Something was bound to go right (Ch. 2: Day 13) [Epilogue]

Greens · Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 2:23 pm

For a moment, it seemed like Caz wasn't sure if she'd done the right thing, potentially mistaking Jam's surprise for... some sort of personal vexation with the piece of jewelry. But by the time she plucked it from her hands, it was a good guess that she'd dome something right. She never expected for Jam to out and out hug her, but the surprise was nothing if not a pleasant one. Caz grinned as ear to ear as she could without showing teeth, and responded in kind, if in that clumsy, hesitant sort of way only Caz could.

"I'm... glad you like it," she answered.

And as... weirdly adorable Ace found the whole scene, he didn't stay by the two for long, opting to exit stage left with a smile of his own. He didn't say it aloud, but Ace was glad for the both of them. That Jam found her trademark lightning gem, and Caz finally found a friend. It almost felt like a relief, but one that came with the pressure of fighting back a chuckle.

He found the best way to busy himself was to meet Rock on his side of things, with his dripping duffel and hoard of broken bits of machinery. "So," he threw in, finishing up the last bits of his cone. "Our next move is to rendezvous with the whole crew, isn't it? We 'eaded here 'cause we figured... this 'ould be where everyone would flock to."

psikeout · Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 4:55 pm

If Rock felt anything particular about the exchange, it was mostly unreadable. He might have glanced, might have chanced a how 'bout that smile, but ultimately only spoke when addressed by Ace.

"I don't think there is any 'next move,'" he replied laxly, shrugging as he turned away. "Not for now. Don't have any debriefing for you guys, or anything." As an afterthought, he added: "Y'know, besides 'good job,' or whatever."

Ever the tactful and encouraging one. Still, if he said it, even backhandedly, there was some sort of sincerity behind it. He moved on from the topic quickly, though, as he swaggered a few steps away from the tower, across the wet, gravelly pavement.

"I really just wanna make sure all my people're alright,... and drop off the radar for a while."

Rachel · Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 5:40 pm

The sheriff smiled a little as she put an arm around the bird and returned her enthusiastic hug. Jack was ecstatic to see her and Coop safe and unharmed. If gave her a warm fuzzy feeling knowing this meant there was an excellent chance no one else was harmed in the explosion or resulting flood. Jack wasn't however at all sure what ember meant by the black eagle not being the worst part of her week, she assumed it had something to do with the tsunami. Being kidnapped and stuffed in a duffel bag wasn't the sort of thing that popped into her mind right away.

"I ain't real sure how any uh'this is possible. But hot damn, Thank you, Stranger." She said with a grin aimed at Coop. "I'm Jack. I don't recken we had a chance ta introduce ourselves. 'Course I could just call ya Stranger if ya'd prefer."

Mie · Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 8:05 pm

Quick to wrap up her unusual exhibition of gratitude, strawberry-hued simian coughed abruptly, and muttered a summarizing, "'Ppreciate it" under her breath. She pocketed the gem, and moseyed back towards their men, and jumped in as though she'd been part of the conversation the entire time.

"What after that, then? You guys gonna stick around, and finish out your tournaments? I'm sure that Vince guy'll pony up a pretty purse, t'make up for his lure gettin' swiped."

Greens · Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 6:19 pm

(OOC: Homework induced super-quickie!)

And Caz was ultimately left quietly scratching her head as the girlfriend moment quickly came to a halt. But she caught up herself all the same.

Mere feet away, Ace's glance trailed the monkey girl's footsteps as he listened. With a thoughtful glance to the heavens, "Hah" seemed to summarize his thoughts on the matter as well as anything else. "Damn near forgot about that thing," he admitted. "Money's always cool, yeah. Could even be a hero and donate it to the relief effort. God knows these people need it."

psikeout · Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 11:54 pm

Maybe it was typical of him to already be walking off while they discussed their plans, but, lo and behold, there he went, swaggering away. He had only one, maybe two things left to do, then he fully intended to leave; whether or not that meant going home was hard to say, but his time on Westside Island was done. He didn't seem the type to wait around for some commercial tournament to get back on its feet.

He stopped some distance away and turned back to motion for Jam.

"C'mon, Laylee!"

Mie · Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 1:09 am

Jam nodded emphatically in agreement with Ace's statement, but lacked the time to comment much on it once that call drifted from over her shoulder, perking her ears, and coaxing a somehow brighter smile from her already beaming expression.

"Good luck, then," chirped to the pair as she spun on her heel, and began backwards skipping away. "Give 'em hell for Rock! And thanks again, Caz!"

With that, the punch-hued primate spun about face, and sprinted off towards the whiter one with substantial spring to her stride. Even distantly, her greeting could likely be heard, "So you got anything specific in mind for you and me, post Key?"

psikeout · Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2011 2:15 am

OOC: Collab with Mie to finish out our involvement in this one.
----

"Ain't considered nothin' past 'away from here,'" Rock admitted thoughtfully, as he and Jam ambled off. "You got anything?"

Jam tapped her chin in thought for a moment. Her eyes watched the clouds roll by overhead amid a flutter of blinks, before her shoulders encroached upon her neck in a brief shrug.

"I'unno," she replied with raised brows over an implicit smile. "F'you're not sick of water, I've never known palm trees and white sand to be a downer."

Rock looked blankly ahead, as if his imagination was conjuring some fantastic image of her suggestion.

He absently smiled.

"Yeah," he finally answered, vaguely at first. "The beach is good."

... His expression remained frozen with that smile, but his brows conflictingly descended as something apparently spoiled his imagination, and he added, "A faraway beach." He further clarified, "an empty... faraway beach."

The reddish girl skipped ahead with an impish grin, and turned to face her company as she walked backwards.

"If I didn't know any better," Jam said glibly, batting her eyes, and cradling her face in her hands. "I'd say you were trying to get me alone."

"Hey, hey," protested Rock, hands raised in mock defense, "you make it sound so sinister... I make a pretty good lifeguard... totally count on me to grab you in th' water..."

And so it trailed off. After being right next to three nuclear blasts, destroying a military base, and surviving the wave to end all waves, it was good to finally have things back to normal, and get a happy ending.

(Well, reasonably happy. He'd probably wish he hadn't given Ace and Sheffer such a large cut of the profit once he got to see what was left of his plane at the antediluvian Grand Metropolis airport. But that... was a concern for later.)

Diluss · Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2011 4:48 pm

Cooper leaned in (and down, a little ways) and extended a hand, rigidly.

"I'm—" he hesitated, "I'm Coop."

MuffinUnsane · Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2011 5:19 pm

"Coop", repeated Ember in a low tone, commiting the name to memory. She had the odd feeling she might need it again. In an attempt to be polite she gave him a polite nod.

"Name's Ember. Glad we can all call each other by name now!"

Rachel · Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2011 7:07 pm

"Well, Thank ya Coop, What you did was quite heroic." The griffin said offering another complement to the bird as she started to flutter her wings, whipping what water was left between her feathers out as she became airborne.

"So long, Coop." She said as she started to fly back towards what was left of the tower. Jack was not a fan of the sea, especially not its smell or that of the dead fish. She didn't want to seem rude, but her nose had reached its tolerance of funk for the day, and she needed to distance herself from the beach.

Diluss · Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 12:04 am

Coop shut his eyes as the water sprayed out, and opened them again to see the gryphon buzzing off into the sky. He let his hand fall to his side.

Coop looked at Ember. He frowned.

"Wh—" He started, and then he stopped.

He rumbled a deep, worn sigh.

"I'm… sorry about…"

He waved his hand at her, and then waved his hands next to each other, in an awkward pantomime that might convey, to the imaginative, the approximate proportions of a duffle bag.

"You know."

"You just chose the wrong place to explore."

MuffinUnsane · Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 12:59 am

"I have that problem sometimes, my mother always said it would get me killed! Guess she wasn't all the way wrong, good thing she thinks I'm far away from here."

Letting out a chuckle she took a step foward and for a brief second patted his arm. "No worries about it, all this fun was worth it. Catch ya later!", she chirped merrily before moving back again. She wasn't entirely sure how he would react to being touched. Not wanting to stay and find out, she lifted up in the air and followed suit after the golden griffin.

Diluss · Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 12:49 pm

Coop stared after her.

Then he sighed again, and turned, and walked down the beach.

Something was bound to go right (Ch. 2: Day 13) [Epilogue]

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