The Red Lands ::Private RP::

[FrauleinD]

"Wh-" but before Dylan could even utter that one simple word, Roi's bike had kicked up enough dust to gag a truckload of maggots. Dylan habitually pulled her jacket up to her mouth until the dust had settle just enough for her eye to catch a glimpse of an abandoned bike by the corner trash bins. Roi had a head start, but Dylan wouldn't let that stop her. Though she had no idea what she was going to do when Roi had gotten Dylan to wherever she was going to lead her, she couldn't let this perfectly good oppurtunity go to waste.

Dylan hopped on to the bike and desperately turned the key until the engine began to purr and she had the bike running as she needed. Turning as well as she could manage, for the bike was a bit oversized for her, she took off in Roi's direction, trying to juggle finding the switch for the bike's lights while simultaneously following in Roi's path.

Now Dylan really wished she had a pair of goggles. She could feel the sting of the dirt and dust in her eyes and felt the agitated tears running down her cheeks. But she couldn't stop now. If she gave up with her prey so close in front of her, she'd just be a laughing stock to Pegasus, and lose even that pitiful shack she called a home. She didn't even want to think about that now. Every hump and pot hole was a pain, this hover bike she'd snagged definitely wasn't one of the newer models, and it was turning out to be a real pain in the neck.

She screamed something along the lines of, "Wait up you crazy b***h!" but feared her words were lost in the roars of the two bikes in the red, musty night. Where was Roi even leading her? Dylan reached into her pocket, trying to get ahold of one of her explosives, trying not to overturn the bike as she did so.

[KatDrama]

Roi was half amused that the guy had the courage to follow her. Too bad for the hunter. Roi smiled recklessly. She hadn't had a good thrill in a long time. She banked her bike to slow it a bit, teasing the hunter to catch up. "So you want to fly with the Hawk, do you?" Roi seemed cocky for a kid who wasn't packing any major weapons and no obviously strong powers.

Roi looked ahead now, fixing her sights on the broken overpass she had been on before. That would be the perfect place to loose this hunter. Too bad though, he really did have a pretty face. Roi's face darkened a little. She didn't like hurting or killing people, but sometimes things had to be done in such a manner.

Trying to enjoy the moment Roi looked back over her shoulder again at her pursuer. "Ha, novice barely knows how to ride!" She laughed and slowed down even more to entice the hunter.

[FrauleinD]

Dylan thought Roi had said something, but couldn't make out the exact words over the sound of that obnoxious bike. But they were in semi-familiar territory now, Dylan thought she'd seen those overpasses before. s**t... She thought to herself. She wouldn't... Would she? Dylan gulped, but sped up her bike as she saw an oppurtunity to catch up to Roi, even though she could barely control the thing. I'll show her... Cocky...

But her thoughts were interrupted by the bike sputtering. Apparently, the thing hadn't been charged for some time, and it was only a matter of moments before it would break down and die completely. I've got to make this count... Dylan steadied the bike and did the best she could to allign herself in Roi's path. She'd gotten ahold of one of the bombs in her pocket, and slowly pulled it out, trying to secure the pin in her teeth to pull it out.

After some struggling, she managed to remove the pin, and hurled the small grenade towards Roi's bike just as they came upon the garden of cement overpasses. Had she thrown it in the right direction? Dylan was surprised she could still see anything at all, though the outer edges of her sight were turning red, like fire, and burning like it too.

[KatDrama]

Bombs were something new. Roi had never encountered explosives before. Shi- Roi couldn't began to think of what to do as the explosion caught the tail end of her bike sending her flying over the handlebars and skidding across the pavement to the edge of one of the roads that went to no where.

Roi lay still for a moment, her sensitive ears ringing furiously made her disorientated. With a small groan she pushed herself up on her elbows. Wiping a bit of blood from the corner of her mouth she quivered a bit and gradually got to her feet, her knees shaking a bit. As the red dust settled Roi tried to figure out her situation. She'd never crashed before like that. Her bike had skidded all the way over the edge of the overpass. Roi glanced from the edge of the concrete to the hunter that approached now. Dammit...that was unexpected. She cursed herself. Her body hurt all over, with a slightly trembling hand she gripped her shoulder which hurt like fire. She wondered in this condition, could she use all of her powers? That wasn't the plan, she had never planned to show a man of Pegasus her full powers, especially if he lived to tell...she'd be hunted even more. She looked with apprehension at the moon as though looking for guidance, stepping backwards a bit closer to the edge of the overpass.

[FrauleinD]

"Got her!" But Dylan's victory party was cut short as the bike sputtered, skidded, and sent Dylan flying sideways, rolling over and over, and eventually landing on her back. She whipped over just in time to lose her dinner into the dirt, and wiped it away from her mouth as quickly as she could, stumbling as she found her way to her feet. Coughing, her eyes darted around until they finally settle on Roi. It was dark, but the woman was still alive, and it looked like she was more than ready to tan Dylan's hide if she got the chance.

Spitting the last of her vomit into the dirt and walking toward Roi, she wondered what she was going to do. She felt a stinging pain in her arm, and could have sworn that there was a trickle of blood dripping down the inside of her jacket sleeve, but she refused to show her weakness to the enemy. But what would she do now? With a gimp arm, it'd be pretty hard to take on Roi hand-to-hand, and though she was under strict orders to bring Roi back alive if at all possible, Dylan felt herself instinctively reaching for another grenade.

Dylan opened her mouth to speak, but cut herself off as an opening in the dust clouds sent a glimmer of moonlight into her eyes, reflecting and glittering from the gold bits in her irises. She shielded her eyes from the light, wondering if Roi had noticed, not entirely sure she cared either way. When the light had again hidden behind the dust clouds, she looked up, face-to-face with the woman she'd been ordered to bring back to Pegasus. What would Roi do to defend herself? They were both hurt and now both without bikes. Whoever walked away from this battle would be lucky to make it back to town in one piece at the rate they were going.

It was times like these that made Dylan wish she were good at coming up with witty one-liners.

[KatDrama]

Roi saw that the person wasn't giving up, despite failing at riding the bike. Roi gritted her teeth. What an obstinate hunter. Roi inched a bit closer to the edge of the road. She looked down, it was a fairly good size drop, if she didn't use her powers she would probably die. But if she jumped then the hunter would see her and her most secret power. Biting her lip a bit Roi looked back at the hunter, calculating.

Finally Roi reached for her belt and drew another throwing knife. "Stop right there." She ordered bravely of the hunter. Lifting the knife she raised it with a quivering hand and pointed it towards her own eye. "Pegasus wants me for my eyes. One more move and I swear I'll go blind for the rest of my life." Roi smirked a bit, it was a desperate bluff, but one she hoped would work.

[FrauleinD]

"Tsk." Dylan winced, both at the seering pain in her arm and the desperation of the woman before her. Rather go blind than go along peacefully, huh? Not that Dylan really blamed her, it wasn't as if she herself enjoyed working for Pegasus in the least. She watched, unmoving, her fingers tracing the grooves and bumps in the homemade grenadein her pocket, pondering the pin that waited to be removed. She could throw the grenade now, but that would surely kill the woman. She could wait and see if Roi would really stab out her own eye... Either way, the girl would be rendered useless to Pegasus in the end, forfeiting both Dylan's reward and this woman's freedom.

On the other hand... There was a flicker in the red gem flecks of Dylan's eyes. If she ain't gonna fight... There's gotta be only one reason, ain't there? And it had to be the same reason Dylan was losing her own will to fight. "A'ight." Dylan slowly withdrew her empty hands from her pockets, slinking them up into the air for Roi to see, hoping Roi wouldn't notice as the wounded one twitched a bit, though a small bit of the blood was beginning to soak through the worn sleeve. "It's a tie, this time, ain't it?" she said, wishing she could end it with a cocky little smirk, but the irritation of her loss and the pain in her arm left her only with a scowl and a curled nose.

"Next time, I'll be better prepared," she huffed, backing away slowly, her hands still in the air, taking in every detail of Roi's face she could make out in the dark for the next time they might meet, though that eye... That eye would be a hard detail to forget. Dylan felt a twinge in her stomach, though this time it wasn't just her lunch that wanted to come up. Her last attempt to save face was to throw one of her grenades in the empty ground between them, causing an eruption of dust and dirt to keep Roi from seeing Dylan as she not only coughed up a familiar salty substance, but crouched down behind some nearby boulders and slipped down the hillside toward the dusty road below, where she finally clutched her bleeding arm and waddled off until she found a nice little crevice of a cave to squeeze into between some of the boulders.

Hopefully no one would think to look for her there, if someone found her, it'd be a pretty embarassing story to have to tell. She just hoped she could hide there long enough for either the bleeding to stop or for her stomach to settle.

[KatDrama]

Roi sighed with relief when the hunter seemed to give up. Her hand trembling slightly she lowered the knife, and unfortunately her guard. Roi raised her arms and closed her eyes as the heat of the blast reached her face. It wasn't a lethal blast, but the force of it knocked her off balance. And seeing as she was so near the edge of the drop off...Roi could do nothing to prevent her fall.

In the moments it took for her to blink her eyes to clear them from the glare and dust she felt the wind in her hair and understood she was falling. Without hesitating to think Roi ripped off her trench-coat, revealing two feather bundles strapped down to her back with an assortment of ropes and straps. Her hands fumbled for the release, but not finding it she sliced the cords with the knife. Two tawny wings, with white tips and black stripes and spots unfolded from her back. Despite her aches and pains the wings snapped out and quickly reduced her fall.

In the dark of the quiet night the moon highlighted a lone silver haired girl flying through the air, a trench-coat fluttering to the ground. Roi glided a distance before coming in for a landing in the middle of some ruins. As soon as her feet touched the ground her strength came out and Roi fell to her knees. I hope no one saw... Roi cursed herself as she dragged herself to her feet again. She had landed in an abandoned alley way. In a nearby building Roi saw a torn canopy, and underneath it some crates draped with canvas. "Cloth..." Roi mumbled, her hand twitching a bit as she grabbed at her shoulder again and felt blood from her road rash. Slowly the Hawk stumbled toward the crates and pallets and collapsed somewhere within.

[FrauleinD]

Dylan blinked awake, not sure when she had fallen asleep, and not remembering having done so. The dawn was just peaking on the horizon, or maybe it was the moon slinking away from the long night, she couldn't be sure. It seemed the injury to her arm wasn't as bad as she had thought, but she would still have to get it treated soon if she didn't want it to get any worse. Cautiously, she slipped out of the rock crevice where she'd taken refuge, momentarily forgetting the night past's events. She watched the dirt as she trudged along, her mind blank. The wind tossed a crumpled mass of tattered, rough-looking fabric in her path, but she barely even tripped over it, not taking any notice that it was a coat, and not just a random bundle of cloth.

Her eyes burned, and when she wiped an involuntary tear from her cheek, she saw that it was stained reddish brown. She would have to flush out her eyes as soon as she got back to her shack... That, and finally throw down the few bits she had to get a pair of goggles. Somehow through her groggy confusion, she managed to get back to her shack, empty as it was when she left it, save for the water basin she always kept at ready. Her own coat fell to the floor, and the fisted hand of her wounded arm let a grenade pin fall to the floor, clinking as it hit the old stone.

"Uh... Ah!" Suddenly, the night came flooding back to her. She had thrown a grenade at that poor woman! And then left her in the middle of the night! What if she'd fallen? What if she were hurt, or worse, dead? But there was no way to tell now, Dylan could barely even remember where she had fought the woman, and besides, she didn't know if it was the girl she was concerned with or the would-be reward that rested on Roi's handing over to Pegasus. She tore off her old shirt and loosened the binding that held what she would have liked to have called her breasts, cleaning the blood, dirt, and whatnot from her nasty arm, glad she had a bit of gauze-even if it was dirty gauze-to wrap it in once it was free of the grime.

She pulled on a tight sports bra and threw on her same, dirty old shirt. She wouldn't be at peace unless she tried... And right now she had to at least try to convince herself that Roi was at least still alive, even if she might be hurt and bleeding to death as soon as the thought crossed Dylan's mind. She tied her jacket around her waist, making a mental note to clean it as soon as she found suitable water, and again exited her little shack, making way for the rising dawn and the morning merchant's market that it brought every day.

None in the market took any notice of Dylan's bundled arm, and she even got a few batted eyelashes from little girls just on the brink of womanhood. She blushed a little and just pushed through the market, snatching a peach from the fruit vendor's bushel as he wasn't looking and slipping away toward the supply shop unnoticed, down the stone stairs that led to the underground part of the city, almost identical to the above city, but cooler, and unlike most of the outside, moist. That was where most of the city's more... Unpleasant to look at... Mutants dwelled, and that was where she was going to get some goggles.

[KatDrama]

It was barely morning and already the heat of the day was rising. Groggily Roi opened her eyes. Her entire body felt stiff and she realized that she had fallen asleep on some canvas between a bunch of crates in the middle of an old alley. There were building ruins around but only the most desperate loners lived this far out land. With a sigh Roi sat up. She had fallen asleep with everything in a most uncomfortable position, her wings included. Her shoulder still burned and now in the daylight wearing only a tank top she saw that her arms were a bit skinned up too. With dismay Roi realized that she'd lost her trench-coat and her bike. Well, maybe the bike could be salvaged.

Rising up from the dust Roi tore apart strips of canvas to bind her wings, and draped a big piece around her like a cape or a poncho. There was already a haze rising from the horizon, and the cry of crows, one of the few wild bird species to still be thriving, filled the red air. Roi trudged through the desolate wasteland, pausing every now and then when pain caught up with her. She was becoming more aware of a stinging sensation in her knee. Still Roi plowed on, back through the ruins of the high way system until at long last she found her bike. Some pieces had broken off but the main frame seemed to be fairly good. Roi tried to pick it up and move it, but without the engine on it just became a heavy chunk of metal. With a sigh Roi let the bike fall back to the dirt.

Roi licked her parched lips, wishing now more than ever for some water as she gazed at the sun. Giving up Roi plopped down in the rubbish, there was a rare scraggly bush that was giving off some shade. Closing her eyes Roi listened to the sound of the desert wind and the call of the crows for what seemed like hours, waiting, just waiting, for the coolness and freedom of night to return again.

[FrauleinD]

"Hey, gramps," Dylan said as she went in through the swinging doors of the underground merchant. He really wasn't a particularly ugly man, nor an overly offensive one... But the fact was that he was a fish man, and fish men, like fish, which were all but extinct now, liked the moisture, not so much the dust and dirt of the outside.

He bubbled a hello through his pipe, a pipe that he didn't smoke per se, but was filled with salt water. Dylan had long gotten used to the bearded fish man's habits, so it no longer surprised her. "Say," she said, sitting down on a stool across from the counter. "Y'got any goggles y'could lemme have fer, oh, say, really cheap? I kinda got this real good job, see, and last night I so had 'er in a corner, I woulda beaten' 'er if'n she ain't got mah eyes all dirty," absently forgetting to wash her face surely was helping her lie of a story.

The fish man rolled his eyes, though Dylan wondered how well he really saw with his oddly shaped head. He cocked his brow toward a mini-sized coat-rack looking object that housed a few pairs of goggles, some older, some newer, some metal, and some what looked like they might have been some kind of super plastic. "Yeah?" She said excitedly, affirmed with his fishy nod. Though he stood and patted down a betraying bump on her chest with his fin...fingers... Dylan wasn't sure what to call them. His fin-fingers, sure. "Ahahaha-" she laughed nervously. The fish man was one of the few who knew her secret, but since he couldn't really talk (except to other fish men) he really couldn't tell. And truth be told, he really didn't care. Humans, or at least those who looked mostly human, were all the same to him, and Dylan had always been a good customer, and at times, a useful store helper.

She snagged the pair she liked, a partially worn dark brown pair with dark blue lenses and an inner light, and smiled on her way out, "I'll pay ya back soon as I git this job done!" she said, setting the peach down on the counter for him. He would let it rot until it grew flies... And then feast on those, as was fishy habit.

Dylan took off, confident in her new eye-protection and made her rounds to the supply shops, gathering what she could scrounge up from her meagre savings and on loans. Now, at least, she felt prepared. She went back to the upper level of the city and poked at the city map that was on a wall.

"Now, then... Where could you have gone...?"

[KatDrama]

"Kaw."

"Mmm..." Roi felt the heat on her face, the shadows had moved. Slowly she sat up, dirt being set free from her messy hair and fell forward. The crows that had been congregating around her were disturbed and flew away, except for one cocky one that seemed to have a keen interest in her.

Roi smirked a little and made a waving motion with her hand. The bird hopped around her, looking at her curiously. "You cheeky little scavenger." Roi laughed and finally got to her feet. It was well mid morning by now. Roi felt her stomach growl, but there was nothing she could do about that. "Unless you want to be my breakfast." Roi stared at the bird. She couldn't lie, it was tempting. But she just couldn't bring herself to kill, not even a low life animal.

Roi stomped over to her bike and sat down. At least the shade had moved to cover this area now. Roi stared at her bike for a moment before opening an under seat compartment and pulling out a sachet of tools. With a sigh Roi began to tinker with her bike, her only company the lonely crow.

[FrauleinD]

Dylan traced the squiggles and scribbles that made up the map before her. As she eyed the combination of familiar and unfamiliar markings, she put her new goggles on her forehead and tightened the strap to her comfort as she noticed an old highway on the map. Weren't there old bits of concrete highway at their battle site last night? Well, it was better than nothing. She adjusted her beanie under her goggles, finding a bit of difficulty getting the adjustment quite right around the hidden secret under the beanie, but finding success just as she made her way through the main entrance and exit of Pegasus's dome.

As she went through the airlock, a shady figure with sunglasses resting against the outside of the dome right beside the door grumbled to her, "Don't screw it up this time."

She felt her heart skip a beat as she whipped around, but the man had already turned away and gone back inside the dome. Had they been watching her the whole time, without either her or the hawk noticing? Dylan didn't even know that was possible. She swallowed, glad she hadn't eaten anything for breakfast, she was already feeling sick to her stomach again, and figured she might have tossed it already anyway. If they were watching her that closely, how could she make her little outing to seem less suspicious? Uneasily, she continued on her way, a bit frazzled from her encounter.

Unconsciously, she broke into a jog, and then into a run, bits of dirt and debris collecting on her already soiled pants and shoes. She just wanted away from that dome, away from Pegasus. Even if she found herself there again eventually, at least for the moment she could feel free from his metaphorical clutches. She ran with her eyes closed, wishing she could run into something, anything, to knock her out and let her forget, but unfortunately, the fates had other plans for her as she tripped over a rock and went tumbling into a small ditch.

"Damn it!" She screamed into the empty air, unaware that the old highway she sought was not too far away to her side. Tears streamed down her face, and she did the best she could to wipe them away with her dirt-coated shirt. How long had it been since she'd had a real bath? A tub full enough with clean water for a grown person was a rarity where she was from. With a sniff that was cut short from an outbreak of coughing from the dust, she stood and put on her new goggles. It looked like a storm was coming up on the horizon, but by god she would at least see it before it consumed her.

She untied the jacket from her waist, the blood dried and crusted over with dirt, and put it on, heading up the hill she thought she remembered from the night before as a nautious feeling came over her, and an itching sensation consumed her fingers.

[KatDrama]

"Kaw." The crow hopped around Roi as though nervous. Roi stopped to look at the bird, wiping her hands across her face, smearing it with grease. The crow continued to kaw, and then a suddenly electric feeling filled Roi. She stood suddenly, regretting it almost immediately, the pain in her knee was beginning to intensify. As she stood the crow flew off, and Roi could feel something in the air. She stood and sniffed the air for a moment. The air was suddenly very still. Roi felt a wave of nervous energy course through her body that petrified her. By the time she realized what she was sensing it was almost too late to act. "Sand storm!" Her eyes focused on a rising cloud of dust on the horizon. In a panic Roi began looking around for places to hide. In the crumbles of the road work she found a crevasse of concrete large enough for a small car. Grunting from the exertion Roi began to drag her bike over there. The winds were starting to pick up and visibility was rapidly dropping. "C'mon..." By the time she got the bike in the crevasse the storm was already almost upon her. Tightening her goggles Roi wrapped the canvas cloak about her tighter and snuggled in for the wait.

[FrauleinD]

Dylan coughed harshly, spitting a mouthful of dirt into the dust, her throat and mouth still feeling dirty and dry. The wind was picking up, and the tingling, itching feeling in her fingers was travelling up her arm, toward her wound becoming almost unbearable as she came upon the top of the hill. A rock hit her in the face, thankfully a small one, and a small trickle of blood tippled down her cheek as a monsoon of dirt and dust overcame her, knocking her off her feet, sending her back slamming into the side of a large, nearby rock. She shielded the back of her head from the rock with her hand, feeling some of the bones in her fingers crunch and her hand going numb as she slid down the rock and hit the dirt below as the storm whirled and screamed over her.

"Why now?!" she screamed to herself, glad that she already had her goggles on as she crawled as well she could to a low ledge of rock, just far enough off the ground that she could crawl underneath it. With her unhurt hand, she pulled herself into the tight spot hoping the storm wouldn't knock the rock loose and cause it to crush her. As the storm picked up and raged above her, threatening every few minutes to pull her from her hiding spot, she flicked on the light inside her goggles and tried to examine her hurt hand.

Her eyes widened as she saw that the skin on her fingers and on the back of her hand had begun to crack, and the cracks were filled with a bright, red, gooey substance. Was her skin really that dry? The itching was overwhelming now, and the crevice was filled with her blood-curdling cry as a small chunk of her skin flaked off and blew away in the wind. With everything she had, she pulled a pair of large, leather gloves from her inner pocket and pulled them over her hands, wrapping around herself and shivering, cringing at the sight of her own skin coming off, the vision in her goggles becoming blurred through her tears as the storm howled around her.