carabadgermum
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the paw that rocks the cradle rules the world
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Post by carabadgermum on Jan 5, 2008 1:13:49 GMT -5
Anna smiled and then laughed nervously at first but then freely as she released all the tension that had been bottled up inside her. "Bane I . . ." she began and then stopped. She realized it was the first time she had ever said his name. He had said her name to the guards when they were here. That was it, they way he said her name, his accent, that was what made her feel so comfortable around him. It wasn't as if she hadn't heard an accent like that since she entered the country but his was different somehow. She continued. "I don't thing we've ever really been introduced. I'm Anna. I was named after 'Anna Karenina'. My mother was a huge fan of Russian literature."
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Silas
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Post by Silas on Jan 5, 2008 1:34:29 GMT -5
Bane first looked upon Anna with curiosity at her laughter, but as she spoke he nodded. "It's a nice name." He commented. He himself had a few books in his duffel bag in case he got bored, but usually he would take out his iPod shuffle, as he would be on the road most of the time. He wished he could tell her his real name, for some reason, but it was the Zone, not some gimmicky New York half-bar-half-mingle establishment. He had been in one of those, only because he was forced to...
"And uh, my name..." Bane paused here, torn between telling Anna his name and not quite doing so.
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carabadgermum
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~Badger Matriarch~[P:NaN]
the paw that rocks the cradle rules the world
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Post by carabadgermum on Jan 5, 2008 1:49:33 GMT -5
As he said it Anna looked up out of the corner of her eye at the cameras he had mentioned before. She interrupted him quickly. "You don't have to. I mean I'd like to know your name but if you'd rather not. . . Bane'll do just fine." She had a feeling that if things progressed between them he would tell her. She didn't want to push him into it.
The question was: did she want things to progress between them? She had to admit that she wouldn't mind if they did, even though things like that weren't advisable in the Zone. It's not like she came here looking for love. But then again she only thought that she'd be here a couple weeks. That was the plan: to come, do what they could to help, and then go back home to finish her last two years of med school and residency. It was supposed to be the first of a series of mercy missions, but she doubted that there would be anymore after this one had gone so terribly wrong.
Anna had only ever really had one steady boyfriend before. She and Sam had been something like childhood sweethearts. They'd grown up together in a small town in rural southern Indiana, started going together in Junior High, homecoming king and queen, and they'd promised to e-mail each other every day when she went away to Ball State for college. Sam had stayed home to work in his dad's store and take a few classes at the local community college. He was saving up to by a new pickup truck. Well between classes and extra curricular activities their emails were sent less and less often. She was excited to see him when she came home on her first break but while she wanted to discuss all the new things she was learning and the organizations she had joined, Sam's conversations consisted mostly of things like, "'Member when the football team when to state an' we all piled in that coach bus an Greg ate all them pop-rocks an'. . ." She'd realized then that they were heading in different directions. She suggested that they see other people and most people in their little town were pretty shocked at the idea. Sam had agreed reluctantly, "If that's what you really want."
Anna never had a shortage of admirers at school, but she was never really serious about any of them that and she was too busy with a full schedule of pre-med classes. Sam on the other hand, she'd heard from a friend, never dated anyone else, and he'd never taken the classes he'd always talked about. He got stuck in a rut working at his dad's store and going out with the guys on the weekends to drink. He totaled one pickup truck and started saving for another. She was glad she cut it off when she did.
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Silas
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Post by Silas on Jan 5, 2008 17:11:08 GMT -5
((Yeah, well, Bane will reveal everything in due time. Just ask the right questions... The post after this one'll be the historic one though. I think.))
Bane blinked at his own foolishness. He just indicated the cameras watching them just a moment earlier. To have the military learn of his true identity...
"Alright." He stated, seeming to actually examine Anna now instead of notice her via a passing glance or two. "Here, I'll take out the trash... You can, uh, go get a drink or something if you like." He offered, gesturing first to the ferret, then down the other end of the hallway towards the bar. He remembered a lot of stuff that happened there. Playing a card game or two, watching the news, and of course challenging beasts to a marksman contest down at the shooting range. Those were his off-days, when he wasn't out looking for treasure, or mapping/exploring the zone. The bar itself had a few good drinks, but the weasel usually preferred some old standbys of his instead of the near-flammable alcoholic intoxications known as 'gut-wrenchers' by the usual crowd.
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carabadgermum
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the paw that rocks the cradle rules the world
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Post by carabadgermum on Jan 5, 2008 17:27:30 GMT -5
Anna looked in the directions that he gestured. First at the ferret, she shuddered slightly. Then at the bar. She looked back at him and nodded. She started walking in that direction but nearly tripped over the gun she had dropped when the guards had arrived earlier. She picked it up now a little ashamed at her inability to fire it and shoved it back into her waistband. She had to lift her t-shirt a bit to do so and she glanced up at Bane to see if he was watching. Then she started to walk down the hallway again and then she stopped again. She had thought of another question to ask the weasel. He had said he was going to get rid of the ferret's body but. . . "What did the guard mean when he said she would need to bury the body? He said under that rule you reminded him of, Jane had to do it."
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Silas
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Post by Silas on Jan 5, 2008 17:48:00 GMT -5
"Yeah, well, I'll have t' search this guy in case he has anything on him first..." Bane knelt over the grisly thing, still getting the sharp whiff of alcohol mixed with blood. "...I can get everything ready, but Jane has to bury 'im." He said, explaining a sort of loophole he's taking use of. He had sympathy for the ferretmaid, now and down the road as well...
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carabadgermum
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~Badger Matriarch~[P:NaN]
the paw that rocks the cradle rules the world
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Post by carabadgermum on Jan 5, 2008 18:04:13 GMT -5
Anna couldn't help pushing her luck and asking one more question, "But why?" She too was looking at the ferret's body and was feeling sorry for Jane who unlike Anna herself who had just felt the creatures paws, was carrying his whelp. "She won't have an abortion." She stated as if he had asked. "Religious reasons I guess. She doesn't believe in birth control either. I can't say I blame her. I don't think I could kill a child that I knew was growing inside me either, no matter what was wrong with it." Suddenly she realized that the conversation had taken a very personal turn and she wasn't sure she wanted to go there. She looked up at him and blushed. Then she gestured in the direction of the bar he had suggested earlier. "I'll just go. . . I'll see you when you're done."
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Silas
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Post by Silas on Jan 5, 2008 18:24:25 GMT -5
Bane nodded in understanding at the weaselmaid, knowing how some members of the opposite gender felt about the subject at paw. The dispute occasionally popped up in the news, anyhow. "Okay." He answered, finding a knife and a wallet on the ferret, a wallet that only hid a few bills of currency... The knife was rusty as well, hardly suitable for fighting. But for threatening beasts, it worked all the same. Which reminded him... "And Anna, keep that pistol handy." He says in parting. "Bullets aren't the only thing it shoots when you need it to." Of course the idea of another beast similar to the ferret approaching the weaselmaid was seemingly near-impossible. But not unheard of, especially in the Zone. ((*Sighs* Okay. Next post might be the history. I'm havin' a little trouble putting it together... Sorry. ))
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carabadgermum
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~Badger Matriarch~[P:NaN]
the paw that rocks the cradle rules the world
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Post by carabadgermum on Jan 5, 2008 18:47:58 GMT -5
She nodded, and then realizing that he wasn't actually looking at her at the moment, she spoke, "Yeah, I've got it here." She walked to the bar, chose a stool that was away from most of the other creatures and when the bartender asked, she ordered a bottle of granny smith Hard Core cider. She never really cared for the taste of beer.
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Silas
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Post by Silas on Jan 5, 2008 19:54:12 GMT -5
Meanwhile, Bane went to get a body bag for the ferret's corpse. He retrieved such an item from the quartermaster, in the armory near the medbay. Walking back through the bar to the residential hallway, he hauled the body into the bag and zipped it up. Morbid and distasteful work, to be sure. He took the back route to the surface, got out a trench shovel from his duffel bag, and started digging. As he dug, he thought. Thought of his past, what he had accomplished so far. Death, in any form, made you think.
Bane was one of the many beasts born into a happy little suburban family in upstate New York. His father was in the air force, and his mother was usually a stay-at-home mom, tending to him and his two sisters. Due to this overpowering feminine presence, he often journeyed from the expansive backyard to the fields beyond, exploring until dark and sometimes later, returning when there was chores or supper to be had. When he was still in the single digits of age, the Chernobyl reactor exploded. His father was shipped out to serve as an American intel-gathering group over Ukraine and the immediate area of Chernobyl. His report came back M.I.A. First, they waited a week, then a month, then two months, and after that period he was pronounced K.I.A, as there were no reports of him being seen by anyone.
Bane went through life fatherless, excelling in school nonetheless and meeting a few friends on the way. During his time in junior high, his mother remarried unexpectedly, and soon enough Bane had a step-father living inside the house. He generally avoided him whenever possible, either staying over at a friend's house, or caught up in homework or video games. He was also involved in track sports, running the mile event quite easily. In one such track meet, he tied with perhaps the only definite girlfriend he had ever met.
Her name was Nicole, and she took a liking to him after the event. They started hanging out, talking over the phone, and it continued through to the end of the year. And that's where it ended. Nicole moved away, her parents seeking a 'warmer' town. They remained in contact for a while, but then everything ground to a halt by the beginning of next school year. Bane didn't really mind it too terribly. Nicole said she had found another 'friend' anywho.
The rest of Bane's life continued without incident, hanging back in the shadow of the popular bunch at school until college, going on to work as a soldier in the Army for a short time, and to this day is wondering why he went that way. He eventually got out, and searched for a way to make a living. The Zone presented itself as a treasure trove of many secrets. He had the bravery, the skill, everything he needed to journey into the unknown and retrieve valuable objects. This is his fourth trip back now...
As he finished digging the shallow grave, he wiped his brow and looked towards the horizon, to the setting sun. He would have to tell Jane that she would have to bury the ferret, but first, he went to the bar, a full thirty minutes after he started digging. Looking around for a certain beast, he entered the establishment to a few looks of curiosity from the usual patrons. He searched the small crowd, not minding the glares.
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carabadgermum
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the paw that rocks the cradle rules the world
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Post by carabadgermum on Jan 5, 2008 21:56:14 GMT -5
Anna had switched to water after her initial cider, to the annoyance of the bartender. She smiled at him apologetically and put a substantial tip in the jar. She felt a little bad about taking up a stool that a paying customer could use but she knew her own limit and she was sure she had understood that Bane would meet her here when he was done with what he had to do. The truth was the bartender, a fat old rat ((it's Barlow LOL)) always looked annoyed with everybeast. He was actually quite glad to have the pretty beast there. Her presence had attracted the attention of a few other creatures who were more than happy to sit there and plunk down cash for drink after drink just to admire her. Anna hadn't noticed any of this or else she was just so used to this kind of attention that it didn't bother her anymore.
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Silas
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Post by Silas on Jan 5, 2008 22:21:32 GMT -5
Moving towards Anna, he inclined his head and picked a seat next to her. "Hi again." He said, trying to expand the thread of cheerfulness he felt at that particular moment. Digging graves were also depressing, and the mere sight of an open seat helped to relieve him of that. Anna's proximity helped greatly as well in that department.
Of course, he favored the weaselmaid's looks as well, but he wasn't so shallow as to pull a gawk-and-stalk on her all day like the three duty soldiers sitting nearby. Besides, she was more than just a pretty face. He had gotten that impression from just forty-five minutes ago... "I'll have Coke." He ordered when asked about his drink preference by the bartender. SOme would think it strange that the weasel was ordering a soda instead of a beer or something, but Bane had his reasons. As he waited for his drink, he turned his eyes to Anna, trying to think of how to start talking to her. "So..." He opened his mouth once, but shut it, discarding the idea.
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carabadgermum
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the paw that rocks the cradle rules the world
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Post by carabadgermum on Jan 5, 2008 22:43:16 GMT -5
Anna smiled genuinely at him and then she bit her lip to hold back a giggle. It wasn't that anything about Bane was funny. The weaslemaid had always just had the terrible habit of laughing when she was nervous. It made for some very awkward situations for those who didn't know this about her. Like the time she was led out of the funeral of her best friend's grandmother because she couldn't stop giggling. She desperately didn't want to put her new friend off by laughing at him when he was trying to speak. "I'm sorry," she coughed. Then she thought it better just to tell him about her little problem. "I laugh, when I'm nervous. I can't help it." She giggled and put a paw to her mouth to stifle it. "It's not you really." She looked down at the bar covering her mouth, trying to calm herself.
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Silas
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Post by Silas on Jan 5, 2008 22:53:37 GMT -5
"Heh." Despite Anna's slight worry, Bane smiled nonetheless. "I see." He had met a beast or two that did indeed laugh when they were nervous. Sure, it looked and sounded awkward, but it relieved stress somewhat. But why was she nervous now? Bane answered his own question, feeling like a fool for even asking himself that. The weaselmaid had come face-to-face with that ferret just a few minutes ago. And it was the Zone, after all. ANything could happen. With that learned, he decided to change the subject. "So, um, how long have you been in the Zone, Anna?" He asked, merely out of curiosity. His drink arrived, and he slid a few coins over to the bartender. Looking back to Anna, he held his drink rather defensively with a paw, moving it away from the soldier seated beside him.
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carabadgermum
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the paw that rocks the cradle rules the world
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Post by carabadgermum on Jan 5, 2008 23:21:58 GMT -5
"A month," she said, glad to have something to talk about to calm her nerves. She still let out a giggle every once in a while during her explanation but she was getting better. "It was only supposed to be a couple weeks but I kind of got stuck here." She knew she couldn't leave the story just at that so she went on. "We, Jane and I and a few others came on a mercy mission. Well that's what it was supposed to be. Jane's church put the group together. They came mostly to make converts, I guess, or try to. I just came because, well, I'm trained in medicine. I thought maybe I could help." Her laughter had subsided by this point and she went on, "Thought it was odd that we all had to go through weapons training before we came on a peaceful mission but we were told there were dangers we had to be prepared for." She took a deep breath. "I guess we weren't prepared well enough. Just about as soon as we were let through the gate a group of zombies came at us. The Father, pastor, whoever he was, our leader, went down first. Then a couple of the guys who we found out later were just coming along to get a chance to get to the center, ran off. Pretty soon Jane and I and . . . Sam, were the only ones left." She got a dazed look in her eyes at the memory but she continued speaking, "They were coming closer and closer and one of them got Sam. It was awful. One of those whirlwind things came and sucked both of them up." She squeezed her eyes shut as if trying to block out the event. Then she opened her eyes again and looked squarely at Bane. She was calmer now that she had told somebeast. "That pretty much scared the rest of the zombies away and not to long after that some soldiers came and picked us up and brought us here." She took a sip of her water. "We figure everybeast back home heard about Father whats'is'name. He's probably some kind of martyr or a saint now. Huh, maybe Jane and I are too. We tried to write letters back home to let everybeast know we were okay but we never heard back."
((you're welcome to ask her who Sam was))
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