real situation presents itself we will be better able to respond to it, with less hesitation, more coordination, and more trust in each others' skills and our ability to work in a group.
:: A subtle eye roll emphasizes her point :: If our recent experiences are any indication we - not
:: she adds, making a small circular gesture that encompasses each of them :: us, per se, but the collective "we" most certainly need to learn to work better together or, to be poetic, we will fall apart.

After each exercise we could have a post mortem to weigh what we did well and what we could do better. Maybe propose a new exercise to challenge us in a way we haven't tried yet.

I hesitate to say we may even find a situation you find yourself comfortable taking the lead in, Alice.
:: She tilts her head and a tiny smile flirts with the corners of her mouth ::
In fact, I may take that challenge on myself once I better understand how you work and think. There may come a time when you have :: she leans heavily on the last word :: to lead. Wouldn't it be nice to have the confidence to step up if that came to pass?

The way I was trained we had no defined leaders. We were all expected to lead. Or fall...
:: Previously strong and steady, her tone becomes quiet, disconnected, as she adds ::
The strong rise; the weak get eaten.
:: Her voice trails off and her gaze dims as if a sudden cloud has passed. Her attention goes elsewhere for a moment, her unblinking gaze on a fixed point in the distance, then she gives a visual shift, blinks, and refocuses on the group with her brows lifted ::
Anyhow
:: she looks at her watch again ::
would someone like to make the call?

[Madrigus]

Alice probably wouldn't mind leading a team to unrestrainedly stab me or one of my kind, thought Madrigus when Liberty pointed out that all must lead sometime. He didn't let this thought show, however, and waited for the strange woman to finish before responding.

"I vote we run this once for now, with one leader. We can always do this again another time and change roles as we see fit. I'll pass on leading for now, but I would like a better definition of the 'no weird stuff' rule. My powers extend beyond mere control of elements and curses and I'm able to glimpse the future as it will be. Would that be considered cheating? Or is it allowed as a skill of mine?"

[kimp]

:: Liberty listens to Madrigus’ question. When no one jumps to answer, she says ::
I think that would qualify as Extra Juice-y, so, for this time, I’d say no. No viewing the future.

:: She sweeps a measuring gaze over the assembled group ::
I know Sally says he’s just a good-ole-country-boy with no extras, but I suspect the rest of us won’t claim that. Maybe in a future it would be smart to run a training that specifically focuses on our
:: her fingers curl in air quotes ::
special skills so we can figure out how best to counter them if we run into them in enemies and also how best to use them to our advantage.

Even then… :: her gaze goes distant a moment, then clear :: I’m not sure if using what I can do in a training exercise would be fair…
:: she gives a very slight shrug ::
Not that training, as I know it, is inherently fair
:: heavy emphasis on the last word, combined with an eye roll, makes the point ::
but new town, new rules.

:: It’s clear by the subtle distance in her tone that her mind is already focused on the run. If that *wasn’t* clear by the tone, then the way her gaze darts between the group and the scenery would be a giveaway ::
So… are we ready?

(OOG – if we want to cover the chase/hunt on this forum I’ve suggested that we could do this with a roleplay/scene-action-description game of hot & cold. I will map out where I am going pre-chase on a camp map (so, no cheating ), noting where I go and what I do there, then you all could say “we go ‘here’” and I could let you know A) if I’ve been there, B) what I did there, C) If I’m still there, D) what I’ll do if I am.
If that works, we could keep this going)
It lets you keep role playing and let's me practice my mad KAMB mayor skills )

[PoeticJustice]

When Sally's fingers twitch, Alice is fixed on him. She studies his face, and the way his hand trembles faintly and shakes her head. She reached out to place two fingers on the wrist of the hand on the knife. Her pale eyes remained looking into his before she finally pulled back.

Then she turned, looking back to Liberty, watching her. Her eyes went distant on the words have to lead, her hand falling away from Sally's wrist. She was clearly lost in another time, another place, her shoulders quivering lightly. She closed her eyes, her shoulders rolling backwards as her back stood up straighter, a hand moving around to touch her lower back.

She didn't seem to hear anything else, just staring off into the middle distance.

[Sally]

Sally's hand goes slack at Alice's reassurance. To anyone watching, his twitch for the knife handle mirrors his inability to drop a certain other piece of cutlery at the first go-round.

"Well," Sally says, chewing on the word for a moment, "I reckon we should git on wit' this-here ex-er-cise, don't you, Co-man-din' Offic-er Wilds?" He brings his hand up to his brow in a mock salute. "Ms. Blue here must be chompin' at the bit by now to make like a Fox."

Sally pauses, and looks to Liberty, "Ya'll better stay outta the hen-houses durin' this, if catch the cut of my steak." He pauses again, looks at Leo, Alice, Madrigus and hisself, and laughs, "Shi-it, you imagine the look on somebody's face if this lot comes kickin' in they door?"

"Chickadee," Sally says, his voice a bit lower, as he peers into the middle distance, attempting to see what ever it is the young woman is seeing, "We're fixin' to get a move on- so iffin' yer game, is' just about time to cry havoc."

Looking to Madrigus, he says, "An' Mister Mad-ri-gus, what say you? You wanna run scout? Cover the back? Stick to the bossman here," he nods to Leo, "Or some such other role?"

[Leo Wilds]

Leo listened to them all and straightened up. Commander Wilds sounded weird to him. When he did exercises with the white rose order he usually played tactician. Which meant he wad usually the one getting put yhrough cars or cut in half. He cringed a little at the memory of the butcher cleaving him right through the middle bearly missing his spine.

"Sounds good to me Sally. Just hope with my luck yhe butcher doesnt cut me in half again. It hurts regenerating from near death experiences." He said slightly sweating.

"Madrigus where you feel most comfortable my friend?" He asked calmly.

Leo knew that liberty was going to give them all a run for their money.

(OoG- I feel weird hearing people people say cry havoc an other havoc sayings lol. My LE character who was this characters great something grand son was name Tristan Havoc and well its kinda funny hearing it again almost makes me wanna respond as him haha.
I'm fine with what ever method youd like to use for this game Kimp)

[kimp]

If I catch the cut of your steak
:: Mild confusion on her features, Liberty mouths the words, then shrugs. She pops open the side pocket on her cargoes and pulls a pair of finger-less gloves out. After smoothing them on her hands, she furls her fingers and nods ::

:: After a moment, she focuses on Alice and says sharply ::
Alice! Time to train.
:: She slants a glance at Sally, as if to say that's all yours, then she shifts her attention to Leo, moves closer to him and then pointedly looks at Sally before saying quietly ::
No more B word, okay?
:: Her quiet tone asks him to join the conspiracy of, if not silence, then circumspection ::
For now at least?
:: Stepping away she adds in a louder voice ::
I'm getting bored. So, unless anyone has some hand grenades I can juggle, I say we start this thing.

Okay. Everyone not me into the AAA. And no watching through the windows. Five minutes, then find me.

:: Liberty watches and waits for the porch to clear, then hops off the end of it and starts up the road leading to Main Street, her pace fast but not a dead run. ::

[PoeticJustice]

Alice drifts back to the present, this time, this place, struggling to break the surface and escape whatever she was drowning in. Sally's soft words clearly help her somewhat, but she is still struggling through the fog when Liberty barks.

The words have an instantaneous effect, and Alice snaps to attention. One could almost see her ears perk, and her tail raise. Her eyes come into sharp focus and suddenly she is at attention, reaching for a weapon that's not there. A hunting hound? Perhaps she took that a bit too literally.

She exhaled, forcing some of the tension from her body. She bumped into Sally's side with her shoulder, closing her eyes and then opening them before turning her attention to Leo, and then back up to Sally.

"Let slip," she murmured, pulling her ponytail free only to rebind it, catching all the escaped wisps and rebinding them. She returned to her stretches, watching Leo with a hint of skepticism.

[Sally]

"... luck the Butcher doesn't cut me in half again..."

Sally's face, one marred in pine sap and a tan earned in the last few weeks, goes the color of old newspaper with Leo's comment.

As final prep is discussed, he stares blankly ahead, and is only spurred into the AAA by Alice's nudge. His color comes back some as they get towards something to do.

In the diner, no doubt, there are familiar faces.

Waves. Helloes, even.

Something on the Juebox, maybe even one of Brett's shows. Or maybe that's just Hank, strumming his gui-tar.

Doing as the rules and Ms. Blue so instructed, Sally keeps his eyes from the windows and has begun the internal countdown to game on.

More chatter. More strategy.

In the diner, it's likely a normal day. Flannel-clad locals mixed in with some of the fellow refugees. Perhaps Eugene Jackson's peddling pies or condiments. Maybe Professor Challenger is chatting away at his booth, soothing away fears or lending his expertise on some obscure slip of paper. A couple of Whisper Hill High's soon-to-be Seniors might be chowing down on burgers and tossing sidelong glances to the nutty newbies in their home. Flo may even catch them and give them a 'tsk-tsk.'

There's likely some of the Hanley Halfway House in transit- Eden's always on the move, how else does she always have the scuttlebutt? Or, could be Angela, sharing a cup of tea with Kelsey Graham or Dallas, just chatting through an idyllic afternoon.

Though, in all likelihood, Lou's not lounging about. He's more than like somewhere with a set of clippers, trimming back the forest from encroaching on Main Street. Someone has to.

Or, hell, Bob Gray and Hartighan could be by the fireplace, comparing the newest memo from Blackstone, for all Sally Lautner knows.

Sally ain't nowhere to be seen, so to speak, as the clock ticks down to 3 minutes until Release the Hounds! Lights on, nobody home, as they say.

He nods along to anyone talking and keeps the countdown. As the numbers roll into the single digits, then, it's jut a matter of Leo giving the go-ahead.