Of Cowboys and Kings

"Such a fancy way of speakin' for a mute." Careen realized her couldn't speak, pretty quick. Even a man trying to keep silent would still make a sound here and there with that voice box. She tapped the pad in her hands, watching him just as carefully as he watched her. Unlike the others, that very openly announced they wanted a job - this man was secretive. He didn't want any attention drawn to himself. At all. That was something to be wary of... Men with secrets often had those same secrets pop up to cause trouble.

"All right then, you got my interests. I don't like pretty words, though. Say what you mean and mean what you say. We'll get along in this arrangement just fine."

Careen waved the pad in one hand with a smirk. "I'll keep this then, and let you know when I need you. I have other things to arrange before we go on a field trip."
 
Anny giggled pleasantly as the dog intelligently moved about, signaling for her to get movie. When he started running ahead, she adjusted her purse on her shoulder and trailed behind him. Running with these boots on would be an unwise decision, but she kept a decent pace so she wouldn't slow Majik down too tortuously.

Once she was caught up, she walked beside him, her head turning constantly as her eyes searched for Tartarus. Hopefully, he didn't head to the Draft House to find no one was waiting for him. What concerned her most was whether or not he was safe. He seemed more than capable of being able to take care of himself, but that didn't stop her from worrying.

"Any sign of 'im?" she asked Majik, making a sigh. If nothing, she'd have to start shouting his name with those powerful vocals of hers...
 
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Varkas

Offering only a nod of his head, Varkas, exited the building in one fluid motion, leaving Careen in the dark store. Quick, and precise was his motto. Having gotten his answer from the woman, he felt little need to make ideal chatter with her, since he'd more than likely end up stealing his fee from her. Varkas never trusted a client, and it hadn't served him wrong yet... he was either paid, or they attempted to turn him in once they got what they wanted from him... He wouldn't have that, but so long as she paid him fairly, all would be well.

Stepping down from the steps of the store, Varkas' eyes snapped to his left as a deep bark roused him from his mood. Seeing the big white dog, Majik barreling towards him on all fours, with Anny tagging along behind him, he tried to tuck his gun back into it's holster without their notice, and was then caught flat in the chest as Majik took him to the dusty ground with a mightly leap.

Majik then proceeded to lick his friend's face until he was pushed away, and then he latched his teeth onto the man's coat sleeve. Helping Varkas to his feet via almost dragging him, Majik released his grip, and barked once more in triumph, and looked back to Anny, with his tail becoming another flurry of furry wags.
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Relief washed over her the moment she heard Majik bark and race towards the figure of Tartarus. She let out a sigh as she followed close behing the dog, a giggle then escaping her when he attacked him. Anny stopped in front of the two, placing her hands on her hips. "Good job, Majik," she cooed, winking at the snowy coloured dog.

Attention then went to Tartarus as his companion helped him to stand back up. "Well howdy," she greeted him, making a lopsided smile as she tipped her hat. Anny wasn't upset with him, but she was curious as to what he was doing here. She guessed he was either in this building or he was making his way to meet her. Troubling the man with her questions seemed unfair, though. The questioning look in her eyes said enough.

"Ready?" she asked instead, her glossy lips curling into a warmer smile.
 
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Wash walked into what seemed to be the only place with life on the planet or at least the one of the most populated. A buddy of his had dropped him off on Moraz9 to return a favor Wash had done for him quite some time ago. For the moment it didn't look like Wash was going to get off of this planet anytime soon, and he wouldn't unless he was absolutely sure there weren't any ruins here.

"You're sure this is the most likely place that we will run into Careen Caliente, eh Thirteen?" Wash asked his floating companion. "According to my readings before we entered the planets atmosphere the highest probability is this location." Thirteen answered in a strangely soothing human voice, though there was a hint of a technological accent.
"Alright, I'll trust your judgement on this one, it would just be a best guess for me otherwise. The sooner we run into her the better, the last thing we need is people cultivating land and possibly damage any potential ruins that may exist here. After all you did say your creators once resided here, though I can't see why." Wash said half talking to Thirteen and half talking to himself.
Thirteen wasn't much for one to talk after all "he" was a complicated program meant for research and who knows what else, but not conversation. Wash often made it look like one could have a meaningful conversation with the machine but it was an involuntary act.

Thirteen's central core gave off a soft glow and since all of the street lights were out he was the only light source. Though Thirteen emitted a minimal amount of light it still allowed Wash to see for some distance. To his surprise there was movement ahead of them and a woman stepped out from a building. Wash not wasting anytime and seizing this opportunity said in a friendly and inviting tone "Excuse me Miss! I hope you don't mind me asking, but you h'wouldn't happen to know where I can find Careen Caliente h'would you?"
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Serril Nel let the pipe drop to the ground. Her worries scurried away and were replaced with, holy shit!

She reflexively grabbed the side of the window as she leaned out to get a better look at the machine that had just passed. He's talking to it! It's answering... some sort of A.I. Where did he get it? What can it do? Serril Nel grabbed the goggles that were hanging around her neck and pulled them over her eyes. She adjusted the straps clumsily and fiddled with a few buttons on the sides of the lenses. There was a gentle, quiet whirring sound as the lenses turned and altered color. She refocused on Thirteen (What an odd name, but I suppose fitting for a machine.) and saw that her goggles had succeeded in zooming in close. She eyeballed the pair.

Serril Nel frowned and pressed another button, and Unknown bleeped across the lenses in tiny letters twice before disappearing. Useless piece of ... ergh, I'll need to remember to upload data when I'm able.

She pulled the goggles off of her eyes and switched them off, leaving them dangling against her chest again. Serril Nel turned and scrambled into the attic to get her bags. Leaving them around just invited too much trouble. She hoisted them on her back and snuck quietly down the stairs to go outside. The Inn's main room was inhabited by some who were chatting, sharing a drink, or something like that. She didn't care, she was outside in a handful of long steps.

Serril Nel approached the man with Thirteen from behind, absolutely quivering with curiosity. I wonder if it has defenses?

"Careen, huh? You get a whiff of her money?" She joked, though she was staring with fascination at Thirteen. Serril Nel realized that she was gaping and in an attempt to appear more collected, she glanced around at other things. She noticed that there was a person standing in the shadows and she squinted at them, but couldn't make out who it was in the dark-- which, while nerve-wracking, made her look back at the man accompanying Thirteen. "She's taking on people in the morning. Staying at the tavern over there, see the moose horns?"

She peeked at Thirteen.

"And... you are?" She attempted ungracefully.


 

Careen had left the building, still piecing her gun back together when a man asked about Careen Calliente and then was bothered by an inquisitive woman. She didn't reply at first, looking at both of them warily as she stuffed her gun back in it's holster. The datapad given to her by the one she was going to ironically dub Shadow Squeaker was already tucked away in a pocket.

The whole ambiance made her want to light up a cigarette and play the cool chick in the dark. But the was a need to rise early in the morning, and if she was gonna have more of these late night meetings, she needed to get it over with.

"She's right, y'know. Callin' herself Queen and throwin' money at anybody willin' to work for it. Still got room for plenty more hands too, if yer wantin' a job..."
 
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It seemed as soon as Wash got here he was already drawing attention to himself. More then he liked when he first walked into a scene, but no less, it had to be dealt with.

A woman exited from an Inn close to his location and what seemed to be a joke to him from the question he had asked to the lady in the darkness. He ignored her statement as try as she must to look elsewhere was fixated on Thirteen. This did not bother Wash in the slightest, as precious of a find that Thirteen was he figured that if it came from an ancient civilization and it was bound to have impressive defenses of some sort, so he let the in-quizzical woman question Thirteen as she liked.

"The reason I require to speak h'with her is I have some very important information that she must know, as it could possibly change the entirety of the planet as h'we know it. It h'would no longer be a dust ball but something far grander. Do you know h'where she might be? Or should I h'wait till morning?" Wash asked in a nonchalant tone and hoped to make some head way on his first night here. Many would think that his accent on the w's would drive women away as many would find it annoying, however it was seemingly easy for women to ignore this especially when Wash only let them speak.
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[BG="#003f87"] Thirteen floated almost lazily as he kept pace with Wash. For the moment Thirteen's main objective that he knew about was to follow the one who had activated him and aide him in anyway possible as was his directive.

A woman had spoken and tried to make a joke but it was lost on Thirteen, Wash often made jokes when it was just the two of them but they never made any sense, he was a machine and did not waste memory on trivial thoughts.
After her "joke" she couldn't stop staring at him as if he were something that was rare in the commonplace. Judging from her facial expressions after building enough boldness and curiosity asked him an inquiry.

Thirteen responded saying "My given name is 1337 New Hope, however the being known as Wash refers to me by the name of Thirteen. And who might you be human?" This woman seemed to be capable of handling herself at least by human standards. She was well muscled and wore more protection then other women possibly because of her profession or another reason entirely. [/BG]
 
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Varkas

Dusting his leather coat off, and managing to clear the paw prints from his grey button up shirt, Varkas then adjusted the white bandanna that he had holding his hair back. As he turned to Anny to greet her, his eyes widened slightly, and a soft whistle escaped his lips. She had looked very pretty when he'd met her earlier, but now she looked simply beautiful. 'It's a smile like that, that must have had man led man to the stars.' he quietly mouthed in a moment of being thunderstruck. Absently patting Majik's head, he then moved a hand to his face, and lightly rubbed his chin with his thumb, averting his eyes a moment. 'Yes, I'm ready to go. Sorry for being late. I had something's I needed to attend to before I selfishly horded your pleasant company.' A quite smile of his own was then offered, relieved that she hadn't began questioning him, though he could tell in her eyes that she wanted to ask.

Slowly moving a hand, he lifted a strand of her hair which was adorned with beads, and tilted his head slightly. 'You should wear these more often. They look lovely on you.' The moment was then interrupted by the sound of a dog belching. Majik, ran his tongue over the corners of his mouth, as he sat there, with the most cocky grin crossing his furry face. Looking at the dog, Varkas raised a brow, and then softly laughed as he looked back to Anny. 'You gave him biscuits didn't you? He won't leave you alone ever again now.'
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She frowned, I said that she was at the tavern, didn't I? Serril Nel shrugged her shoulders and assumed that he was asking the other woman in the shadows, who sounded vaguely familiar, if she knew more than her. She might've realized who it was, if she hadn't been too distracted to think about anything other than the marvelous machine in front of her. Especially since it was talking.

"1337 New Hope, I see. Were you created because of a ... uh, danger or something? If so, what sort of danger?" She frowned again, shifting the weight of her bags -- which were heavy on her shoulders. "I'm Serril Nel, inventor of ... things, I'm here to get a job. Ah, and curious. Who made you? What can you do?"

She didn't know if the machine had the emotional capabilities to feel annoyed. Would be kinda dangerous to give a machine the ability to feel if it has weapons. What if it got pissed off? Then again, I don't think machines should be able to access weapons anyway. Better if it's manual. Serril Nel squinted at the machine, itching to poke it with some tools.
 
The quiet whistle made Anny blush. People always complimented her looks, but this man actually had her feeling coy. It was a shame that he couldn't speak... When carefully reading his lips, the words he spoke were like poetry. That was a nice change from the usual raunchy comments she'd get.

"Oh, ya like those?" she asked gleefully as he tilted his head at one of the braids she put in her hair. Before anything else could be said or done, Majik belched, which she couldn't resist laughing at. Anny could even see that smile he made, as if he was proud of that noise! This dog's personality was so adorable, she thought.

"Yes, I did," she replied, smiling again. "He can bother me whenever he wants to." Anny gave Majik a quick scratch behind an ear before linking an arm with Tartarus, insisting that he lead the way. She looked forward to a pleasant evening with him.
 
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Varkas

'Lucky dog.' He mouthed, with a wink to Majik, who snorted in amusement as if he'd been planning the whole thing from the beginning. 'The beads are nice.' his nose then twitched slightly as he breathed in deeply, and he closed his eyes a moment. 'Peaches....' he answered seconds later. 'That is a most heavenly fragrance. It reminds me of the orchard my grandma had years ago.' then getting her hint, he began to lead himself, Anny, and their furry four legged companion down the street in the direction that the had come from. He then tucked the silver locket that was hung around his neck into his shirt, and exhaled a sigh laced with contentment. This trip had certainly started out pleasantly.

As they walked, his curiosity then began to get the better of him. 'How long are you planning on staying on Moraz9?' he mouthed, a slight fear of her answering somewhere along the lines of 'not long'. It wouldn't come as much of a surprise as Anny had mentioned to him before that she was a musician, and musicians tended to travel from one show to another.
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Anny felt curious about the shiny little locket he hid under his shirt. It stood out a lot, since the rest of his clothing belonged in a darker category of colour. That, she knew, meant it was something precious. Sometime, she'd have to see what the necklace contained. It was simple photographs and objects that inspired her music... Therefore, she was always interested in a person's life, especially if she shared a bond with them.

Tartarus silently asked how long she was intending to stay on Moraz9. Her free hand went under her hat to scratch at her scalp, a sign she was giving that some thought. "Hmm, well," she started to say, making a small chuckle. "I'm so lost without my crew. They've always got my dates handy. For a lil' while, though. I came here to entertain the bars, fer old time's sake. Almost like a vacation 'till I go back ta recordin' and tourin'."

She came here also to just explore the planet. This was a place she's never visited and it reminded her of home, so she chose to stay here during her little hiatus. An affectionate squeeze was delivered to his arm as they walked, her mouth displaying a nervous smile. "You'll stick around, right? I feel safe and in good company." Anny felt insecure without her bodyguards around, which she didn't plan out too well when she came here. Then again, they wanted a vacation, too...
 
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Varkas

Listening intently to Anny as she spoke, his head was leaned forward just enough for his eyes to be hidden behind the veil of his black hair. Looking through the strands, he thought he saw a nervous smile twitch to her lips, and then noted the gentle squeeze she gave his arm. Nodding at he words, he then turned his head to her 'So you have no definite plans. I think I may be here a while. I don't give much thought to what's days away. It's a shame when well made plans go awry, and it takes some of the mystery away.' he finished, and retrieved another cigarette from his pocket. Tucking it firmly to his lips, he lit it, and exhaled a very pleasant cinnamon scented cloud to his right, away from Anny's face.

'You feel safe with me? Most people say that I have the look of a criminal, and leave their minds to wander on the simple assumption. Pray tell me that you are the maiden that is here to shatter that reality, and breath a breath of logic, and reason?' a soft smile was revealed, and a strand of hair was tucked away from his gray eyes.
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"Criminal?" With curious eyes, she turned her head to look him over, her nostrils getting filled with the scent of cinnamon. Tartarus was unlike any man she's ever socialized with. They were always so well groomed and haughty, otherwise they were fans who slipped past security to get her autograph. She's had her share of encounters with shady figures, though. Encounters she was certainly not proud of or happy to share. Her makeup did a great job covering up the scars of those experiences. Still, he looked nothing like those goons.

Anny smiled back at him, glad that he moved some of that hair from his eyes. They were a pleasant shade of gray she felt like she could get lost in. That was an eye colour she didn't see very often. "Anyone with a dog like Majik can't be so bad," she told him with a nod. "It's a shame that people judge you so quickly. They're missin' out."

She turned her head again to watch the path ahead of them, her sparkly lips still curved into a smile. Anny began to quietly hum to herself, something she'd often do when deep in thought or wandering someplace.
 
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Varkas

'One could be a criminal acting under the best of intentions though. However you seem to think otherwise, and I prefer that line of thought.' Looking down at Majik who was sniffing at the ground as they approached the Draft House, Varkas closed his eyes a moment, took another drag from his cigarette, and then blew the smoke down towards the dog. Majik sneezed, and responded with a friendly woof, then going back to his previous endeavor. Leaning forward, he looked at Anny as she hummed. The scar running along his neck just under his chin would now be noticable. 'Forgive me for more flattery, but I must say again how lovely your voice sounds. Perhaps it's the fact that I can't pollute the world with my words. Yours however is a great gift to share.'

They had then reached the steps to the Draft House, which was bustling with activity, and from the sounds... a few fights which were just about wrapped up. Such was the way on the frontier worlds, and the noise reminded Varkas of his home, more so than Anny's perfume. 'Let us hope it's not too rowdy, or we might have to go hungry.'
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Anny was too distracted to catch all of what Tartarus said, but she had a hunch that he was complimenting her voice. The humming quieted down, and was then hushed when she caught the wound along his neck. It was a scar, no doubt, but it had to have been excruciatingly painful some time ago! With their arms still connected, she slid her hand upwards, tracing a finger along the mark. Anny's chocolaty eyes filled with sympathy, her face nothing but somber as she tilted her head, silently wondering how this happened.

"This why ya can't talk?" she asked him, her gaze going to the Draft house for a moment. It was lively this time of night, bringing back memories of her own. There were times when she'd spend entire nights in places like that, either to socialize or play her music. It brought a quick smile to her face. Had she not been in someone's company, she'd be too timid to enter. Instead, Anny would be taking advantage of her hotel's room service. This would be more fun, though, she hoped.
 
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Varkas

Varkas seemed to physically shiver as her finger traced the scar. Closing a hand over her's, he nodded. 'Yes, it's the reason, but I don't want to ruin a good night by reflecting on a bad moment in the past alright?' he mouthed with what surely would have been a pleading tone if he could have spoken. 'Shall we?' He motioned to the door with his other hand, and dispensed his cigarette in a bucket full of sand, and extinguished cigarette butts. Glancing to Majik, he whistled to him, and the dog nodded once in understanding, and perched himself by a bench where he laid down on his side, and yawned.

'I wonder if they can make a decent chicken fried steak...' he mused as he looked to the door, and then back to Anny. 'I'm starving, so let's get to it.' The knot of worry that had formed in his chest hours ago, felt as if it was slowly beginning to unravel. He couldn't remember the last time he actually felt as good as he did now. It was evident from the quiet smile on his face, and the murky coloration to his eyes, from the building's dim lamps that hung by the front door.
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A quick wave was made to Majik as she got guided inside, her eyes then greeted by a softly glowing environment. She couldn't remember the last time she had the pleasure of stepping foot into a place like this. Everywhere she went had stages and crowds and then meals were served to her on a silver platter. While that was all glamorous, she missed the simpler parts of life.

"Sounds good," she giggled. A chicken fried steak with some white gravy certainly did sound good. Anny was feeling relaxed as well, her grip on his arm a slight looser than before. They must have been an odd sight... A beauty like herself clinging onto a dark looking character. That thought was mentally shrugged off, though. Anny thought more of him than others did, she learned.

While she let him bring them to a table, she let her purse slide from her shoulder, now dangling from her elbow. It would be nice to give herself a break from the weight of this.
 

"It ain't a dustball." Careen said at first, with some offense. Clearly the knob hadn't explored the entire expanse of the planet. Granted, this area of the territories was plains near bordering a desert area. It made for easier ship landings and building up structures right off the bat. But Careen very carefully made sure to purchase up some of the best land masses on the planet. Forests, mountains, gorgeous picturesque places that were going to make her up and coming kingdom the best place to live this side of the galaxy.

"Hrrmph. Iffin' you and yer twittermajigger have something important to say about Moraz9 say it now. Otherwise, if you're wantin' a job you can meet out on the street with the rest of the vagabonds and take a nice little tour." His machine was a high-tech little beast. Moreso than most of the stuff put out that she ever seen. Must have been pretty curious for a lot of people, cause the woman lurking around couldn't keep her eyes off it. Probably a mechanic.

"So? Spit it out. I ain't got all night."
 
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